Commentary & Opinion

Commentary & Opinion

January 21, 2010 Y2K + Options Backdating + Madoffs + Insider Trading = Organized Crime

Source:InjuryBoard.com

Can you imagine what would happen to the Wall Street Stock Brokerfensters, the Credit Cardshamsters and with the WS Banksters if everyone sold the stocks they own, withdrew the money, paid off all debts and started using cash and...

January 12, 2010 Stock Options Backdating: A Flashback

Source:IT Business Edge

For awhile there in 2006 and 2007, it seemed like I wrote about stock option backdating charges or settlements or investigations at least once a week, if not every other day. The posts usually read something like this:

December 15, 2009 How the Broadcom Backdating Case Has Gone Awry

Source:New York Times

The revelation back in 2006 that a number of companies had backdated their stock option grants set off a number of internal inquiries and a slew of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission. What was once viewed as...

November 13, 2009 Bye Bye Backdating

Source:Forbes

The government's war on stock-option backdating appears to be winding down--and it's about time. In waging this war, the government has squandered precious resources, misinterpreted accounting decisions made under convoluted...

June 26, 2009 On Executive Pay, Simpler Is Better

Source:Harvard Business Review

Back in 1990, Michael Jensen wrote a landmark HBR article arguing that "It's Not How Much You Pay CEOs, But How." He wanted boards to adjust pay according to company performance as shown by stock price. V.G. Narayanan's recent...

February 20, 2009 Should RIM's CEOs Go to Jail?

Source:Fast Company

This week four of RIM's [RIMM] top executives settled options backdating cases with the SEC and the OSC, Canada's securities regulation agency. The Ontario-based cronies have agreed to pay almost $100 million CN in penalties,...

October 23, 2008 Backdating and You: What You Need to Know If Your Company Comes Under Scrutiny

Source:Computerworld.com

At last count, over 135 companies were being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission for backdating and other alleged manipulative practices in connection with stock option...

October 18, 2008 Executive Pay Caps Will Mean More Stock Options For Execs

Source:ClusterStock

Of course the limits on executive pay won't work.Wall Street is always going to find ways to pay for its top talent. If it can't, the talent will just move to privately held companies. But if the new rule do better align...

December 31, 2007 Stay Tuned...to Time Travelers Backdating Stock Options

Source:Hank Boerner

TIME TRAVEL: WE’RE ALL FASCINATED WITH the fantasy of being able to travel through time. Imagine whisking back in time to correct mistakes or fast-forwarding to 2026 to watch events in your life. In the 1985 movie “Back to the...[more]

December 31, 2007 TIME TRAVELERS: BOARDS BACKDATING STOCK OPTIONS

Source:Hank Boerner

Time travel — we're all fascinated with the fantasy of being able to travel back and forth in time. Imagine whisking back in time to correct mistakes or fast-forwarding to watch the events of your life in 2026. In the 1985 movie...[more]