There have been substantial changes in executive compensation reported by companies in their 2009 proxy statements following an unprecedented drop in stock prices. This study reviewed 200 of the largest companies (by market capitalization) that comprise the S&P 500 Stock Index. We reviewed...

In a recent study of top 200 companies by our firm we analyzed the relationship at large U.S. companies between performance measures in long-term incentive plans and company performance as measured by total shareholder return (“TSR”). We were surprised to find that there was no clear-cut...

While the impending SEC rules on disclosure of the CEO Pay Ratio continues to generate headlines, the reality is that this ratio does not inform investors of anything useful. Compensation committees should focus instead on other ratios and disclosures that are 1) more revealing of corporate...

What effect, if any, does an ESOP have on a company's compensation philosophy and executive compensation plans and programs? Our firm recently conducted research in order to determine whether or not an ESOP materially alters compensation philosophy and executive compensation levels at public...

Family companies can use public corporations as sources of top executive talent. In order to compete with these firms for key staff, family business owners must be aware of their compensation practices

This article looks at the individual elements of compensation packages as well as design features of short-term and long-term incentive plans (STIPs and LTIPs) among CEOs and senior executives of Russell 3000 companies. Data is from companies that filed proxy statements between July 1, 2019, and...

The article provides in-depth analysis and concludes that while 2021 was a banner year for executive compensation with unprecedented increases in compensation levels across the board, 2022 and 2023 will be a challenge as the general stock price drop is about 25% for most companies, which will...

All of the past decade's high-profile business meltdowns (including the financial collapse of 2008) had one common factor -- top employees were paid well to take risks that could destroy the company. Pending disclosure rules will compel boards to not only reveal how and how much they pay...