Excerpt: As bailed-out financial institutions take more heat over the massive pay packages dished out to their executives, a key fringe benefit usually awarded to top officers -- the financial planning perk -- appears to be on the chopping block. Every element of executives' pay is being carefully scrutinized by lawmakers, shareholders and taxpayers. As a result, several of the nation's largest financial institutions have already stopped footing the bill for their executives' financial planning, which historically has been a staple of compensation packages for CEOs, CFOs and other top brass.  MORE >>