Top Ten U.S. CEOs Earned $4.7 Billion In 2012

CEOs’ realized pay went up by 8.5 percent in 2012, with the top ten American CEOs raking in $4.7 billion, setting a new record. This unprecedented payout is largely because stock options that were negotiated when the market was depressed have grown in value, and total CEO pay is likely to increase even more after a year of particularly strong growth, reports Matt Krantz for USA Today. Even though CEO pay is up for the third straight year, it is facing pressure from the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, part of which is meant to pull back CEO compensation packages….