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Nearly a year and a half has passed since the death of Brian Thompson, the former chief executive officer (CEO) of UnitedHealthcare. In the aftermath, boards and management teams have taken a closer look at personal security risks facing senior leaders, particularly as executive visibility continues to rise. These risks have prompted companies to adopt more formalized security arrangements for executives. Common executive security-related perquisites include home security systems with monitoring, dedicated security personnel and enhanced travel protection measures.
Under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), publicly traded companies must disclose executive perquisites that exceed $10,000 in value. These disclosures were traditionally met with skepticism, as critics cited security benefits as excessive and unnecessary. However, heightened threat awareness and high-profile incidents like Mr. Thompson’s death have contributed to a shift in how these expenditures are viewed.
Recently featured in The New York Times, this Equilar study offers an early look at security perk trends shaping the current proxy season. For the study, Equilar examined S&P 500 proxy filings through April 7, 2026. Over a third of S&P 500 companies provided security perks to at least some of their executives in 2025, up 12.8% from the previous year. Among companies that provided these perquisites, the median value reached $130,468, a 20% increase from the prior year.
| Year | Prevalence | Median Value |
| 2021 | 23.6% | $55,228 |
| 2022 | 25.4% | $70,266 |
| 2023 | 28.0% | $99,655 |
| 2024 | 33.5% | $108,714 |
| 2025 | 37.8% | $130,468 |
Across the full study, both the prevalence and median value of executive security perks have generally increased since 2021, with median values more than doubling over the five-year period.
Several companies reported adopting security perquisites for the first time in recent years, including Medtronic, Walmart and TJX Companies.
A handful of companies also reported outsized year-over-year increases in disclosed security spending. For instance, Edison International’s reported security costs rose from $94,276 in 2024 to over $4.5 million in 2025, an increase of 4,767%. The Company provided enhanced personal security services for Pedro Pizarro, President and CEO of Edison International, Steven Powell, President and CEO of Southern California Edison, and Jill Anderson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Southern California Edison, following the Eaton and Palisades wildfires and Mr. Thompson’s murder. Meanwhile, HP Inc. reported a 3,481.9% increase, from $2,662 to $95,351 and Eversource Energy disclosed a 2,109.7% increase, from $948 to almost $21,000.
Blackstone reported the highest total security spending in 2025 at nearly $13.5 million, though its year-over-year increase was more modest at 22.1% compared to the other companies mentioned.
As companies continue to evaluate executive security needs, these perquisites are likely to remain a recurring element of executive compensation disclosures. With the ongoing 2026 proxy season, it will be interesting to see whether prevalence and spending levels continue to rise or begin to stabilize.
Associate Editor at Equilar
Joyce Chen, Associate Editor at Equilar, authored this post. Courtney Yu, Director of Research, contributed data and analysis. Please contact Amit Batish, Senior Director of Content & Communications, at abatish@equilar.com for more information on Equilar research and data analysis.
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