[Am-info] Stock options and pensions

[John J. Urbaniak]

I watched a program on C-Span last night.  It was a seminar presented on
Sept 30, 2002 at the University of New Mexico.

The speaker was reviewing various practices employed by large companies.

She said that last year, stock options, if accounted for properly, would
have reduced Microsoft's reported income by one third.

She also said that Microsoft has NO PENSION PLAN for its employees.
It's very hard for me to imagine how Microsoft can consider itself a
major company without a pension plan.

Of course, a pension plan would also reduce the company's profits as
would a stock dividend.

It astonishes me how such a sleazy company could be a member of the Dow
30.

John