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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has introduced legislation that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour as early as next year, replacing the current rate of $7.25 an hour. For the states that already have minimum wage rates at or above $15 an hour, the change likely won’t be as significant.
In 2025 alone, more than 20 states saw an increase in their minimum wage. READ MORE
The cost of living is rising in the United States and many people are finding that maintaining a comfortable lifestyle takes significantly more income than it did in the past.
To put a number on how much it costs Americans to live comfortably, SmartAsset analyzed how much individuals and families need to earn using the 50/30/20 budgeting rule. This popular financial framework recommends allocating 50% of income to necessities, 30% to discretionary spending and 20% to savings or debt repayment. READ MORE
Businesses hit by tariffs should start reviewing their bonus policies and how deeply they may need to cut executive payouts if they hope to avoid a public backlash, lawyers have said.
Partners at the Silicon Valley law firm Cooley said that while pay was probably the last thing on bosses’ minds as they scramble to adapt to Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policies, pay committees should start assessing their options soon. READ MORE
At a time when businesses must navigate complex stakeholders’ interests and operate in uncertain geopolitical conditions, stewardship has evolved beyond its traditional paradigm.
As stewards of their companies’ assets (both tangible and intangible), boards face the challenges of navigating a landscape that demands a more comprehensive approach — one that integrates risk and sustainability principles into the core fabric of business strategy. READ MORE
Long-term incentive (LTI) designs have become strongly aligned with institutional investor and proxy advisor preferences through increased performance stock and restricted stock units and reduced stock options. The increase in restricted stock is notable because it is the least intuitively linked to performance of the three vehicles.
We believe the current state reflects the evolution of equity compensation strategies towards a balance of active performance management and risk mitigation.
95% of S&P 500 companies currently use PSUs, up from 76% in 2012 (PSUs represent an average of 60% of CEO LTI mix). READ MORE
Non–U.S. directors who attend board meetings in the United States may discover that their temporary presence can create unexpected U.S. tax implications — both for themselves and for the company. The IRS considers directors’ fees to be self–employment income and, when paid to a nonresident alien, such fees will generally be subject to 30% withholding at the source and require the filing of tax reporting forms.
Nonresident aliens have few opportunities under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to exempt U.S.-source compensation from U.S. income tax. Only one provision, the de minimis exception of Sec. 861(a)(3), would generally apply to nonresident alien directors. Given this provision’s history and limitations, however, these directors will often need to rely on an income tax treaty between the United States and their home country for potential relief. READ MORE
A recent report from CaptivateIQ uncover key areas for improvement in how to use incentives to drive organizational growth.
In its annual State of Incentive Compensation Management Report, based on a survey of more than 200 U.S.-based B2B incentive compensation leaders, CaptivateIQ officials found 59% of companies rely on incentive compensation to fuel growth, outdated processes— manual workflows create costly errors, inefficiencies— that are holding many of these programs back from driving the growth they seek and impacting program return on investment. A combined 66% of companies have overpaid and/or underpaid commissions in the past year alone. READ MORE
Tax breaks on overtime pay and tipped earnings passed the House on May 22, 2025, as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1). The tax deductions provided under the sprawling reconciliation bill would be temporary, however, making these earnings deductible only for tax years 2025 through 2028.
H.R. 1 is part of the broader reconciliation package being hammered out in Congress. The legislation still needs to be approved by the Senate, which recently passed its own standalone bill providing a permanent tax deduction on tipped earnings. The Senate bill does not include tax relief on overtime pay (although several other Senate bills to provide a tax break on overtime are pending). READ MORE
The typical compensation package for chief executives who run companies in the S&P 500 jumped nearly 10% in 2024 as the stock market enjoyed another banner year and corporate profits rose sharply.
