Fiscal year 2025 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.
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.
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lee | $395,833 | $0 | $2,594,441 | $3,020,131 | $242,737 | $0 | $15,750 | $6,268,892 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Sam Yount | 423,000 | 1,666,667 | 1,259,636 | 1,468,597 | 146,682 | 0 | 16,100 | 4,980,682 |
| Former Chief Business Officer | ||||||||
| Tim Chen | 700,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 825,024 | 0 | 16,100 | 1,541,124 |
| 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.
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lee | $6,268,892 | — | — | — |
| Sam Yount | 4,980,682 | — | — | — |
| Tim Chen | 1,541,124 | 1,487,104 | — | +54,020 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
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.
| Insider | Role | Transaction date | Code | Shares | Price | Value | Security | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Ling | Director | 2026-05-20 | A | 17,946 | $0 | $0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Anthony Ling | Director | 2026-05-21 | A | 19,494 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Lynne M. Laube | Director | 2026-05-21 | A | 19,494 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Kenneth T. McBride | Director | 2026-05-21 | A | 19,494 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Teresa Chia | Director | 2026-05-22 | A | 19,764 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Teresa Chia | Director | 2026-05-22 | A | 19,710 | 0 | 0 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Sam Brian Mischner | Chief Revenue Officer | 2026-06-01 | D | 1,572 | 9 | 13,755 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Tim Chen | Director | 2026-06-01 | D | 15,309 | 9 | 133,954 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Nicholas Tatum | Chief Accounting Officer | 2026-06-01 | D | 3,263 | 9 | 28,551 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| John Lee | Chief Financial Officer | 2026-06-01 | D | 47,876 | 9 | 418,915 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Partners, LP | Greater-than-10% holder | 2026-06-26 | D | 919,153 | 9 | 8,226,419 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Management, LLC | — | 2026-06-26 | D | 587,835 | 9 | 5,419,839 | Common, indirect | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Partners, LP | Greater-than-10% holder | 2026-06-26 | D | 587,835 | 9 | 5,419,839 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Partners, LP | Greater-than-10% holder | 2026-06-26 | D | 454,872 | 9 | 4,216,663 | Common | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Management, LLC | — | 2026-06-26 | D | 454,872 | 9 | 4,216,663 | Common, indirect | Form 4 ↗ |
| Topline Capital Management, LLC | — | 2026-06-26 | D | 919,153 | 9 | 8,226,419 | Common, indirect | Form 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.
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Yount | OPTION | — | — | — | — | — | $1,468,597 |
| John Lee | PRSU | — | — | — | — | — | 2,594,441 |
| Sam Yount | PRSU | — | — | — | — | — | 1,259,636 |
| John Lee | OPTION | — | — | — | — | — | 3,020,131 |
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Yount | $0 | $0 | $1,468,597 | 0.0% |
| John Lee | 0 | 0 | 3,020,131 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Lee | RSU | 287,632 | — | $3,897,414 |
| Sam Yount | RSU | 53,874 | — | 729,993 |
| Sam Yount | RSU | 54,942 | — | 744,464 |
| Tim Chen | RSU | 76,183 | — | 1,032,280 |
| John Lee | Option | 575,263 | 9.02 | — |
| Tim Chen | RSU | 29,938 | — | 405,660 |
| Tim Chen | Option | 11,990 | 9.17 | — |
| Tim Chen | Option | 75,331 | 8.34 | — |
| Sam Yount | Option | 107,748 | 8.77 | — |
| Sam Yount | RSU | 7,402 | — | 100,297 |
| Sam Yount | Option | 109,884 | 10.8 | — |
NerdWallet offers market-competitive compensation to attract employees and a pay-for-performance philosophy that aligns employee rewards with individual and company performance.
| CEO STI target (% of salary) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO LTI target (% of salary) | — |
| Independent consultant | Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc. |
| Clawback policy | true |
| Anti-hedging | true |
| Anti-pledging | True |
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | — |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | — |
| Median employee compensation | — |
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony LingIndependent · Audit · Partial-year service · Newly elected | $36,593 | $192,737 | $0 | $0 | $100,000 | $329,330 |
| Kenneth T. McBrideIndependent · Lead Independent Director · Audit · Compensation | 75,935 | 190,257 | 0 | 0 | — | 266,192 |
| Jennifer E. CeranIndependent · Audit (Chair) · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY | 70,750 | 190,257 | 0 | 0 | — | 261,007 |
| Lynne M. LaubeIndependent · Audit · Compensation (Chair) | 63,500 | 190,257 | 0 | 0 | — | 253,757 |
| Tim ChenEmployee director · Board Chair | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Annual cash retainer | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $150,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 21,500 / 15,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | — |
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| 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.
