DailyFinance.comhttp://www.dailyfinance.comDailyFinance.comhttp://o.aolcdn.com/os/df/2013/img/2-dailyfinance_logo_m.pngDailyFinance.comhttp://www.dailyfinance.comen-usCopyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Will 2010 See the End of the Grossest Executive Perk of All?http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/11/will-2010-see-the-end-of-the-grossest-executive-perk-of-all/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/11/will-2010-see-the-end-of-the-grossest-executive-perk-of-all/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/11/will-2010-see-the-end-of-the-grossest-executive-perk-of-all/#commentsWin the lottery or make a killing on an investment? The IRS will be waiting for its share. But for years, windfalls haven't quite worked that way for top executives at many of America's largest companies. Not that the IRS hasn't been getting what it's owed -- but it hasn't been the executives who've been paying.

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]]>Michelle LederMon, 11 Jan 2010 12:24:00 ESTVote for the Stinkiest Disclosure of 2009http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/30/vote-for-the-stinkiest-disclosure-of-2009/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/30/vote-for-the-stinkiest-disclosure-of-2009/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/30/vote-for-the-stinkiest-disclosure-of-2009/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Reading Securities and Exchange Commission filings -- the documents that publicly traded companies are required to file with the government -- on a daily basis gives you a birds-eye view for what's really happening in America's corporate boardrooms. And despite the sluggish economy, it's still not pretty. Top executives -- even those who happen to run companies that are being propped up by the government or have seen millions (or billions) of dollars in shareholder returns disappear -- are still managing to reward themselves, in some cases very richly.

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]]>Freddie MacMichelle LederWed, 30 Dec 2009 08:45:00 ESTSEC Requires More Details on Executive Compensationhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/18/sec-requires-more-details-on-executive-compensation/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/18/sec-requires-more-details-on-executive-compensation/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/12/18/sec-requires-more-details-on-executive-compensation/#commentsFiled under: , ,

On Thursday, by a 4 to 1 vote, the SEC approved a series of changes to the way companies have to disclose compensation on those pesky proxy statements which have become something of a rite of spring in the investing world.

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]]>executive compensationSECMichelle LederFri, 18 Dec 2009 16:27:00 ESTSurging mergers and acquisitions trigger a boom in investigationshttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/13/surge-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-triggers-boom-in-investigation/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/13/surge-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-triggers-boom-in-investigation/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/11/13/surge-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-triggers-boom-in-investigation/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

surge-in-mergers-and-acquisitions-triggers-boom-in-investigations It's hard to ignore the fact that mergers-and-acquisitions activity has jumped dramatically recently. Although we're not even halfway through November, 214 deals have already been announced for a total deal value of $67.1 billion according to Thomson Reuters.

By far the biggest one was Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) $44 billion deal for railroad company Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI). Others include Hewlett-Packard's (HPQ) deal to buy 3Com (COMS) for $2.7 billion, which was announced late Wednesday, and the $5.2 billion deal by private-equity firms TPG Capital and the CPP Investment Board for IMS Health announced on Nov. 5. If the trend continues, deal flow could easily surpass January, when the $68 billion Pfizer/Wyeth (PFE) deal was announced, pushing deal activity to $86.6 billion.

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]]>berkshire hathawayBurlington Northernburlington northern santa feinvestigationinvestigationslitigationmamergersmergers and acquisitionspeets coffeePfizerMichelle LederFri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 ESTCostco's corporate documents are models of simplicityhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/31/costcos-corporate-documents-are-models-of-simplicity/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/31/costcos-corporate-documents-are-models-of-simplicity/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/31/costcos-corporate-documents-are-models-of-simplicity/#commentsFiled under: ,

I've always been a big fan of the phrase "keep it simple, stupid," which apparently was created by a person who designed spy planes for a living. But keeping it simple is a lot easier to say than do when it comes to Securities & Exchange Commission filings. I know, because I've had to read plenty of them.

In a nutshell, 10Ks, 10Qs, and proxy statements are usually anything but simple. Instead, they're often dozens (or even hundreds) of pages written in some variation of English that I like to think of as accounting-speak mixed with lawyer-speak. So you can imagine my surprise -- no sheer delight -- when I recently came across the 10K filed by Costco (COST), the giant warehouse club.

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]]>BABank of AmericaBJCOSTCostcoFREFreddie MacJim SinegalKen LewisLaura SenRoss KariSEC filingsMichelle LederSat, 31 Oct 2009 17:00:00 ESTNew SEC website puts government agency into financial advice businesshttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/23/sec-jumps-into-financial-website-business/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/23/sec-jumps-into-financial-website-business/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/23/sec-jumps-into-financial-website-business/#commentsFiled under: ,

On the door of Mary Schapiro's office at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. is a sign that asks, "How does it help investors?" It's meant to remind everyone who enters the office of the chairwoman (pictured) that whatever issue they've come to discuss better be focused on investors.

But until recently, investors visiting the main website for the government agency that enforces securities laws and regulates the nation's stocks and options exchanges were met with a dizzying array of links. These links were confusing to navigate -- especially if you were looking for basic information. Even the site's design was pretty uninviting: more like circa 1998 than the pleasant, user-friendly sites we've grown accustomed to today. That's why the SEC on Thursday decided to launch investor.gov, which has a distinctly different feel and focus.

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]]>InvestingMary Schapiroretirementretirement planningSecurities and Exchange CommissionstockswebsiteMichelle LederFri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 ESTFreddie Mac's CFO's pay package sends the wrong messagehttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/02/freddie-macs-cfos-compensation-sends-the-wrong-message/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/02/freddie-macs-cfos-compensation-sends-the-wrong-message/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/10/02/freddie-macs-cfos-compensation-sends-the-wrong-message/#commentsFiled under:

Imagine seeing this headline one morning over breakfast: Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to get a $2 million "signing bonus" and $1.6 million in additional annual salary. How many seconds would it take before your needed to pop your favorite brand of anti-anxiety medication?

The truth is that as Treasury Secretary, Geithner makes $191,300 a year. And while there's no doubt plenty of perks, there was no signing bonus or the ridiculous sounding "additional annual salary."

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]]>bonusCFO Freddie Macin focusRoss J. KariRoss KarisalaryMichelle LederFri, 02 Oct 2009 18:00:00 ESTCEOs continue to rake in the cashhttp://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/22/ceos-continue-to-rake-in-the-cash/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/22/ceos-continue-to-rake-in-the-cash/http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/22/ceos-continue-to-rake-in-the-cash/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If your dwindling paycheck has you feeling a bit gloomy these days as you struggle to make ends meet, you can always take comfort in knowing that some people are still doing well. Very well indeed. So who's in this group of outliers? Top executives at public companies. Later this week, The Corporate Library, an independent research group that focuses on executive compensation and corporate governance issues, will be shining a light on CEO compensation based on an extensive survey of over 3,300 publicly traded companies. But we have the goods now.

In 2009, CEO base salaries increased an average of 4.5 percent. That's on top of the 4 percent increase in 2008. Indeed, 75 percent of CEOs saw their base salaries go up in 2009. But total compensation, which includes such things as stock options, restricted stock and most typically, perks, went down just over 6 percent last year. Just over half of all CEOs saw their total compensation drop in 2009. The Corporate Library plans to make its findings available in both a webinar and a research report.

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]]>abercrombieabercrombie and fitchabercrombie fitchblackstoneblackstone groupceoceo compensationceo payceoscoalcorporatecorporate governanceenergyenergy stocksin focuspetroleumstock optionsstock options specialistMichelle LederTue, 22 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST