[jdm]

Doesn't take an idiot to figure that one out. It just takes an idiot to grant that kind of compensation package.

Bruce E. Karatz, age 59. Since October 1993, Mr. Karatz has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KB Home, a home construction and mortgage finance company. From 1985 to September 1993, Mr. Karatz served as President and Chief Executive Officer of KB Home. He is also a director of Edison International, an electric utility company, and Honeywell International, Inc., a technology and manufacturing company. He has been a director of Avery Dennison Corporation since November 2001. His present term expires in 2007.

How many other long-term CEOs can deliver this type of stellar long-term ROI?

[goldstategop]

He deserves his pay. The criticism would be entirely warranted if he mismanaged the company to the point of bankruptcy. Krantz's stellar compensation is a reward for a job well done. Now if only the Los Angeles Times were as well run as KB Home, could we expect them to complain about their own CEO's bonuses? Fat chance.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus

[Fido969]

How is the LA Times stock doing, BTW? Do you think the management at that paper should tie THEIR salaries to investor performance?

[SShultz460]

Never envy another Man's honest profit.

[mike70]

Look, the KB Homes CEO didn't deliver that profit, Alan Greenspan did. When the economy is flooded with money, as happened after the dot-com bubble burst, banks have to do something with the cash. They basically gave away home loans to anybody with a buck-six-bits in his pocket. That caused a lot of new homes to be sold, and KB benefited. It was not a brilliant business plan, it was simply a lot of available cash.

[Moonman62]

That chart indicates performance was due more to the real estate market than CEO performance.