Catherwood LibraryILR School

The Masters of the Universe on Wall Street keep getting richer -- and that has some people worried. A report released Tuesday shows that Wall Street's elite are making more money than ever, with the 25 highest-paid hedge-fund managers averaging $540 million in compensation last year. The top three pocketed more than $1 billion each. But the investment environment that is making these men rich is coming at the expense of working Americans in the form of job losses, reduced health benefits and depleted retirement savings, according to a very different study released Tuesday by a labor union. Taken together, the studies encapsulate the two ends of today's economic spectrum in which Wall Street is enjoying transcendent profits while many rank-and-file workers feel left behind.