the fleecing of the american shareholder · in july 2012 when the average share price was around...

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9/28/2015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysomaney/2015/09/27/thefleecingoftheamericanshareholder/ 1/4 SEP 27, 2015 @ 08:32 AM 5,454 VIEWS The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder “Thou shalt not steal.” Thou shalt not steal” is one of the Ten Commandments of the Torah, which are widely understood as moral imperatives by legal scholars, Jewish scholars, Catholic scholars, and Post Jay Somaney CONTRIBUTOR I help investors and traders navigate the stock market. FOLLOW ON FORBES (20) Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. FULL BIO ing

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Page 1: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 14

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 5454 VIEWS

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

ldquoThou shalt not stealrdquo

ldquoThou shalt not stealrdquo is one ofthe Ten Commandments of the Torahwhich are widely understood as moralimperatives by legal scholars Jewishscholars Catholic scholars and Postshy

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 24

Reformation scholars

How does that small sentence fit inwith the title of this post Jayrdquo youask

Executive compensation is not a newissue but is one that definitely needs tobe addressed because as far as I amconcerned what corporatemanagement is doing is in completeviolation of the above commandmentMaybe itrsquos not legally consideredstealing but in every other form whatis happening in the upper ranks ofCorporate America is theft fromshareholders plain and simple

Most shareholders donrsquot evenunderstand that when topmanagement pay themselves tens orhundreds of millions of dollars it isbasically sanctioned theft of their ownmoney

Irsquoll go through a couple of exampleswith you and let you decide whether itis theft albeit currently legallyacceptable

Please let me point out that I have noissues with founders of companiesexercising their options at a penny pershare for example and selling themfor a zillion dollars per share Theyfounded the company they took itpublic and if they make a zilliondollars cashing in more power to

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 34

PAGE 1 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP RATED

TOP 10

BEST

them I do have a slight problem ifthey are cashing in when shareholdersare getting screwed due to horrificdeclines in the stock price I say only aslight problem because they arenrsquotforcing anyone to hold on to theirshares and if shareholders choose todo so while prices are in declines (andthe founders are bailing) the fault isnot the founders but the shareholders

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 1

Letrsquos start off with HewlettPackard once one of the earlyearly pioneers of the tech industryin Silicon Valley and now left ashell by management ineptitudeand greed Current CEO MegWhitman has been the one at thehelm of this onceshygreat companysince September 22 2011 whichwas the day she was appointedCEO and the shares closed the day

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and tradersnavigate the stock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributorsare their own

FULL BIO

Investing

at $2280share Share pricetoday is $2501 So in four yearsafter ups and downs the shareshave gained a whopping 97 intotal or less than 2 per annumcompounded Whitman made$154 million in fiscal 2012(ending October 2012) $176million in fiscal 2013 and $196million in fiscal 2014 HewlettPackardrsquos year end is in Octoberso wersquoll find out what she willmake for fiscal 2015 when theyfile their 10k for fiscal 2015 butletrsquos assume that it will be $20million So in the four years sinceWhitman has been CEO she willhave made about $73 million Asof June 30 2015 Dodge amp Cox isthe largest institutionalshareholder of HPQ with about246 million shares worth about$738 billion In these four yearsunder Whitman shareholders ofDodge ampCox mutual funds made$544 million Does it make sensethat Whitman made $73 millionwhile shareholders have earnedless than a 2 return pa on theirinvestment over that sameperiod Of course MegWhitmanrsquos salary is $1 per year(wink wink)

Letrsquos move on to another evenmore egregious example ofcompany management robbingthe shareholder blind Marisa

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 2: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 24

Reformation scholars

How does that small sentence fit inwith the title of this post Jayrdquo youask

Executive compensation is not a newissue but is one that definitely needs tobe addressed because as far as I amconcerned what corporatemanagement is doing is in completeviolation of the above commandmentMaybe itrsquos not legally consideredstealing but in every other form whatis happening in the upper ranks ofCorporate America is theft fromshareholders plain and simple

Most shareholders donrsquot evenunderstand that when topmanagement pay themselves tens orhundreds of millions of dollars it isbasically sanctioned theft of their ownmoney

