Executive compensation in the context of "Form 10-K"

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⭐ Core Definition: Executive compensation

Executive compensation is composed of both the financial compensation (executive pay) and other non-financial benefits received by an executive from their employing firm in return for their service. It is typically a mixture of fixed salary, variable performance-based bonuses (cash, shares, or call options on the company stock) and benefits and other perquisites all ideally configured to take into account government regulations, tax law, the desires of the organization and the executive.

The three decades from the 1980s saw a dramatic rise in executive pay relative to that of an average worker's wage in the United States, and to a lesser extent in a number of other countries. Observers differ as to whether this rise is a natural and beneficial result of competition for scarce business talent that can add greatly to stockholder value in large companies, or a socially harmful phenomenon brought about by social and political changes that have given executives greater control over their own pay. Recent studies have indicated that executive compensation should be better aligned with social goals (e.g. public health goals). The rate of executive pay is an important part of corporate governance, and is often determined by a company's board of directors.

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👉 Executive compensation in the context of Form 10-K

A Form 10-K is an annual report required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that gives a comprehensive summary of a company's financial performance. Although similarly named, the annual report on Form 10-K is distinct from the often glossy "annual report to shareholders", which a company must send to its shareholders when it holds an annual meeting to elect directors (though some companies combine the annual report and the 10-K into one document). The 10-K includes information such as company history, organizational structure, executive compensation, equity, subsidiaries, and audited financial statements, among other information.

Companies with more than $10 million in assets and a class of equity securities that is held by more than 2000 owners must file annual and other periodic reports, regardless of whether the securities are publicly or privately traded. Up until March 16, 2009, smaller companies could use Form 10-KSB. If a shareholder requests a company's Form 10-K, the company must provide a copy. In addition, most large companies must disclose on Form 10-K whether the company makes its periodic and current reports available, free of charge, on its website. Form 10-K, as well as other SEC filings may be searched at the EDGAR database on the SEC's website. Academic researchers make this report metadata available as structured datasets in the Harvard Dataverse.

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In this Dossier
LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Form 10-K
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Salary → Senior management → Call option → Capital stock → Employee benefits → Perquisites → Average worker's wage → Corporate governance → Board of directors →