Velarion · Company Intelligence
Compensation Brief
Fiscal year 2025 · Filings through 2026-09-03

NerdWallet (NRDS)

CEO Tim Chen was paid $1,541,124 in fiscal year 2025, ↑ up 3.6% from fiscal year 2024 (SEC filing 0001625278-26-000033 ↗): executive and director compensation, incentive-plan design, equity activity, and governance — every figure in this brief is traceable to its exact location in the company’s SEC filing — the document, the section, the page, and the table, linked directly.

$6,268,892
John Lee total, FY2025
Chief Financial Officer — highest-paid officer; CEO Tim Chen: $1,541,124
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CEO (Tim Chen) pay percentile vs peers
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CEO-to-median pay ratio
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Sample answer — “What is the CEO’s total compensation?”
- Tim Chen (Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board), FY2025 total compensation $1,541,124 (base salary $700,000) [exec_comp, SEC accession 0001625278-26-000033, filed 2026-04-14]

Answered within 24 hours, every figure cited to its SEC filing. If our database cannot answer your question, you are refunded automatically.

NRDS's next annual pay disclosure, estimated April 14, 2027.est. Filing ↗

01

Summary Compensation Table — fiscal year 2025

Named executive officerSalaryBonusStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentivePension / NQDCAll otherTotal
John Lee$395,833$0$2,594,441$3,020,131$242,737$0$15,750$6,268,892
Chief Financial Officer
Sam Yount423,0001,666,6671,259,6361,468,597146,682016,1004,980,682
Former Chief Business Officer
Tim Chen700,000000825,024016,1001,541,124
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.

Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive

Named executive officerFY2025 totalFY2024 totalFY2023 totalΔ FY2024→2025
John Lee$6,268,892———
Sam Yount4,980,6822,136,200—↑ +2,844,482
Tim Chen1,541,1241,487,104—↑ +54,020

Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.

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Companies that benchmark against NRDS
14 companies name NRDS as a compensation peer

Each company listed discloses NRDS in its own benchmarking peer group, as disclosed in each company's most recent proxy statement within the last two proxy seasons. Two companies are therefore absent by design: one that named NRDS in an earlier year and no longer does, and one whose own most recent disclosure is older than the last two seasons.

01b

Executives — the named officers

One page per officer: the same table above, read for one person at a time — his own figure and every fiscal year the register holds.

ExecutiveRoleFY2025 total
John LeeCFO$6,268,892
Sam YountChief Business Officer$4,980,682
Tim ChenCEO$1,541,124
01c

Board of directors

One page per director: the seat, the committees and the fee table, read for one person at a time.

DirectorRoleFY2025 total
Anthony LingIndependent Director$329,330
Jennifer E. CeranFormer director (through FY2025)$261,007
Kenneth T. McBrideLead Independent Director$266,192
Lynne M. LaubeIndependent Director$253,757
02

Equity transactions since the proxy statement was filed

Every insider equity transaction reported on Form 4 after the 2025 proxy statement — acquisitions, dispositions, exercises, and withholdings — and therefore not reflected in any table in that document.