Irsquoll go through a couple of exampleswith you and let you decide whether itis theft albeit currently legallyacceptable

Please let me point out that I have noissues with founders of companiesexercising their options at a penny pershare for example and selling themfor a zillion dollars per share Theyfounded the company they took itpublic and if they make a zilliondollars cashing in more power to

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 34

PAGE 1 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP RATED

TOP 10

BEST

them I do have a slight problem ifthey are cashing in when shareholdersare getting screwed due to horrificdeclines in the stock price I say only aslight problem because they arenrsquotforcing anyone to hold on to theirshares and if shareholders choose todo so while prices are in declines (andthe founders are bailing) the fault isnot the founders but the shareholders

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 1

Letrsquos start off with HewlettPackard once one of the earlyearly pioneers of the tech industryin Silicon Valley and now left ashell by management ineptitudeand greed Current CEO MegWhitman has been the one at thehelm of this onceshygreat companysince September 22 2011 whichwas the day she was appointedCEO and the shares closed the day

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and tradersnavigate the stock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributorsare their own

FULL BIO

Investing

at $2280share Share pricetoday is $2501 So in four yearsafter ups and downs the shareshave gained a whopping 97 intotal or less than 2 per annumcompounded Whitman made$154 million in fiscal 2012(ending October 2012) $176million in fiscal 2013 and $196million in fiscal 2014 HewlettPackardrsquos year end is in Octoberso wersquoll find out what she willmake for fiscal 2015 when theyfile their 10k for fiscal 2015 butletrsquos assume that it will be $20million So in the four years sinceWhitman has been CEO she willhave made about $73 million Asof June 30 2015 Dodge amp Cox isthe largest institutionalshareholder of HPQ with about246 million shares worth about$738 billion In these four yearsunder Whitman shareholders ofDodge ampCox mutual funds made$544 million Does it make sensethat Whitman made $73 millionwhile shareholders have earnedless than a 2 return pa on theirinvestment over that sameperiod Of course MegWhitmanrsquos salary is $1 per year(wink wink)

Letrsquos move on to another evenmore egregious example ofcompany management robbingthe shareholder blind Marisa

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 3: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

9282015 The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder shy Forbes

httpwwwforbescomsitesjaysomaney20150927theshyfleecingshyofshytheshyamericanshyshareholder 34

PAGE 1 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP RATED

TOP 10

BEST

them I do have a slight problem ifthey are cashing in when shareholdersare getting screwed due to horrificdeclines in the stock price I say only aslight problem because they arenrsquotforcing anyone to hold on to theirshares and if shareholders choose todo so while prices are in declines (andthe founders are bailing) the fault isnot the founders but the shareholders

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 1

Letrsquos start off with HewlettPackard once one of the earlyearly pioneers of the tech industryin Silicon Valley and now left ashell by management ineptitudeand greed Current CEO MegWhitman has been the one at thehelm of this onceshygreat companysince September 22 2011 whichwas the day she was appointedCEO and the shares closed the day

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and tradersnavigate the stock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributorsare their own

FULL BIO

Investing

at $2280share Share pricetoday is $2501 So in four yearsafter ups and downs the shareshave gained a whopping 97 intotal or less than 2 per annumcompounded Whitman made$154 million in fiscal 2012(ending October 2012) $176million in fiscal 2013 and $196million in fiscal 2014 HewlettPackardrsquos year end is in Octoberso wersquoll find out what she willmake for fiscal 2015 when theyfile their 10k for fiscal 2015 butletrsquos assume that it will be $20million So in the four years sinceWhitman has been CEO she willhave made about $73 million Asof June 30 2015 Dodge amp Cox isthe largest institutionalshareholder of HPQ with about246 million shares worth about$738 billion In these four yearsunder Whitman shareholders ofDodge ampCox mutual funds made$544 million Does it make sensethat Whitman made $73 millionwhile shareholders have earnedless than a 2 return pa on theirinvestment over that sameperiod Of course MegWhitmanrsquos salary is $1 per year(wink wink)

Letrsquos move on to another evenmore egregious example ofcompany management robbingthe shareholder blind Marisa

