Greed by Any Other Name

There is a great article in the Wall Street Journal today [Note: I believe this link is subscription-only]. The title of the article says it all: “When $70 Million is Not Enough”. It is about how a star at Goldman Sachs, aptly named Mark McGoldrick (nicknamed “Goldfinger”), quit because he [...]

The A-Rod’ing of Executive Pay

Today’s Wall Street Journal observes “Limits on Executive Pay: Easy to Set, Hard to Keep”. It is just one more sign that as long as executives are rewarded for the wrong things, their pay will continue to spiral out of control. It’s the “A-Rod’ing” of executive compensation. In case you [...]

Apple, Jobs, and Stock Options

There has been more than a little noise about executive compensation in general, and stock option backdating in particular. I have been quite vocal about the ridiculous level of CEO pay, it is just silly that people should be getting 9-digit pay — for anything including professional sports. I have [...]

Home Depot Gives Nardelli the Boot

I have written more than a little about Home Depot and its CEO Bob Nardelli. From their top-heavy “Culture Change Offensive” (which I found offensive here), and the silly army mentality Nardelli tried to force down everyone’s throat (and got stuck in my craw here), to Bob’s stunning pay package [...]

What is Obscene About Goldman’s Compensation?

There has been quite a bit of hubbub lately over the end-of-year bonuses paid by Goldman Sachs. It even provoked an op-ed piece in the venerable New York Times. Totaling some $16.5 billion, and averaging $623,000 per employee, the payouts have set off a firestorm of shock, awe, envy, and [...]

Gambling on Compensation

Want to make the minimum wage yet still gross almost $100,000 a year? Be a dealer in casino in Las Vegas. Want to make a little more than half that amount? Be their supervisor. Wynn Las Vegas Resort That’s right, even though the minimum wage in Nevada is just $6.15 [...]