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Stock Benefit Plans | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract] |
Stock Benefit Plans | Stock Benefit Plans The Company maintains multiple stock-based payment arrangements under which employees may be awarded restricted stock units, stock options and other forms of stock-based benefits. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Incentive and Stock Award Plans On May 21, 2020, the Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. 2020 Incentive and Stock Award Plan (the "2020 Plan") was approved by the Company's stockholders. The 2020 Plan replaced the Company's previous equity incentive plan, the 2011 Incentive and Stock Award Plan. The types of awards permitted under the 2020 Plan include stock options, restricted stock units payable in Company common stock or cash, and other stock-based awards. Performance-based restricted stock units are referred to as performance stock units. The 2020 Plan contains a provision which, in the event of a change in control of the Company, may accelerate the vesting of awards. This provision requires both a change in control of the Company and a subsequent specified termination of employment for vesting to be accelerated. There are 20 million shares approved for issuance under the 2020 plan. The total number of shares issued in connection with full-value awards may not exceed 12.5 million shares. Full-value awards include awards such as restricted stock units and performance stock units but exclude stock options. The Company's current practice is to grant non-qualified stock options, restricted stock units ("RSUs") and/or performance stock units ("PSUs") on an annual basis to certain employees as part of their annual total compensation. Senior executives are granted options and PSU awards. In addition, a small group of other employees are granted options, PSU and RSU awards and a larger group of other employees are granted RSU awards. RSU awards are also granted to new hires or as retention awards for certain employees. Stock Options: The Company currently grants non-qualified stock options under the 2020 Plan. The Compensation Committee determines when the options vest and may be exercised and under what terms the options are forfeited. Options are generally granted with an exercise price equal to the market value of the Company's common stock on the date of grant. Option awards generally vest 25% per year and have a contractual term of 10 years. The estimated fair value of options granted is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing valuation model. This model considers several factors and assumptions. The dividend yield assumption is based on anticipated dividends over the expected life of the stock options. The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing valuation model for options granted by the Company in 2023, 2022 and 2021 are as follows:
|  | 2023 |  | 2022 |  | 2021
Risk-free interest rate |  | 4.11 | % |  | 1.88 | % |  | 0.79 | %
Expected life (in years) |  | 5.8 |  | 5.8 |  | 6.0
Expected volatility |  | 22.59 | % |  | 22.58 | % |  | 23.45 | %
Expected dividend yield |  | 1.44 | % |  | 1.41 | % |  | 1.58 | %
A summary of the status of the Company’s stock option awards at December 31, 2023 and changes during the year then ended are presented below:
|  | Shares |  | Weighted Average Exercise Price |  | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term |  | Aggregate Intrinsic Value ($000)
Balance at January 1, 2023 |  | 7,533,045 |  |  | $ | 99.18 |  |  |  |  |
Granted |  | 699,662 |  |  | $ | 164.15 |  |  |  |  |
Exercised |  | (1,537,473) |  |  | $ | 75.59 |  |  |  |  |
Forfeited |  | (99,472) |  |  | $ | 143.89 |  |  |  |  |
Balance at December 31, 2023 |  | 6,595,762 |  |  | $ | 110.90 |  |  | 5.2 years |  | $ | 514,853 |
Options vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2023 |  | 6,542,158 |  |  | $ | 110.66 |  |  | 5.2 years |  | $ | 512,214 |
Options exercisable at December 31, 2023 |  | 4,320,314 |  |  | $ | 94.59 |  |  | 4.2 years |  | $ | 407,683 |
In the above table, forfeited options are unvested options whose requisite service period has not been met. Expired options are vested options that were not exercised. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of the Company's option awards granted in 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $41.92, $31.38 and $22.25, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the same periods was $164 million, $56 million and $138 million, respectively. At December 31, 2023, there was $30 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to the Company's option awards. The weighted-average period over which that cost is expected to be recognized is approximately 1.38 years. Cash received from the exercise of stock options in 2023, 2022 and 2021 was $116 million, $50 million and $103 million, respectively. The Company's policy is to issue treasury shares upon option exercises or share unit conversion. The Company intends to issue treasury shares as long as an adequate number of those shares is available. Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units: The Company currently grants RSU and PSU awards under the 2020 Plan. The Compensation Committee determines the restrictions on such units, when the restrictions lapse, when the units vest and are paid, and under what terms the units are forfeited. The cost of these awards is amortized over the vesting period, which is generally 3 years. Dividend equivalents are not paid out unless and until such time that the award vests and shares are distributed. The payout for PSU awards is based on the Company's adjusted EPS growth as modified for executive compensation purposes and a relative total stockholder return ("TSR") modifier versus the S&P 500 constituents, both measured on a three-year basis. The number of shares earned at the end of the three-year vesting period varies from 0% to 200% of the number of PSUs granted depending on adjusted EPS growth and relative TSR performance. PSU awards are paid out generally at the end of February after the three-year performance period is completed. The Company accounts for PSU awards as performance condition restricted stock units. The adjusted EPS-related performance condition is not considered in the determination of grant date fair value of such awards. Compensation cost is recognized over the performance period based on management's estimate of the number of units expected to vest and shares to be paid in connection with adjusted EPS growth and is adjusted to reflect the actual number of shares paid out at the end of the three-year performance period for such performance. The TSR modifier is a market condition with the grant-date fair value determined using a Monte Carlo simulation model. The Monte Carlo model considers several factors and assumptions including the risk-free interest rate, historical volatility of and correlations between the stock prices of the Company and the S&P 500 constituents, and the Company's relative TSR versus S&P 500 constituents for the brief portion of the three-year performance period prior to the grant date. The assumptions used in the Monte Carlo simulation model for PSU awards granted with the TSR modifier by the Company in 2023 include:
|  | 2023
Risk-Free Interest Rate |  | 4.44 | %
Dividend Yield |  | 1.4 | %
Volatility |  | 28.0 | %
Initial TSR |  | (2.6) | %
A summary of the status of the Company's RSU and PSU awards at December 31, 2023 and changes during the period then ended are presented below:
| Restricted Stock Units |  | Performance Stock Units
| Shares |  | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value |  | Shares |  | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested balance at January 1, 2023 | 4,182,695 |  |  | $ | 135.01 |  |  | 638,978 |  |  | $ | 133.36 |
Granted | 1,939,993 |  |  | $ | 165.05 |  |  | 178,738 |  | $ | 170.80 |
Vested | (1,998,640) |  |  | $ | 128.51 |  |  | (206,580) |  |  | $ | 127.71 |
Forfeited | (200,380) |  |  | $ | 146.22 |  |  | (19,799) |  |  | $ | 147.84 |
Non-vested balance at December 31, 2023 | 3,923,668 |  |  | $ | 152.60 |  |  | 591,337 |  | $ | 146.17 |
The weighted-average grant-date fair value of the Company's RSU awards granted in 2022 and 2021 was $152.34 and $120.19, respectively. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of the Company's PSU awards granted in 2022 and 2021 was $151.00 and $122.77, respectively. The total fair value of the shares distributed in 2023, 2022 and 2021 in connection with the Company's non-option equity awards was $398 million, $560 million and $278 million, respectively. The payout of shares in 2023 with respect to the PSU awards granted in 2020 was 200% of target based on performance for the three-year performance period. In aggregate, 413,160 shares became distributable in respect to PSUs vested in 2023. At December 31, 2023, there wa s $368 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to the Company's RSU and PSU awar ds. The weighted-average period over which that cost is expected to be recognized is approximately one year. Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Purchase Plans In May 1999, the Company's stockholders approved an employee stock purchase plan (the "1999 Plan") to replace the 1994 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "1994 Plan"), which terminated on September 30, 1999 following its fifth annual offering. In accordance with the current terms of the 1999 Plan, shares are purchased 4 times during the plan year at a price that is 95% of the average market price on each quarterly purchase date. In accordance with the 1999 Plan, after including the available remaining unused shares in the 1994 Plan and reducing the shares available by 10,000,000 consistent with the Company's Board of Directors' action in March 2007 and the addition of 4,750,000 shares due to a shareholder action in May 2018, no more than 40,350,000 shares of the Company's common stock may be sold. Employees purchased 331,017 shares in 2023 and at December 31, 2023, 3,862,742 shares were available for issuance for the 1999 Plan. In accordance with the 1995 Company Stock Purchase Plan for International Employees (the "International Plan"), after reflecting the additional 5,000,000 shares of common stock for issuance approved by the Company's Board of Directors in July 2002, the addition of 4,000,000 shares due to a shareholder action in May 2007 and reducing the shares available by 1,000,000 consistent with the Company's Board of Directors' action in March 2018, no more than 11,000,000 shares of the Company's common stock may be sold. Employees purchased 116,578 shares in 2023 and there were 804,211 shares available for issuance at December 31, 2023 for the International Plan. The plans are considered non-compensatory.

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