I've never met Goldman Sachs Group's (NYSE: GS) CEO, Lloyd Blankfein. But his rise within Goldman from being a lowly gold trader to bossing around investment bankers who shunned him has a satisfying story arc. And this year's bonus of about $70 million looks to be more than 30% higher than last year's lowly $54 million.

But -- like last year -- he'll probably continue to suffer by comparison with some of the hedge fund managers within Goldman who report to him. Not to mention the measly pay he received relative to his predecessor -- Hank Paulson.

But I don't really feel sorry for Blankfein. After all, Goldman seems to have emerged relatively unscathed by all the subprime gloom that has slowed things down on Wall Street this year compared to last. I think it has something to do with a decision to short mortgage backed securities this summer.

And it doesn't lower Blankfein in my eyes that he awarded my brother, William D. Cohan's book ,The Last Tycoons, the Financial Times & Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award 2007.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in Goldman Sachs.

The reviews of my brother William D. Cohan's book, The Last Tycoons, on Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) have varied depending on reviewers' economic ties to LAZ. Reviewers who depend on LAZ executives for access or deal flow tended to trash the book. Those who lacked such ties seemed to like it.

I have particularly enjoyed listening to my brother tell one incredible story after another about the fascinating foibles of the "great men" of Lazard. If you're interested in the out-sized personal lives, art collections, real estate, and cigar smoking habits of a group of world-shaping financiers, you will find it hard to put down The Last Tycoons.

But those who depend on LAZ's CEO, Bruce Wasserstein, or other power brokers with ties to the firm do not share my view. For example: