After the SEC mandates the disclosure of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)' compensation in 2006, CFO pay increases significantly relative to CEO pay, particularly in firms most affected by the mandate. CFOs (but not CEOs) are more likely to leave their firms following poor performance. Earnings...

We develop a cost-benefit tradeoff model to explain corporate boards' decision whether to use compensation peer benchmarking. Peer benchmarking helps a board retain a talented but risk-averse CEO, but it weakens CEO incentives to exert effort. Consistent with high retention needs, benchmarking...