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 4: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 1

Letrsquos start off with HewlettPackard once one of the earlyearly pioneers of the tech industryin Silicon Valley and now left ashell by management ineptitudeand greed Current CEO MegWhitman has been the one at thehelm of this onceshygreat companysince September 22 2011 whichwas the day she was appointedCEO and the shares closed the day

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and tradersnavigate the stock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributorsare their own

FULL BIO

Investing

at $2280share Share pricetoday is $2501 So in four yearsafter ups and downs the shareshave gained a whopping 97 intotal or less than 2 per annumcompounded Whitman made$154 million in fiscal 2012(ending October 2012) $176million in fiscal 2013 and $196million in fiscal 2014 HewlettPackardrsquos year end is in Octoberso wersquoll find out what she willmake for fiscal 2015 when theyfile their 10k for fiscal 2015 butletrsquos assume that it will be $20million So in the four years sinceWhitman has been CEO she willhave made about $73 million Asof June 30 2015 Dodge amp Cox isthe largest institutionalshareholder of HPQ with about246 million shares worth about$738 billion In these four yearsunder Whitman shareholders ofDodge ampCox mutual funds made$544 million Does it make sensethat Whitman made $73 millionwhile shareholders have earnedless than a 2 return pa on theirinvestment over that sameperiod Of course MegWhitmanrsquos salary is $1 per year(wink wink)

Letrsquos move on to another evenmore egregious example ofcompany management robbingthe shareholder blind Marisa

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

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State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 5: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

at $2280share Share pricetoday is $2501 So in four yearsafter ups and downs the shareshave gained a whopping 97 intotal or less than 2 per annumcompounded Whitman made$154 million in fiscal 2012(ending October 2012) $176million in fiscal 2013 and $196million in fiscal 2014 HewlettPackardrsquos year end is in Octoberso wersquoll find out what she willmake for fiscal 2015 when theyfile their 10k for fiscal 2015 butletrsquos assume that it will be $20million So in the four years sinceWhitman has been CEO she willhave made about $73 million Asof June 30 2015 Dodge amp Cox isthe largest institutionalshareholder of HPQ with about246 million shares worth about$738 billion In these four yearsunder Whitman shareholders ofDodge ampCox mutual funds made$544 million Does it make sensethat Whitman made $73 millionwhile shareholders have earnedless than a 2 return pa on theirinvestment over that sameperiod Of course MegWhitmanrsquos salary is $1 per year(wink wink)

Letrsquos move on to another evenmore egregious example ofcompany management robbingthe shareholder blind Marisa

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 6: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

Mayer took over Yahoo in July 2012 when the averageshare price was around $16 pershare Share price today is $29So one would think ldquowow Mayeris a geniusrdquo Nothing could befurther from the truth Yahoorsquosshares have risen and fallen fromthe time she took over to todayonly due to its stake in Alibaba Around the time she took over iswhen the buzz began about apotential listing of Alibaba inwhich Jerry Yang (Yahoo coshyfounder and former CEO) hadinvested $1 billion in exchange fora 30 stake back in 2005 As thebuzz grew stronger Yahoo sharescontinued to climb and basicallypeaked after Alibaba finally listedand peaked itself Now withAlibaba at close to its allshytimelows Yahoo shares are also downabout 47 from its 52 week highsSo in essence Mayer did nothingherself to create value forshareholders of Yahoo Howeverfor all her ldquoefforts and troublesrdquoshe has already been paid $37million for her half year of ldquoworkrdquoin 2012 $26 million in 2013 and$42 million in 2014 and her totalcompensation could top $250million if she continues to be theCEO through 2016 Being at theright place at the right thing isawesome but awesome to the tuneof $250 million in shareholder

YHOO +000

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 7: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

money is beyond awesome Itrsquoslegalized theft IncidentallyMayer is selling her stock handover fist as her options vest Yes Iknow She is diversifying (winkwink part deux)

Larry Ellison at Oracle Reed Hastings at Netflix Brin and Page at Google

et al are other CEOswho are selling their companyshares big time but they are alsothe founders and as far as I amconcerned founders get a passthat hired managers do not andshould not Ever Period

