The Motley Fool examines CEO pay from a unique angle by calculating, based on your percentage ownership stake in the company, how much you contributed to the compensation:

"Clif P. of Hawaii was comparing his ownership of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) and Countrywide Financial (NYSE: CFC). He explained that, considering his total shares owned:

'I now own almost exactly one millionth of Berkshire. This makes my share of [CEO Warren Buffett's $100,000] salary $0.10. ... In contrast, I own [about] 1/110,000 of Countrywide. Countrywide's CEO [Angelo Mozilo's] compensation for 2007 was recently reported as being $22 million. This means I forked over $200 for his management.'

He noted how tempted he was to go to the Countrywide annual meeting and ask why Mozilo was worth 2,000 times more than Buffett.

It's an interesting way to view an investment, no? But it certainly has its limitations."