Originally Posted by e6bpilot

Not sure why everyone is so excited about exec comp every year. It is what it is. We aren't executives nor do most of us desire to be one. They are in a club that gets compensated insanely high for what they produce and in a way that is advantageous to avoiding taxes. They got there by following the path that led them there.
We get paid in direct proportion to what we produce and are taxed like the rest of the "poor bastards" club that makes enough to be considered wealthy by most standards but not enough to avoid taxes like the truly wealthy.
It is what it is. Change it or accept it. We aren't them. They aren't us. They look down on us. It's fine. Trust me. It really doesn't matter.
My goal, as always, is to extract the maximum amount of money out of this place for the least amount of effort. I want to retire with a nice cushion to do what I want to do and to help my kids out while they are young and need the help. Other than that, I am going to live inside the box that I have made for myself and not worry about other people. I am not going to let someone else's situation dictate my happiness. I wouldn't trade with them. I stopped climbing the ladder the day I left my last job and I feel so free because of it.