A New Year. A New Salary Landscape.

If you’re leading talent or finance strategy at a multi-family office, you already know: the market has changed—again. And fast.

After a year of economic uncertainty, capital market volatility, and a continued migration of talent from banks and wirehouses into the family office world, compensation expectations in 2025 are on the rise—especially for finance and accounting roles.

At Lyneer Search Group, we spend every day advising firms like yours on who’s getting paid what—and how to compete for top-tier professionals. Here’s what’s shaping the 2025 comp conversation.

Finance Leaders Are in the Driver’s Seat

In 2025, CFOs and Controllers are doing far more than running the books. They’re managing investment accounting, liaising with external tax advisors, leading entity consolidation, and reporting to family stakeholders who expect institutional-level transparency.

Here’s what we’re seeing:

• CFOs in MFOs with over $1B in AUM are earning base salaries around $384K, with total compensation easily exceeding $500K–$600K, especially when bonuses and LTIPs are factored in.
  
  
• Controllers in NY, CA, and larger IL/WA offices are now consistently falling between $247K and $280K in base pay, with added incentives tied to reporting timelines and capital call accuracy.
  
  
• Senior Reporting Analysts and Investment Accountants are seeing strong mid-six-figure offers as firms compete for professionals who can track and reconcile private equity, hedge, and real asset investments across dozens of entities.
  
  

Geography + AUM = Compensation Curve

It’s no longer enough to look at salary by region or role alone.

Today, compensation is shaped by the intersection of geography, complexity, and AUM:

Regional premiums remain strongest in:

• New York / Connecticut
  
  
• San Francisco Bay Area
  
  
• Chicago North Shore
  
  
• Seattle metro
  
  

But we’re seeing competitive comp offers from South Florida, Austin, and Denver, especially as hybrid and remote-friendly policies expand.

It’s Not Just the Base Salary Anymore

Across the MFOs we work with, we’re seeing a dramatic increase in the use of incentive compensation tools:

• Performance-based bonuses tied to fund reporting, audit readiness, and tax coordination
  
  
• Retention bonuses for Controllers and CFOs during multi-year estate planning cycles
  
  
• Co-investment options for senior finance leaders—previously reserved for CIOs and PMs
  
  
• Long-Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs) structured around liquidity events or generational transitions
  
  

These aren’t just “nice-to-haves.” They’re now table stakes in firms trying to retain leadership continuity and avoid costly transitions.

Why Retention is Quietly Becoming the #1 Priority

Here's what we're hearing on repeat in 2025:

“We lost our Controller to another family office and it took four months to find a replacement.”

“Our CFO is being recruited weekly—and we don’t have a back-up.”

The costs of turnover at this level go well beyond salary:

• Disruption to family confidence
  
  
• Increased risk during audits or distributions
  
  
• Loss of institutional knowledge during succession or governance planning
  
  

MFOs that proactively benchmark and adjust compensation annually are not only retaining key talent—they’re getting ahead of workforce planning and preparing for generational change.

What to Do Next

If you haven’t revisited your finance team’s compensation this year, now’s the time.



• Role (CFO, Controller, Reporting Analyst, Investment Accountant)
  
  
• AUM tier
  
  
• Region (NY, CA, IL, WA)
  
  
• Incentive usage

About Lyneer Search Group
We specialize in placing senior finance and accounting professionals within the wealth management and family office space. With a proprietary candidate network, AI-powered insights, and a reputation for long-term fit, we help MFOs secure the right leaders at the right time.