Hiya! Dan DeFrancesco in NYC, and I'm wondering why someone would spend $1,000 for some dirty water from an amusement park ride. 

On tap, we've got stories on how much you can expect to get paid at a venture-capital firm, high-profile executives backing Thrive Capital, and some food shopping tips if you're on a health kick.

But first, who's hiring?

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1. Just do it. 

The new year is an opportunity to do a bit of a career self-evaluation: Am I happy at my job? Could I be making more money? Do I want to change industries?

For many on Wall Street, those questions are top of mind. Whether you were impacted by layoffs, disappointed by your year-end bonus, or just feeling uneasy about your job security, there's lots of soul-searching in finance these days.

Insider's finance team canvassed more than a dozen recruiters to get their takes on the job market. From investment banking to hedge funds to fintechs, here's who's hiring and who's at risk of making more cuts.

But for those of you who are unhappy where you are, some unsolicited advice: 

Just go for it. 

Take a job at a competitor. Switch to a different team internally. Go to a startup. Leave finance altogether.

Whatever "it" is when it comes to your career, stop putting it off.

Why wait for the ax to fall? It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees, as they say. 

If you're working in finance, you also probably have a nice nest egg (unless you went a little too hard at Surf Lodge this summer), which gives you some cushion to take chances.

Finance is all about risk management, so maybe you're worried your new career move will fail. That's a possibility, but it's not the end of the world.

Last year, as the wheels of the crypto bus were coming off, I spoke to a source about people reconsidering their move out of traditional finance to get into crypto. Wouldn't it be tough for them to come back? Hadn't they burned a bridge?

No, not at all, the source told me. Showing a willingness to take a chance on yourself and go somewhere else demonstrated the type of drive and leadership they valued, this person said. 

So go take a chance! Pitch your boss on switching to that new, exciting team. Finally, get that startup idea you've been mulling off the ground. Or maybe even apply to be on some trashy reality dating show.

Whatever "it" is, just do it. 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 

Click here to read more about the hiring landscape across Wall Street, from banks to hedge funds and fintechs.

In other news:

2. Top VCs from that other California city. It might not be Silicon Valley, but it still has its fair share of investors. Insider surveyed more than 75 Los Angeles-based investors to identify the top VCs in the city. Check out our list of the 32 most important VCs in the City of Angels.

3. Gen Z: Show me the MONEY! Recent and upcoming US graduates want to know how much a job pays before they even apply, according to a recent survey. More on why you should be ready to spill the beans if you're interested in young talent.

4. Thrive Capital gets by with a little help from its (powerful) friends. Josh Kushner's venture capital firm nabbed a minority investment from some of the biggest names in business, including Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger and KKR cofounder Henry Kravis, according to The Wall Street Journal. The deal will make Kushner richer than his brother's father-in-law, Donald Trump, Bloomberg calculates. Here's who else just backed Thrive.  

5. How much VCs pay. From investor relations to biz dev to comms, here's the typical salary range for a number of roles and seniority levels, according to a recent survey. In summary, these people can afford to buy plenty of Patagonia vests.  Check out the salary data for yourself.

6. Lazard wants in on the startup game. The boutique investment bank has created a team based in Los Angeles and Austin to focus on US startups, the Financial Times reports. More on the firm's plans here.

7. Apologies in advance if you own a home in these cities. Goldman Sachs pegged these four US cities as having home prices drop by more than 25% this year. Here's who is set to get clobbered.

8. The New York Stock Exchange had quite the opening. An apparent glitch in the exchange's opening auction caused some high-profile stocks like Walmart, AT&T, and Wells Fargo to swing widely before trading was halted, Bloomberg reports. More on the fiasco here.

9. Prepare for liftoff. We've got a list of the best and worst US airlines, according to The Wall Street Journal. To be honest, I was shocked with where JetBlue ranked. Here's the entire list.

10. Everything you need to get from Trader Joe's. I will forever be a disciple of Mr. Joe, so it seems only right to pass along this intel. First, we've got the best things to buy from Trader Joe's, according to people who shop there. And if you're on a health kick, here are 15 items a personal trainer loves to buy for her family of five.

Curated by Dan DeFrancesco in New York. Feedback or tips? Email ddefrancesco@insider.com, tweet @dandefrancesco, or connect on LinkedIn. Edited by Jeffrey Cane (tweet @jeffrey_cane) in New York and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.