Bloated CEO compensation is nothing less than legal(?) embezzlement

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

Publicly held companies have fiduciary responsibilities towards their shareholders. It is not in the fiduciary interest of the shareholder to pay grossly inflated salaries, stock-options, etc. to the upper tier of executives and board members who cozily vote for each others compensation packages. There is no one in the world who is worth hundreds of millions of dollars (more than the economies of many small countries) as executive compensation. They get this money because they are getting away with it and there is no one to put on the brakes. The only ones who I foresee could put on the brakes are some large mutual fund shareholders and pension systems who should just stand up and say "enough!"

The monies paid out for these grotesque salaries should instead go to capital improvements, R&D, or be shared with all shareholders as dividends. I know it is a completely foreign concept, but these companies could also put some of this money into salaries and benefits of ALL the employees, who are far more likely to recycle the dollars into local municipalities.

The missing ingredient in these companies is a sense of responsibility and morality. Wretched excess is the norm.These captains of industry are picking YOUR pocket. You probably own some of these stocks in your pathetically small IRA or 401K. You have your sad little retirement fund because YOU must be responsible and save and scrape for your own retirement. YOU will not receive a defined benefit (pension) or golden parachute. YOU must not be a parasite that expects ANYTHING from your corporate masters. Be grateful for the coins that they toss to the unwashed hordes from behind their gated compounds.

Hot stock tip? I foresee the comeback of the sedan chair industry in a big way.

[Eric J in MN]

1. I support a limit of one-million dollars per year

total compensation for exectutives of publicly traded companies.

There are people with necessary skills willing to do that job for a million/year, even if the current bunch of overpaid CEOs took their millions and retired.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. I would make it a multiple of the average yearly compensation

paid out to ALL employees. Bonuses and stock options would be a multiple of dividends paid out. That would encourage the company to float everyone's boat.

[aquart]

3. If you include the overseas, underpaid contract workers...I agree.

If you don't, you leave a nasty little loophole.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. Good point. Those 10 year olds in Pakistan textile shops would

really drive down the average to the point that the self-serving executives might see them as a drag on their PERSONAL compensation. Very interesting.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[newyawker99]

7. Hi mindbenderr!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[mindbenderr]

9. Thanks Newyawker99

:hangover:

[moose65]

6. There's nothing wrong with getting paid, but GEEZ!

How much money does one person need in a year, anyway? It's absolutely obscene what some of these CEO's are "earning." I'd be happy if I made $100,000 in a year. I don't know how these people sleep at night, knowing that they raked in 100 million bucks while some lowly paid sweatshop worker in Bangladesh makes 10 cents an hour. Where is the "moral outrage" about THAT?

[corporate_mike]

8. Oprah made $225 million in 2005

[Eric J in MN]

10. At least with the salaries of entertainers, one could say that

if someone replaced Oprah, that person would probably get lower ratings.

With executive compensation at Fortune 500 companies, there are probably thousands and thousands of people who could do a better job for a lower salary.