Security costs more than double since 2021 amid post-Thompson concerns
Security spending led the perk categories by a wide margin, the Journal found. More than 250 companies spent a combined $170 million protecting executives, more than double the median cost from 2021. Many boards have become more security-conscious since the 2024 killing of UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson, the Journal reported.
Meta Platforms paid $22.5 million to protect billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg, citing his high profile and “specific threats,” according to the company’s filings.
The surge in security spending was one of several categories where costs rose sharply. The Journal analyzed perks disclosed in the most recent annual filings from 1,500 of the largest U.S. public companies — the S&P 1500 — extracting data from roughly 2,000 proxy filings and annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission during the year ended June 1, 2026. Equilar, a research firm, found that spending on four of the biggest-ticket perk categories has surged since 2021.
Personal flights and relocation costs run into six and seven figures
About 700 executives at roughly 400 companies used company jets for personal trips, with an average annual cost exceeding $160,000, the Journal found. Apple gave CEO Tim Cook nearly $790,000 in personal flights. The company’s board requires Cook to fly private “for security and efficiency purposes,” Apple said. Many companies similarly cited security to justify personal use of corporate aircraft.
Relocation perks also reached significant sums. Railroad company CSX covered a $1.6 million loss on the sale of its chief operating officer’s house when he relocated. Kruti Patel Goyal, now Etsy’s CEO, received $1.2 million in perks covering housing, lease termination, tuition, tax preparation and other costs during an international assignment and subsequent move to the U.S.
As MSI previously reported, the median S&P 500 CEO pay package rose to $17.7 million in 2025, while the median employee earned $89,744.
Cars, health care, and country clubs
Cars and drivers, often pitched to shareholders as a security expense, appeared in numerous filings. Apollo Global Management spent $790,000 for its billionaire CEO, Marc Rowan, to have a car and driver, citing “increased efficiency, convenience and confidentiality.” That amount is nearly 10 times the $85,000 JPMorgan Chase spent on CEO Jamie Dimon’s personal use of corporate cars.
Some companies shelled out six figures for executive health coverage. Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp received $160,000 in health and medical services coverage. Chicago-based insurer Old Republic International paid nearly $30,000 to cover a single executive’s annual health checkup.
Club memberships went to at least 400 executives whose dues and other club costs were paid by their companies. Restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse gave its CEO $131,000 in 2025 to cover initiation fees and membership dues at Valhalla Golf Club in the company’s hometown of Louisville, Ky., after his relocation from Texas. The company said the membership was at the board’s direction to better connect the CEO locally.
Booze, boats, and a hunting ranch appear among disclosed perks
Several companies disclosed unusual perks. Liquor firm Constellation Brands gave its CEO $20,000 in free alcohol, which the company said was part of a broader free-product program to enhance employee “knowledge and appreciation” of its brands.
At Brunswick, maker of Sea Ray and Boston Whaler boats, executives and directors received a $35,000 annual allowance to spend on boat-related expenses and other products. The company said the allowance serves to enhance executives’ understanding of its businesses.
Truck dealer Rush Enterprises awarded its CEO $107,000 for personal use of a company-owned, 11,000-acre Texas hunting ranch.
Chemed, which owns Roto-Rooter and a chain of end-of-life hospices, gave its CEO $121,502 in tickets for Cincinnati Bengals games and other sports events. Chemed said it buys sports tickets for business purposes and that its CEO, whom it described as a “huge sports fan,” sometimes uses leftovers.
Executive-pay consultant calls many perks unnecessary
“A lot of these perks are excessive,” said Rosanna Weaver, an executive-pay consultant for the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility. Most executives “already are extraordinarily well paid, and I’m not persuaded that the perks are necessary. There’s a whiff of entitlement here — CEOs who say ‘I deserve this.’ ”
Aalap Shah, an adviser to companies on executive pay at Pearl Meyer, offered a contrasting view. He said the big growth in perks has been in extras that may benefit the CEO but also serve the business needs of the company, such as executive health plans and company-paid security.
“There’s an existential risk to the company if something happens to the CEO or part of the executive team,” Shah said. Many perks these days, he said, are “really necessary to run the business in the most effective way.”
The Journal said it gave all companies mentioned in the article the opportunity to comment. Reporters used several techniques to validate the analysis, including string matching, dollar-weighted random sampling, and a hand review of the largest perks in each category, finding error rates of 2% or below in all cases.