Deferred and Executive Compensation

The Federal Trade Commission published a proposed rule[1] Jan. 5 that would effectively prohibit noncompete clauses for employees and other workers in all but very limited circumstances.[2]

This article focuses on the impact the proposed rule could have on employee benefit and compensation arrangements, if it becomes effective in its current form.

Golden Parachute

The executive and equity compensation plans, agreements, policies and arrangements (collectively, the “Plans”) of publicly traded companies receive close scrutiny from various shareholder advocacy groups during the annual proxy season, which is well underway for 2020.  These groups advise institutional shareholders whether to vote for, to abstain from voting on, or to vote

With the combination of our nation’s response to COVID-19 and the resultant economic downturn, employers of all sizes face the moral and financial dilemma of evaluating employee headcounts while businesses are grappling with the reality of the current situation.  Many employers are considering furloughs, or other types of approved leaves of absences, to reduce immediate

When it’s time for tax-exempt organizations such as colleges/universities, museums, and hospital systems to part ways with their senior executives, these institutions are most often considering how to best transition these executives off into the sunset rather than a morass of special tax rules (I will mention Internal Revenue Code citations just once for reference)

As we previously reported, under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, starting in 2018, tax-exempt organizations are subject to a 21% excise tax on (i) remuneration exceeding $1 million paid to a “covered employee” in a tax year, and (ii) any “excess parachute payment” paid to a covered employee.  The IRS has recently published

Blockchain is a revolutionary technological tool in the way it tracks and stores data, decentralizes information, establishes trust in electronic files, and dispenses of intermediaries. This technology powers virtual currencies, also known as cryptocurrency or virtual tokens. Companies are raising money using “initial coin offerings” (ICOs) and using tokens to compensate and incentivize founders, directors,

With all the national press coverage about tax savings, tax cuts and company bonus payments associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”), it is easy to miss the changes in federal tax laws that impose substantial negative tax consequences on employers that pay certain executives an amount of compensation

On November 2, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) (the “Bill”) as part of proposed tax reform legislation. The Bill is sweeping in scope and provides for significant changes to the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”), including in the area of executive compensation and employee

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued proposed regulations under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code (“Section 409A”) in an effort to clarify and modify parts of the current final regulations (issued in 2007) and proposed income inclusion regulations. For the most part, the proposed regulations are consistent with how most practitioners have been interpreting

Due to the popularity of limited liability companies (LLCs) as a form of business entity, we have been approached lately more than ever to structure equity and “phantom” equity based compensation for LLC businesses, including private equity firms and other businesses that embrace an employee ownership culture. Phrases such as “restricted stock”, “stock options” and