Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer · GLOBE LIFE INC. (GL)

J. Matthew Darden

A named executive officer of GLOBE LIFE in every fiscal year CompBrief holds from FY2016 to FY2025. Every figure below is printed as the company filed it and cited to the filing it came from.

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Total disclosed compensation, FY2025

$9,065,864

FY2024: $8,459,166

2nd of 6 named executive officers at Globe Life by FY2025 total.

6 named officers on file for GLOBE LIFE, FY2025

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What this number hides

The filing gives the total. GLOBE LIFE’s full Executive Compensation Report gives every award, the disclosed peer set and what the total leaves out — the pair adds the board’s.

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Compensation figures as of the proxy filed March 19, 2026 (DEF 14A).

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J. Matthew Darden compensation by year

GLOBE LIFE Summary Compensation Table · all 10 fiscal years held
In US dollars, as GLOBE LIFE reports it. Most recent year shaded. Totals are the company’s disclosed totals.
ComponentFY2016FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Salary$489,538$509,615$529,615$539,769$591,115$590,077$650,000$850,000$900,000$900,000
Bonus$250,000$270,000$0$0$0$0$0$0$0$0
Stock awards$253,200$540,820$657,000$619,200$805,920$884,880$1,135,530$2,008,568$2,978,880$3,996,587
Option awards$258,020$432,820$563,200$568,000$654,750$900,500$1,432,600$2,015,625$2,432,880$2,014,802
Non-equity incentive$0$0$400,000$420,000$350,000$410,000$535,000$1,535,000$1,967,580$1,724,310
Pension and deferred compensation$145,207$213,888$73,284$406,093$535,474$248,794$0$399,676$138,054$331,208
All other$9,275$9,450$9,625$9,800$23,395$23,949$26,586$52,027$41,772$98,957
Total$1,405,240$1,976,593$2,232,724$2,562,862$2,960,654$3,058,200$3,779,716$6,860,896$8,459,166$9,065,864

Each year as stated in that year's proxy. A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. Source: GLOBE LIFE INC. DEF 14A filed March 19, 2026, accession 0000320335-26-000135, and prior-year filings. Open the filing on EDGAR.

How this page was built: the GLOBE LIFE INC. filed document, accession 0000320335-26-000135. Every figure is read from that document and cited to the page and table it appears in. Filed March 19, 2026.

$1.4M
$2.0M
$2.2M
$2.6M
$3.0M
$3.1M
$3.8M
$6.9M
$8.5M
$9.1M
FY16
FY17
FY18
FY19
FY20
FY21
FY22
FY23
FY24
FY25
SalaryBonusNon-equity incentiveStock awardsOption awardsAll other

Equity holdings

unvested awards at FY2025 year-end
TypeUnvested unitsValue at year-endExercise price
RSU3,709$518,741—
RSU3,500$489,510—
RSU3,370$471,328—
Option24,499—$3.00
Option50,471—$127.43
Option72,000—$128.40
Option31,250—$120.49
Option55,704—$4.00
Option39,400—$4.00

Per the Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End table in GLOBE LIFE INC.'s FY2025 proxy; value at the fiscal year-end close, as the company printed it.

Change-in-control & termination

estimated payments GLOBE LIFE discloses, by trigger · FY2025
TriggerCash severanceAccelerated equityBenefits continuationTotal as disclosed
Retirement—$0—$1,724,310
Involuntary termination without cause$4,860,000$7,841,535$12,804$14,377,336
Disability—$18,871,852—$20,596,162
Change in control and involuntary termination$4,860,000$18,871,852$12,804$25,407,653
Non renewal—$0—$1,724,310
Voluntary resignation—$6,823,663—$6,823,663
Death—$18,871,852—$21,096,162

Per the Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control table in GLOBE LIFE INC.'s FY2025 proxy. Estimates as the company printed them; a dash means it printed no figure.

GLOBE LIFE’s named executive officers, FY2025

as the company reported each
Named executive officerRoleFY2025 total
Frank SvobodaCo-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer$9,453,935
J. Matthew Darden · this pageCo-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer$9,065,864
Thomas KalmbachExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer$4,184,779
Michael MajorsExecutive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer$3,723,288
R. Brian MitchellExecutive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer$3,654,503
Robert HensleyExecutive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer$2,960,199

Board service

GLOBE LIFE board · FY2022–FY2025

How this board is paid

Company policy: GLOBE LIFE pays directors a $100,000 cash retainer and $180,000 in equity. As stated in GLOBE LIFE's FY2025 proxy.

J. Matthew Darden's compensation dossier, GLOBE LIFE

You have read J. Matthew Darden's totals and holdings. The dossier adds each equity grant GLOBE LIFE disclosed for J. Matthew Darden and GLOBE LIFE's own disclosed peer group, where the company discloses them, with every row in a PDF and a CSV cited to its filing.

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The full GLOBE LIFE compensation record

free company brief

This page is one person within GLOBE LIFE's record. The company brief lists every named executive, each linking to their own page.

Peer companies

named in the GLOBE LIFE proxy · each links to its own free brief

Compensation, the day it’s disclosed

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How this record is built

Every figure on this page is one figure from a public SEC filing, printed as the filing states it and cited to the document. Compensation totals are GLOBE LIFE's own disclosed totals, not summed by Velarion. Insider transactions are read from Form 4 filings and cover every line filed since the most recent proxy. Nothing is estimated by Velarion; where the company does not disclose a value the cell reads "—", and a section appears only where the company discloses the data. Corrections: records@velarion.ai.

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J. Matthew Darden's compensation dossier