Description Performance shares are performance-contingent pay denominated in common stock and earned over a performance period if certain performance goals are attained. Often, performance share plans provide for a payout matrix under which performance shares are paid at differing levels (e.g., threshold, target and maximum) based upon achieved performance. Key Features Performance Period Performance period … Continued
Description Restricted stock is an award of employer stock that is subject to vesting requirements and transferability restrictions (generally at no cost to the employee). Key Features Dividend and Voting Rights Restricted shares typically have voting and dividend rights. Dividends may be paid currently or may be paid upon satisfaction of vesting requirements. Vesting Time-based. … Continued
Description A stock appreciation right (SAR) entitles an employee to the appreciation in value of a specified number of shares of employer stock over an “exercise price” or “grant price” over a specified period of time. Key Features Base Price The base price generally is equal to the underlying stock’s fair market value on the … Continued
Description Performance units are performance-contingent pay denominated in dollars and earned over a performance period if certain performance goals are attained. Often, performance unit plans provide for a payout matrix under which performance units are earned at differing levels (e.g., threshold, target and maximum) based upon achieved performance. Key Features Performance Period Performance period typically … Continued
Description Restricted stock units (RSUs) are an award of units that correspond in number and value to a specified number of shares of employer stock that typically are subject to vesting requirements and transferability restrictions. Units do not represent any actual ownership or equity interest. Dividend and Voting Rights RSUs have no voting or dividend … Continued
The majority of long-term incentives arrangements utilize shares of company stock as a mechanism for driving employee behavior and aligning compensation to shareholder value creation. The use of shares does not create a cash expense; however, it does have a cost to shareholders through dilution of earnings and voting power of existing shareholders. (See separate … Continued
Qualified Retirement Plans A qualified retirement plan is a funded plan for which organizational assets irrevocably have been set aside, outside the reach of general creditors of the company. These funds pay for benefits as they become due. Companies obtain tax deductions for contributions made to qualified plans at the time the contributions are made. … Continued
The primary purpose of an annual incentive plan, also called an annual bonus plan, is to drive and reward behaviors that have an impact on the operating success of the company. Following is information on how such plans are typically designed, including participation, payout opportunities, performance metrics and payout curve. Participation At most U.S. companies, … Continued
Description A stock option is a right to purchase employer stock at a fixed price (e.g., an “exercise price”) during a specified period of time. Key Features Exercise Price The exercise price generally is equal to the underlying stock’s fair market value on the date of grant. Vesting The most typical type of vesting is … Continued
The Basics What are change-in-control arrangements? Executive change-in-control arrangements generally refer to any severance, payments or special benefits that are provided to an individual in connection with a change in control (CIC) of the company. A CIC is typically defined to include such transactions as a merger in which the executive’s company is the smaller … Continued
The Basics What are executive severance arrangements? General executive severance arrangements generally refer to any severance, payments or special benefits that are provided to an individual due to a termination from the company. General severance is provided for terminations not related to a change in control (“CIC”). CIC-severance arrangements are a separate topic. Typically, general … Continued
Long-term incentives (“LTI”) are forms of variable (“at risk”) compensation based on the achievement of longer-term performance and objectives. Primary objectives are to: Align executive interests with shareholders and align executive pay with company performance and strategy. Balance annual incentives with focus on long-term (3- to 10-year) results. Retain executives. Facilitate long-term executive stock ownership. … Continued
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Overview A nonqualified deferred compensation plan represents an unsecured promise by an employer to pay compensation to an employee at a future date. Such a plan is not subject to the complex rules under ERISA that are applicable to tax-qualified retirement plans (regarding eligibility, nondiscrimination, funding, trust requirements, etc.). This gives employers significant flexibility in … Continued
The Basics What are stock ownership guidelines? A stock ownership guideline is a policy created by the compensation or governance committee which establishes the level of stock ownership that is expected for the executives or outside directors of a company. A majority of public companies in the U.S. and Canada now have ownership guidelines for … Continued
Linking value creation, business strategy and underlying goal setting is arguably the linchpin of executive compensation, where the pay-and-performance “rubber” meets the road. For compensation committees, focusing on the basics can help cut through to the heart of the matter, and lead to better incentive goals. The Basics Value creation is about two things—return on … Continued
The Basics Selecting the optimal performance measure(s) for executive compensation or other business purposes starts with an understanding of the most common measures and their respective strengths and limitations. The Most Common Types of Performance Measures There are two broad categories of performance measures most often used in executive incentive plans: financial measures and market … Continued
Overall Compensation Design Non-executive members of corporate boards are generally paid for their service. The overall compensation structure typically includes an annual retainer, committee meeting fees and/or retainers, and a non-retainer equity grant. In recent years, many companies have adopted a structure with a higher retainer and no meeting fees. The actual level of pay … Continued
The Holy Grail in executive compensation is to achieve strong alignment between pay and performance. In the quest to achieve this alignment, management teams and board members strive to design the perfect incentive structures, using the most appropriate performance measures for their industry and individual company circumstances. However, even the most effectively designed incentive can’t … Continued
This update reviews trends in executive pay at S&P/TSX 60 companies[1]. The general trend for the last three years has been for modest growth in actual and target pay, although actual senior executive pay fell slightly from 2013 to 2014. Performance share units (PSUs) continue to increase as a proportion of long term incentive compensation, … Continued
Governance policies related to executive compensation are on the rise as a result of increased influence of bank regulators, shareholders and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These policies are intended to reduce compensation-related risk, encourage a long-term perspective and align executives with shareholder interests. Meridian’s 2015 proxy research of banks with $10 billion to … Continued
In a previous Energy Insights post, Jim Wolf discussed the impact of $40 oil prices on early 2015 compensation decisions. At the time, energy companies speculated whether we’d see a “V”-shaped or “U”-shaped recovery. After a volatile summer – doubts about China’s growth, Iran’s pending oil output, limited production declines – US energy companies now … Continued
Incentive plans have two primary purposes: 1) To motivate behaviour and drive performance aligned with strategy and 2) To align rewards with shareholder interests. From these two simple purposes come the most difficult work of the compensation committee and an area of increasing focus by shareholders. Choosing the wrong metrics can create unintended consequences and … Continued
Hiring and retaining the right hospital leaders and ensuring that they achieve the organization’s goals are among the board’s most important functions, and executive compensation plays a major role in the success of those efforts. However, preconceived notions about executive compensation may hurt hiring and retention efforts. By taking a closer look at 10 long-standing … Continued
After a long period of relative stability and near parity, the Canadian dollar has fallen to about 80 cents U.S. – a six-year low. The outlook for further movement up or down, is unclear and is tied both to the general economic outlook for Canada and the U.S., as well as to worldwide commodity prices. … Continued
Oil prices in the $40s create an entirely new environment for oil and gas compensation decisions this year. From our vantage point across the industry we’ve noted several important themes and realities: Situations differ. Low prices impact everyone, but some worse than others. A healthy balance sheet can spell a big difference between “peers” with … Continued
The significant increase in shareholder activism has many companies and compensation committees playing defense. While the specter of activist interest is generally viewed with concern, looking at your executive compensation programs from the perspective of an activist investor can focus compensation committees on three critical areas: Performance of the company relative to competitors for business … Continued