The Sound of Comp Silence

Many expected this first year of the CEO pay ratio disclosures to result in more drama. Thankfully for most companies, shareholder and employee reactions were minimal despite the media doing its thing — trying to spotlight the chasm between CEO compensation and the rest of the workforce. Furthermore, while there was speculation that the big story wouldn’t be about the CEO’s pay but about the median employee’s salary and how a person would compare his or her own pay to that of the median employee, that does not seem to have materialized … at least not yet. At the end of the day, CEO pay has long been a hot-button issue; people know it’s generally high and more than their own take-home. READ MORE

Crafting an executive compensation strategy that is right on the money

In an economy characterized in part by low unemployment and industry-wide talent shortages, recruiting the perfect executive into your company’s leadership team can be a challenge. Factors such as culture, perks and growth potential all influence a candidate’s interest, but an attractive executive compensation package can be the deciding factor in motivating a qualified leader to pursue an opportunity at your firm or remain at your firm. “One of the biggest reasons key employees leave is the chase for more shiny nickels. That is, more pay,” said Gregory Hubbell, senior vice president of health and benefits at Aon, a global professional services firm. READ MORE

Court of Appeals Upholds Challenge to Executive Order 38 Limiting Executive Compensation

In his Health Law column, Francis J. Serbaroli of Greenberg Traurig discusses the recent decision by New York’s Court of Appeals voiding certain regulations issued by the Department of Health pursuant to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 38. The court determined that the regulations, which limited the amount of compensation that could be paid to executives of health care providers and managed care plans with significant Medicaid revenues, were the province of the Legislature and not the Department of Health. READ MORE

Year-End Planning After Tax Reform For Executives With Stock Compensation

This is the first year-end season when high-net-worth taxpayers, including executives with stock compensation, must consider the tax changes introduced in 2018 by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA). Fortunately, the new tax law doesn’t make any huge changes in the usual year-end steps that you and your financial advisor should consider when you have stock options, restricted stock/RSUs and company stock holdings. READ MORE