The average American CEO make over 475 times more in pay than the average worker. Some make even more. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-ceos-biggest-paychecks-102111147.html
Last month FORBES released its 27th annual Billionaires list,
boasting 1,426 names with a record aggregate net worth of $5.4
trillion. Of those, 442 hail from the U.S., more than any other country
by a wide margin.
Nearly 10% of these are CEO’s of publicly traded companies in the U.S. While these folks clearly don’t need paychecks, and often take home a salary of just $1, some are well compensated nevertheless.
To learn which of those U.S.-based billionaire CEOs bring home the biggest paychecks, we scoured the list and dug through dozens of SEC filings.
[More from Forbes: 2013’s Notable Billionaire Newcomers]
Daniel Och, the 52-year-old chief executive of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, is No. 2 on our billionaire payday list. His base salary? Zilch. Bonus? Nil. Och’s pay of $288.6 million last year was comprised of vested shares and other compensation.
Rounding out the top three is Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
The 59-year-old Brooklyn native worth $1.7 billion bought Starbucks in 1987 for $3.8 million and took it public five years later. In 2012 Schultz took home $4 million in base pay and bonus, but also realized $113.5 million from exercised stock options and vested stock awards.
Schultz wasn’t the only billionaire executive to award himself a sizable bonus.
No. 5 Ralph Lauren banked a $19.5 million bonus last year, in addition to $1.3 million in base pay and $264,023 in other compensation. The 73-year-old fashion tycoon also realized $17.8 million from exercised stock options and vested stock awards.
To calculate each chief executive’s total compensation for the fiscal year, Forbes counted salary and cash bonuses; other compensation, such as vested stock grants; and stock gains, the value realized by exercised stock options. We count compensation when it turns into cash or marketable stock; we do not include the value of options until the executive exercises them.
We collected the latest available compensation figures reported in companies proxies filed by April 5, 2013. Here are the top 5:
1. Richard Kinder
Compensation: $1.1 billion
Net Worth: $9.8 billion
Kinder Morgan's CEO pays himself just $1 a year and he has never received a bonus, stock options or restricted stock grants. Yet he raked in $1.1 billion in 2012, making him the highest paid CEO in the U.S., due to stock gains he realized from shares he received at the time Kinder went private in 2006.
2. Daniel S. Och
Compensation: $289 million
Net worth: $2.9 bilion
The CEO of publicly traded hedge fund Och-Ziff got $288 million in vested stock.
3.
Richard Kinder
Compensation: $118 million
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Starbucks chief was paid $1.5 million in salary and $2.3 billion bonus but the bulk of his compensation came from exercising $103 million worth of stock options and receiving another $10 million worth of vested shares.
4. Leslie Wexner
Compensation: $58 million
Net worth: $4.6 billion
The head of L Brands was paid $1.9 million in salary along with a bonus of $4.9 million. He added to his total compensation with $32 million in stock options and another $18.7 million in vested shares.
5. Ralph Lauren
Compensation: $39 million
Net worth: $6.9 billion
Chairman and CEO of Ralph Lauren paid himself a salary $1.2 million and $19.5 million bonus. In addition, he exercised stock options worth $5.2 million and received $12.4 million worth of vested shares.
1. Richard Kinder Compensation: $1.1 billion
Net Worth: $9.8 billion
Kinder Morgan's CEO pays himself just $1 a year and he has never received a bonus, stock options or restricted stock grants. Yet he raked in $1.1 billion in 2012, making him the highest paid CEO in the U.S., due to stock gains he realized from shares he received at the time Kinder went private in 2006.
2. Daniel S. OchCompensation: $289 million
Net worth: $2.9 bilion
The CEO of publicly traded hedge fund Och-Ziff got $288 million in vested stock.
3.
Richard Kinder
Compensation: $118 million
Net worth: $1.7 billion
Starbucks chief was paid $1.5 million in salary and $2.3 billion bonus but the bulk of his compensation came from exercising $103 million worth of stock options and receiving another $10 million worth of vested shares.
4. Leslie WexnerCompensation: $58 million
Net worth: $4.6 billion
The head of L Brands was paid $1.9 million in salary along with a bonus of $4.9 million. He added to his total compensation with $32 million in stock options and another $18.7 million in vested shares.
5. Ralph LaurenCompensation: $39 million
Net worth: $6.9 billion
Chairman and CEO of Ralph Lauren paid himself a salary $1.2 million and $19.5 million bonus. In addition, he exercised stock options worth $5.2 million and received $12.4 million worth of vested shares.
