NerdWallet CEO received $5.4 million in compensation in 2021

Personal finance news site NerdWallet, which went public in 2021, paid chief executive officer Tim Chen total compensation of $5.4 million last year, according to the company’s first proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Chen received $4.8 million in stock options and a base salary of $535,261 last year. His base salary rose 18.9 percent from $450,000 in 2020.

He is the founder of the company and controls 90 percent of the voting stock.

Chief product officer John Caine, who joined the company in December 2021, received $2.5 million in stock awards and slightly more than $2 million in stock options. His base salary will be $525,000.

Chief marketing officer Kelly Gillease received total compensation of $2.77 million in 2021, which included $1.8 million in stock awards and $448,492 in options. Her base salary was $466,250.

In the filing, NerdWallet said it has more than 100 staffers on its editorial team, including former staffers from Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal.

“They maintain editorial independence from our business teams and do not recommend products based on business relationships,” according to the filing.

The filing can be found here.