However I do have a problemwith Carly Florina making ahundred million dollars as CEO ofHewlett Packard or MarissaMayer making 25x that at Yahooor a Tim Cook making a billiondollars (by the time its all said anddone) at Apple

If you could get any of these CEOsto ever admit it each andeveryone of them will tell you thatthey did not really deserve even10 of what they got paid at theirCEO stints

The reasons why this legalizedand sanctioned theft is happeningare also simple

ORCL +000

NFLX +190

GOOGL +062

AAPL +000

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 8: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

The Board and the CompensationCommittees agree to theseborderingshyonshystealing CEOcontracts because itrsquos not theirmoney that they are throwingaround Itrsquos shareholder moneyand the Board itself is very wellcompensated so itrsquos a game tothem as well If the hired CEOcomes in and does hisher jobtheir own stockoptionsgrantsawards will alsoincrease in value If the CEO doesnot perform they have very littleof their own money (moneytheyrsquove earned at their jobs andinvested in company shares) inthe stock so they can shrug andblame it on the CEO

Above I talked about theinstitutional shareholders whoagain are investing withshareholder (that is the moneyyou and I earn and choose to putinto a mutual fund) funds sothey donrsquot care that much eitherHow many mutual fundmanagers have a majority of theirown net worth tied up in themutual fund they manage Iwould say virtually zero

Recommended by Forbes

Photos 10 StepsTo Take WhenYou Win ALottery Jackpot

MOST POPULAR Meet TheAfricanshyAmericanBillionaireBusinessmanWhos RicherThan Michael

TRENDING ON

FACEBOOK

State FarmVoice3 RetirementSavings TipsEvery MillennialShould Know

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 9: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

Most of these CEOrsquos have done adecent job a long time ago andare riding that reputation to milknew shareholders dry Take forexample Meg Whitman She didhelp eBay rise from acompany with a million in salesto $8 billion in sales Howeverwas it the advent emergence andthen dominance of the internetthat was responsible or did shepersonally help eBay grow Thatis would eBay have folded if shewere not there to help it grow Ihardly think so Someone likeCarly Florina is an even moreglaring example of just areputation robbing shareholdersThink about it What has reallybeen her track record of successShe worked her way up the ranksof ATampT Lucent and thentook over as CEO of HewlettPackard from 1999 to 2005 Forthat she got paid a couple ofhundred million dollars ofshareholder money

Look if it doesnrsquot bother you thatthese soshycalled top CEOs arerobbing you and I blind then sobe it but if it does bother you onlyyou can do something about itThe CEOs themselves theinstitutional shareholders theBoards are all playing with yourmoney and mine and as long asyou and I are quiet nothing willchange

EBAY +000

T +000

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 10: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

PAGE 2 3 Continue

Reprints amp Permissions Report Corrections

Comment on this story

SEE ALSOHIGHEST

DIVIDEND

STOCK

PENNY

PENNY

TOP

TOP 10

BEST

For the CEOs its a winshywin If theshares do well while they are CEOthey get paid hundreds of millionsof dollars if not they will get paidtens of millions They participatevery big in the upside but verylittle or not at all in the downsideIf you owned Yahoo in the lastcouple of years or HPQ in the lastfour you will know what I meanThe downside is all on theshareholders

I have chosen to bring this issue tothe forefront via this post

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3
Page 11: The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder · in July 2012 when the average share price was around $16 per share. Share price today is $29. So, one would think, “wow, Mayer is a genius.”

Reprints amp Permissions

PAGE 3 3

SEP 27 2015 0832 AM 7369 VIEWS

Report Corrections

Comment on this story

The Fleecing Of TheAmericanShareholder

Continued from page 2

The ball is now in your court

Whether you agree or not voice youropinions below

(please note I am long apple netflixyahoo google long and short optionson all except yahoo)

Jay SomaneyCONTRIBUTOR

I help investors and traders navigate thestock market

FOLLOW ON FORBES (20)

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors aretheir own

FULL BIO

Investing

  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes2
  • The Fleecing Of The American Shareholder - Forbes3