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company's own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NerdWallet | 2025 | Tim 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.
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.
| # | Supports | Document | Filed | Accession | Location in document |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Section 01, John Lee | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “2025 Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 6,268,892. Filing ↗machine: r6 · c27 · span 447137–447146 |
| 2 | Section 01, Sam Yount | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “2025 Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 4,980,682. Filing ↗machine: span 451794–451803 |
| 3 | Section 01, Tim Chen | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “2025 Summary Compensation Table” · page 26. As printed: 1,541,124. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c27 · span 439597–439606 |
| 4 | Section 03, Sam Yount OPTION | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r7 · c9 · span 450347–450356 |
| 5 | Section 03, John Lee PRSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r6 · c7 · span 445406–445415 |
| 6 | Section 03, Sam Yount PRSU | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r7 · c7 · span 449863–449872 |
| 7 | Section 03, John Lee OPTION | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “ELECTION OF DIRECTORS” · grants of plan-based awards table. Filing ↗machine: t84 · r6 · c9 · span 445840–445849 |
| 8 | Section 07, pay ratio | 10-K | 2026-02-25 | 0001625278-26-000014 | Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: —. Filing ↗ |
| 9 | Section 08, Anthony Ling | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 329,330. Filing ↗machine: t67 · r6 · c9 · span 380435–380442 |
| 10 | Section 08, Kenneth T. McBride | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 266,192. Filing ↗machine: t67 · r7 · c9 · span 383124–383131 |
| 11 | Section 08, Jennifer E. Ceran | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 261,007. Filing ↗machine: t67 · r4 · c9 · span 375174–375181 |
| 12 | Section 08, Lynne M. Laube | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 253,757. Filing ↗machine: t67 · r5 · c9 · span 377568–377575 |
| 13 | Section 08, Tim Chen | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. Filing ↗ |
| 14 | Section 02, Anthony Ling 2026-05-20 | Form 4 | 2026-05-21 | 0001628280-26-037456 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 15 | Section 02, Anthony Ling 2026-05-21 | Form 4 | 2026-05-26 | 0001628280-26-038289 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 16 | Section 02, Lynne M. Laube 2026-05-21 | Form 4 | 2026-05-26 | 0001628280-26-038288 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 17 | Section 02, Kenneth T. McBride 2026-05-21 | Form 4 | 2026-05-26 | 0001628280-26-038291 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 18 | Section 02, Teresa Chia 2026-05-22 | Form 4 | 2026-05-26 | 0001628280-26-038292 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 19 | Section 02, Teresa Chia 2026-05-22 | Form 4 | 2026-05-26 | 0001628280-26-038292 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 20 | Section 02, Sam Brian Mischner 2026-06-01 | Form 4 | 2026-06-03 | 0001628280-26-040586 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 21 | Section 02, Tim Chen 2026-06-01 | Form 4 | 2026-06-03 | 0001628280-26-040527 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 22 | Section 02, Nicholas Tatum 2026-06-01 | Form 4 | 2026-06-03 | 0001628280-26-040530 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 23 | Section 02, John Lee 2026-06-01 | Form 4 | 2026-06-03 | 0001628280-26-040528 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 24 | Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001754074-26-000001 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 25 | Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001792549-26-000024 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 26 | Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001754074-26-000001 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 27 | Section 02, Topline Capital Partners, LP 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001754074-26-000001 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 28 | Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001792549-26-000024 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 29 | Section 02, Topline Capital Management, LLC 2026-06-26 | Form 4 | 2026-06-30 | 0001792549-26-000024 | Insider equity transaction reported since the proxy statement. Filing ↗ |
| 30 | Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed) | Computed | — | computed | Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.machine: formula: Δ = FY(n) − FY(n−1) |
| 31 | Section 03b vehicle mix (computed) | 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 |
| 32 | Section 09b board cost (computed) | 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 |
| 33 | NerdWallet (subject), Section 10b CEO total | DEF 14A | 2026-04-14 | 0001625278-26-000033 | CEO total compensation as printed in NerdWallet's own proxy. As printed: 1,541,124. Filing ↗machine: r4 · c27 · span 439597–439606 |