Being named a Goldman Sachs partner may seem like the crowning achievement of a lifetime. You become an instant rock star in financial services circles. But like most rock stars, the fame is often short-lived, though many end up faring well on the nostalgia tour.

Goldman Sachs partners who do not continue to produce are culled annually, to make way for the newcomers. With the company looking to pare costs at every turn, even the partners have become fair game, according to the New York Times, which reports that an "unusually high" number of retirements have been announced internally, much higher than at this time last year.

"The committee that oversees the partnership process tries to keep the percentage of partners to employees at 1.8 percent...So as Goldman shrinks, it is likely to shrink the size of the partnership pool. The pool was already at a high level before it started to shrink this year. A year ago, Goldman named 110 new partners, one of the biggest single appointment rounds in its history. That then brought the size of the partner class to 475. While it has shrunk over the past year, the pool will need to get even smaller before the firm names another class of partners, which is expected to happen in the fall of 2012."

The implication is that many of those stepping down saw the writing on the wall. It's often lonely at the top. At other firms, the highest paid at some point start to feel like the most vulnerable. You often hear, "I'm making too much money," as people gird for the worst. Perhaps you are best off if are moderately paid idle manager whom the executives think has great potential. 

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