The very tenants of capitalism suggest that most Americans desire to move up the corporate ladder, but that may no longer be entirely true after new SEC regulations go into effect. The new SEC regulations aimed at improving corporate transparency now require the top five (in terms of pay) officers in a company to disclose the details of their compensation. The rule has given a new meaning to the #6 guy, who stands to benefit from both high pay and a confidential pay check.

The #6 guy has become a somewhat coveted spot - you can make a lot of money without having to deal with shareholder and public scrutiny. And the spot has become even more valuable as executives are now forced to disclose not only their salaries and stock options, but also their perks. In some companies, these perks can be significant and cause shareholder concern. In fact, a secretive pay check is becoming such a valuable commodity that some CFOs and senior officers are beginning to disappear from the top five lists in some mid-cap companies. And investors can only assume more such efforts to conceal pay figures will arise in the future...