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The Guide to Internet Job Searching

The 2008-2009 edition of The Guide to Internet Job Searching is now available. Order your copy from Amazon.com

The Riley Guide: Salary Guides & Guidance

Executive Compensation
& Severance

May 2008

Executive Compensation... || ...and Severance Packages

General Salary & Compensation Information is also available. We also have links to information on employment and compensation law.


Executive Compensation

EDGAR Database of Corporate Information, United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Compensation for the top executives and members of the board of directors of every publicly traded company in the United States must be reported to the SEC. While some fee-based EDGAR services will pull this information out for you, it is not difficult to find it using this free database. Select two or three competitive companies similar in size and industry to your preferred employer, go to EDGAR's "Search for Company Filings" and use the "Company & Other Filers" area to search EDGAR for the each company, then select the most recent DEF 14A form. Use the Find command in your web browser (usually Control-F) to scan the long document for the word "compensation." Not only will this reveal salary and stock information, but it also may give you some ideas for additional compensation considerations, like cars, travel expenses for your spouse or partner when you travel, cell phones, and much more.
Executive Compensation: Where to Find in SEC Reports
...which is also very useful for those looking for guidance in negotiation compensation. "The federal securities laws require clear, concise and understandable disclosure about the amount and type of compensation paid to chief executive officers and other highly compensated executives of public companies." This guide from the SEC is designed to help you locate this information in company reports.
FindLaw Business Contracts: Compensation
...actual copies of employment, severance and compensation agreements. Select a type of agreement to review, then review the list and select those you want to review. This list also includes noncompete agreements
Business Week
...presents frequent articles on management and executive salaries throughout the year. To start your search in their site, head to their Career area. Then, use their Search feature and search for terms like "executive pay", "ceo pay" and "compensation" to find reports and articles from all over the site. Some content on Business Week's web site is for subscribers only, but much of it is open to the public.
Forbes.com Articles on Executive Compensation
Forbes does regular reports on executive compensation. The best way to find them is to search their site for "executive compensation." Forbes is now requiring readers to register to read some articles on their web site. It's free, fast, you don't have to give them your name, and you only get their enewsletters if you decide to check the boxes (the default is you don't get any of them.)
Executive Pay: What the Boss Makes
..review the list many ways, including company name, name of an individual, rank by total compensation, state, or industry. These include very brief bios for each lucky participant, and data for several years is available. Nice feature: click on executive's name for a slightly expanded review of his/her compensation and how it compares to industry medians.

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Executive Severance Packages

This information is provided to give you some idea of severance packages and how to negotiate severance either at the beginning or end of your tenure with an employer.

Career Protection
...this company works to protect your career, assisting you with negotiations after a layoff or other termination as well as when you are considering a new job offer. They have some good information for you to review (FAQ under each topic) before you call them about your own situation, including a nice bit titled the 8 Biggest Severance Mistakes.
Severance Agreement FAQs from My Employment Lawyer
Short list and short answers from the law firm of Fortney & Klingshirn

You may also want to review some of the information under Negotiating.

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Copyright 1998 - 2008, Margaret F. Dikel. Permission to reproduce and/or distribute print copies of these pages is hereby granted for non-profit purposes only, except where noted. No changes may be made to these copies without the express permission of the author. All other requests for copying and distribution including electronic distribution must be directed to the author. Permission is granted for you to link to this page or The Riley Guide at any time, but the location address (URL) may not be hidden through the use of frames. Please read our disclaimers. The Riley Guide is located at www.rileyguide.com. How to Contact Us.
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