Many companies have heeded calls from shareholders to tie CEO compensation more closely to performance. As a result, a large proportion of pay packages consist of stock awards, which the CEO often can’t cash in for years, if at all, unless the company meets certain targets, typically a higher stock price or market value or improved operating profits. READ MORE
As organizations enter the second half of the decade, executive compensation appears to be settling into a new equilibrium — one shaped by years of pandemic-era disruption, evolving investor expectations, and a shifting macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape.
The WTW Global Executive Compensation Analytics Team (GECAT) analyzed CEO pay trends across the S&P 1500. The findings suggest that, while target total direct compensation (TTDC) growth has slowed, the design and delivery of incentive pay are becoming more nuanced — and, in some cases, more complex — in response to continued volatility and companies seeking to attract, retain and incentivize top-tier talent. READ MORE
Recent reports show that half of HR leaders see skills shortages as a top corporate threatOpen in a new tab in the coming year, and experts predict 70% of the skills used in most jobs will changeOpen in a new tab by 2030. Will organizations be ready to address any potential skills gaps? A survey of 1,100 talent, rewards and HR global leaders generally reflects optimism toward accomplishing this. READ MORE
Employers collectively pour $3 trillionOpen in a new tab each year into benefits programs for their workers — but due to a lack of employee understanding or utilization and outdated or clunky program design, those organizations are finding that the benefits investment often isn’t generating expected returns.
Only 26% of employeesOpen in a new tab are “very satisfied” with their benefits, according to recent research from benefits technology company Nayya — leading to 37% higher absenteeism, 18% lower productivity, 15% lower profitability and significantly increased likelihood of attrition. READ MORE
Earned wage access (EWA) or on-demand pay programs have been framed as a “win-win” for employees and employers.
Allowing workers to access wages ahead of a scheduled payday holds the promise of helping them alleviate financial stress. At the same time, such a benefit may fuel positive outcomes for HR departments, such as improved retention rates, surveys have suggested. READ MORE
While wages in the United States have increased in recent years, many families are still suffering the consequences of high inflation, and wage levels vary considerably, not only by profession, but also by geographical location.
The following chart shows the average salary by state for the entire United States, using the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in March 2025. The figures represent total private hourly earnings, not seasonally adjusted. READ MORE
Your degree might not pay the bills.
College graduates who studied education, social work or the arts wind up earning the lowest median income within five years post-grad, recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York revealed.
As Fortune reported, the top of the bottom five majors with a low median annual income are anthropology and early childhood education majors, who make a median salary of $42,000. READ MORE
Corporate boards are increasingly paying their chief executives similarly — a shift that could weaken company performance.
A new study from Virginia Tech finds that CEO compensation has become 24% more similar across public firms since 2006. Researchers measured the change using a composite index that tracks how companies structure pay—including salary, bonuses, stock awards, and other incentives. READ MORE
Tesla’s board has reportedly formed a special committee to reconsider CEO Elon Musk’s pay, potentially setting the stage for a new compensation package as the company faces mounting legal and investor pressure.
The move comes in response to a Delaware court decision that invalidated Musk’s historic $56 billion stock award from 2018. READ MORE
During a job interview, “What’s your salary expectation?” is one of the trickiest questions you'll be asked—and one of the most important.
It can feel like a mind game. Answer too low, and you risk getting lowballed; too high, and you might be out of the running. While studies have established that failing to negotiate your salary could end up significantly costing you, most job seekers are reluctant because they fear jeopardizing a deal. READ MORE
With current cost-of-living demands, the inflation hangover of the COVID-19 era and the ongoing economic uncertainty generated by President Donald Trump’s tariffs against America’s trade partners, a healthy salary is more important than ever.
The American middle class is making anywhere from $50,000 and $160,000 annually — so how much must one earn (before taxes) to be on the upper end of that spectrum, earning $150,000 per year? READ MORE
In one of every four large American cities, a family can earn six figures and still feel broke.
That’s the takeaway from an analysis by LendingTree, the personal finance site, which measured monthly expenses in the 100 largest metropolitan areas. READ MORE
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