InsiderRoleTransaction dateCodeSharesPriceValueSecuritySource
Anthony LingDirector2026-05-20A17,946$0$0CommonForm 4 ↗
Lynne M. LaubeDirector2026-05-21A19,49400CommonForm 4 ↗
Anthony LingDirector2026-05-21A19,49400CommonForm 4 ↗
Kenneth T. McBrideDirector2026-05-21A19,49400CommonForm 4 ↗
Teresa ChiaDirector2026-05-22A19,71000CommonForm 4 ↗
Teresa ChiaDirector2026-05-22A19,76400CommonForm 4 ↗
John LeeChief Financial Officer2026-06-01D47,8769418,915CommonForm 4 ↗
Nicholas TatumChief Accounting Officer2026-06-01D3,263928,551CommonForm 4 ↗
Sam Brian MischnerChief Revenue Officer2026-06-01D1,572913,755CommonForm 4 ↗
Tim ChenDirector2026-06-01D15,3099133,954CommonForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Management, LLC—2026-06-26D919,15398,226,419Common, indirectForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Partners, LPGreater-than-10% holder2026-06-26D919,15398,226,419CommonForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Management, LLC—2026-06-29D587,83595,419,839Common, indirectForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Partners, LPGreater-than-10% holder2026-06-29D587,83595,419,839CommonForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Management, LLC—2026-06-30D454,87294,216,663Common, indirectForm 4 ↗
Topline Capital Partners, LPGreater-than-10% holder2026-06-30D454,87294,216,663CommonForm 4 ↗
Nicholas TatumChief Accounting Officer2026-09-01D2,9901029,242CommonForm 4 ↗
Sam Brian MischnerChief Revenue Officer2026-09-01D22,64310221,449CommonForm 4 ↗
Tim ChenDirector2026-09-01D7,7231075,531CommonForm 4 ↗
John LeeChief Financial Officer2026-09-01D13,29910130,064CommonForm 4 ↗

Transaction codes per Form 4: A acquisition · S open-market sale · F tax withholding · M option exercise · G gift. Value = shares × price as reported. Dividend-equivalent and fractional-share accrual rows (derivative Class A, under $10,000 and under 2,000 shares) are aggregated per date; every row appears in full below.

03

Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025

ExecutiveAwardGrant dateThresholdTargetGrantedMaximumGrant-date fair value
Sam YountOPTION—————$1,468,597
Sam YountPRSU—————1,259,636
John LeePRSU—————2,594,441
John LeeOPTION—————3,020,131
03b

Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type

Named executive officerTime-vested (RSU)Performance-vested (PSU)Options / SARs% performance-vested
Sam Yount$0$0$1,468,5970.0%
John Lee003,020,1310.0%

% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.

04

Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025

ExecutiveAwardShares unvestedExercise priceMarket value unvested
John LeeRSU287,632—$3,897,414
Sam YountOption107,7488.77—
Sam YountRSU53,874—729,993
Tim ChenRSU29,938—405,660
Tim ChenRSU76,183—1,032,280
Tim ChenOption75,3318.34—
John LeeOption575,2639.02—
Tim ChenOption11,9909.17—
Sam YountRSU7,402—100,297
Sam YountRSU54,942—744,464
Sam YountOption109,88410.8—
05

Incentive-plan design — the Compensation Discussion & Analysis

NerdWallet offers market-competitive compensation to attract employees and adheres to a pay-for-performance philosophy that aligns employee rewards with individual and company performance. The company grants equity-based compensation to the majority of full-time employees to align them with the long-term success of the Company.

CEO STI target (% of salary)—
CEO LTI target (% of salary)—
Independent consultantFrederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.
Clawback policytrue
Anti-hedgingtrue
Anti-pledgingtrue
07

CEO pay ratio

Ratio (CEO : median employee)—
CEO total compensation—
Median employee compensation—
08

Director compensation — fiscal year 2025

DirectorCash feesStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveAll otherTotal
Anthony LingIndependent · Audit · Partial-year service · Newly elected$36,593$192,737——$100,000$329,330
Kenneth T. McBrideIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit (Chair) · Compensation75,935190,257——0266,192
Jennifer E. CeranIndependent · Not standing for re-election70,750190,2570—0261,007
Lynne M. LaubeIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair)63,500190,2570—0253,757
Tim ChenEmployee director · Board Chair—————0
09

Board fee structure and ownership guideline

Annual cash retainer$50,000
Annual equity retainer$185,000
Per board meeting fee—
Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov)21,500 / 15,000
Stock ownership guideline$5
09b

Total cost of the board

ComponentFY2025
Cash retainers and fees$246,778
Equity awards (grant-date value)$763,508
All other compensation$100,000
Total cost of the board$1,110,286

Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.

10b

Chief executive pay against the peer group

Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.

RankCompanyFYChief executiveSalaryStock awardsOption awardsNon-equity incentiveTotal
1NerdWallet2025Tim Chen$700,000$0$0$825,024$1,541,124

Each peer's compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer's figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.

