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In the September 2008 edition of Executive Compensation Trends, our articles focus on two key perquisites for Fortune 100 chief executives: the personal use of corporate aircraft and financial planning assistance. Both perquisites are highly prevalent among America's top corporate chiefs, but like many perks in today's improved disclosure environment, they appear to be on the decline. In the last year, the prevalence and median values for both perquisites fell, and several more companies indicated that they would eliminate these items from compensation programs in the near future.

Feature Articles

CEO Aircraft Perquisites
Trends in Fortune 100 CEO Aircraft Use

An Equilar analysis of CEO aircraft perquisites reveals the following key findings:

• From 2006 to 2007, the median value of perquisites related to the personal use of corporate aircraft by Fortune 100 CEOs declined by 9.8 percent, falling from $121,676 to $109,743.
• Over the same period, the prevalence of Fortune 100 companies disclosing the personal use of corporate aircraft by their CEO declined from 78.5 percent to 74.7 percent.

CEO Financial Planning Benefits
Trends in Fortune 100 CEO Financial Planning Benefits

An Equilar analysis of CEO financial planning benefits reveals the following key findings:

• From 2006 to 2007, the median value of financial planning benefits for Fortune 100 CEOs declined by 9.2 percent, falling from $17,156 to 15,575. Financial planning benefits may include other professional services such as tax preparation.
• Over the same period, the prevalence of Fortune 100 companies disclosing that their CEO received financial planning benefits declined from 74.2 percent to 62.1 percent.

Equilar in the News

Research and commentary from Equilar appeared in several articles in August. To read more about the latest in compensation news, click on the links below. For a complete list of articles featuring Equilar research, visit the news and publications section of our website.

Executive Pay Rising, But More "Shareholder Friendly." Huh? August 21, 2008
"And an email from the independent (and always helpful) pay consultant Frank Glassner happily points to a Financial Week story detailing an Equilaranalysis that says 39% of companies are now using independent pay consultants, up from 35% in 2007."
Oracle's Ellison Made $543.8 Million From Options August 20, 2008
"The options exercise appears to dwarf any stock option gain by a corporate executive in recent years, according to executive compensation research firm Equilar. Ellison, the world's 14th richest man, according to Forbes magazine, already has a net worth of around $25 billion, much of it from stock options."
Amid the Din over Exec Pay, Companies Hold the Line August 20, 2008
"A significant number of companies have opened up about the way they set incentive-plan performance targets, notes Alexander Cwirko-Godycki, research manager at Equilar Inc. His analysis of 2008 CD&A statements from Fortune 100 companies shows that 66 percent disclosed incentive-plan performance targets, up from 56 percent in 2007."
America's Top-Earning Young CEOs August 13, 2008
"'It's more of a high-stakes game than it was in the past,' says Alexander Cwirko-Godycki, research manager at Equilar, an executive compensation research firm. 'Boards are more risk-averse when choosing CEOs. It makes it harder for young people to be promoted to that level.' Proven leadership experience is ultimately what leads to mega bucks, say compensation experts."
More Pay Pals Get Pink Slips August 11, 2008
"In just the last year, large corporations have tapped independent compensation consultants at a considerable clip: Among Fortune 1000 companies, 39% of compensation committees now rely on independent consultants for advice on executive pay, compared with only 35% a year ago, according to an analysis of proxy filings that compensation research firm Equilar conducted at the request of Financial Week."
Interested in more media mentions from August? Click here.