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CEO investment of deferred compensation plans and firm performance

Author

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  • Domenico Rocco Cambrea
  • Stefano Colonnello
  • Giuliano Curatola
  • Giulia Fantini

Abstract

We study how US chief executive officers (CEOs) invest their deferred compensation plans depending on the firm's profitability. By looking at the correlation between the CEO's return on these plans and the firm's stock return, we show that deferred compensation is to a large extent invested in the company equity in good times and divested from it in bad times. The divestment from company equity in bad times arguably reflects CEOs' incentive to abandon the firm and to invest in alternative instruments to preserve the value of their deferred compensation plans. This result suggests that the incentive alignment effects of deferred compensation crucially depend on the firm's health status.

Suggested Citation

  • Domenico Rocco Cambrea & Stefano Colonnello & Giuliano Curatola & Giulia Fantini, 2019. "CEO investment of deferred compensation plans and firm performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(7-8), pages 944-976, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:46:y:2019:i:7-8:p:944-976
    DOI: 10.1111/jbfa.12382
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hao Li & Jinsha Zhao, 2020. "Inside debt and firm risk‐taking: Evidence from the UK pension reform," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(9-10), pages 1316-1364, October.
    2. Alev Yildirim & Linda Allen, 2021. "Measuring systematic risk from managerial organization capital," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(9-10), pages 2049-2072, October.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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