a step towards investor transparency by the SEC

The SEC just released the first online tool which allows individuals to easily compare executive pay among top American companies. This is the first demonstration of how it will use XBRL-tagged data.

"Gone are the complicated data expeditions that forced investors to hunt through financial statements, footnotes, proxy statements, and other disclosure documents to figure out how much a company pays its top executives. Through its new rules and the power of interactive data, the SEC has transformed the landscape of compensation disclosure. The result is quicker and better analysis, and better-informed shareholders."
-- SEC Chairman Christopher Cox

This is long overdue. Congrats to the SEC for having the foresight and persistence to get this done.