The DEF 14A — formally, the definitive proxy statement filed in connection with an annual or special meeting of shareholders — is one of the most informationally rich filings in the SEC system, and one of the least read by typical investors. The DEF 14A discloses the matters to be voted on at the meeting (typically director elections, ratification of auditors, shareholder proposals, and say-on-pay advisory votes), the company's compensation arrangements for named executive officers (NEOs) in detailed compensation tables, the principal-shareholder ownership (5%+ holders), the related-party transactions that the 10-K's Item 13 typically incorporates by reference, the corporate-governance structure (board composition, committee assignments, lead-director arrangements), and any shareholder proposals submitted under Rule 14a-8. For an analyst evaluating governance quality, executive incentives, related-party transactions, or shareholder rights, the DEF 14A is usually more informative than the 10-K.

The compensation tables — particularly the Summary Compensation Table (SCT), the Grants of Plan-Based Awards table, and the Outstanding Equity Awards table — quantify executive incentives in detail that no other filing matches.