10d

Frequently asked questions

Who was the highest-paid executive at NerdWallet in fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, John Lee (Chief Financial Officer) was the highest-paid executive at NerdWallet in fiscal 2025, with total compensation of $6,268,892.
How much does NerdWallet spend in total on board compensation for fiscal 2025?
As disclosed, NerdWallet reported total board compensation of $1,110,286 for fiscal 2025.

Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.

11

Source register

Each figure's location is given both for the eye (section · page · table · row · column) and for a script (table/row/column index and exact character span in the filed document). Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.

#SupportsDocumentFiledAccessionLocation in document
1Section 01, John LeeDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 6,268,892. Filing ↗machine: r6 · c27 · span 447137–447146
2Section 01, Sam YountDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 4,980,682. Filing ↗machine: span 451794–451803
3Section 01, Tim ChenDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 1,541,124. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c27 · span 439597–439606
4Section 03, Sam Yount OPTIONDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r7 · c9 · span 450347–450356
5Section 03, Sam Yount PRSUDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r7 · c7 · span 449863–449872
6Section 03, John Lee PRSUDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r6 · c7 · span 445406–445415
7Section 03, John Lee OPTIONDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r6 · c9 · span 445840–445849
8Section 07, pay ratio10-K2026-02-250001625278-26-000014Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: —. Filing ↗
9Section 08, Anthony LingDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 329,330. Filing ↗machine: span 380281–380461
10Section 08, Kenneth T. McBrideDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 266,192. Filing ↗machine: span 382798–383150
11Section 08, Jennifer E. CeranDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 261,007. Filing ↗machine: span 374851–375200
12Section 08, Lynne M. LaubeDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 253,757. Filing ↗machine: span 377274–377594
13Section 08, Tim ChenDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗
14Section 02, Anthony Ling 2026-05-20Form 42026-05-210001628280-26-037456Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
15Section 02, Lynne M. Laube 2026-05-21Form 42026-05-260001628280-26-038288Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
16Section 02, Anthony Ling 2026-05-21Form 42026-05-260001628280-26-038289Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
17Section 02, Kenneth T. McBride 2026-05-21Form 42026-05-260001628280-26-038291Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
18Section 02, Teresa Chia 2026-05-22Form 42026-05-260001628280-26-038292Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
19Section 02, Teresa Chia 2026-05-22Form 42026-05-260001628280-26-038292Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
20Section 02, John Lee 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030001628280-26-040528Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
21Section 02, Nicholas Tatum 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030001628280-26-040530Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
22Section 02, Sam Brian Mischner 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030001628280-26-040586Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
23Section 02, Tim Chen 2026-06-01Form 42026-06-030001628280-26-040527Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
24Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-26Form 42026-06-300001792549-26-000024Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
25Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-26Form 42026-06-300001754074-26-000001Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
26Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-29Form 42026-06-300001792549-26-000024Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
27Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-29Form 42026-06-300001754074-26-000001Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
28Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-30Form 42026-06-300001792549-26-000024Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
29Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-30Form 42026-06-300001754074-26-000001Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
30Section 02, Nicholas Tatum 2026-09-01Form 42026-09-030001628280-26-060550Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
31Section 02, Sam Brian Mischner 2026-09-01Form 42026-09-030001628280-26-060552Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
32Section 02, Tim Chen 2026-09-01Form 42026-09-030001628280-26-060551Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
33Section 02, John Lee 2026-09-01Form 42026-09-030001628280-26-060553Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗
34Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed)Computed——Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1)
35Section 03b vehicle mix (computed)Computed——RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).machine: formula: sums + PSU ratio
36Section 09b board cost (computed)Computed——Cash 246,778 + equity 763,508 + all other 100,000 = 1,110,286, summed across the director compensation table rows.machine: formula: Σ = 1,110,286
37NerdWallet (subject), Section 10b CEO totalDEF 14A2026-04-140001625278-26-000033CEO total compensation as printed in NerdWallet's own proxy. As printed: 1,541,124. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c27 · span 439597–439606

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