Company: SOJE
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: PRE 14A
Source: 0000092122-25-000032
Chunk: 39

Company: SOUTHERN CO
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: PRE 14A
Chunk 39
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 prime interest rate which is paid in cash upon leaving the Board.

All investments and earnings in the Director Deferred Compensation Plan are fully vested. Beginning with compensation earned during 2022, each Director may annually elect the manner of distribution of compensation deferred through the Director Deferred Compensation Plan for a calendar year, either a lump-sum payment or up to 10 annual distributions. A distribution election must be made no later than December 31 of the year prior to the year in which the compensation will be earned.

#### Southern Company2025 Proxy Statement39
| 4As described in the CD&A beginning onpage41, we believe our compensation program provides the appropriate mix of fixed and at-risk compensation. 
 4Our short- and long-term performance-based compensation program for our CEO:                                                                     
 •Ties pay to overall Company performance;                                                                                                         
 •Rewards achievement of financial and operational goals, relative TSR performance and progress toward meeting our GHG reduction goals; and        
 •Is aligned with stockholder interests while remaining competitive with our industry peers.                                                       |     |                                             |
|                                                                                                                                                   |     | The Board recommends a voteFORthis proposal |

We design our compensation program to attract, engage, competitively compensate and retain our employees. We target the total direct compensation for our executives to approximate the market median and place a very significant portion of that target compensation at risk, subject to achieving both short-term and long-term performance goals.

The Compensation and Talent Development Committee believes that our compensation programs effectively align executive pay with performance by:

4 Placing the vast majority (90%) of the CEO’s total compensation at risk

4 Striking the right balance between short- and long-term results

4 Selecting appropriate performance metrics, including market-based measures such as relative TSR, long-term value creation metrics such as EPS and ROE, progress in meeting GHG reduction goals (for the CEO, the CFO and the COO), annual operational goals and individual performance goals that drive achievement of our long-term business strategy

4 Regularly monitoring the alignment between corporate performance and compensation payouts

At our 2024 annual meeting, we received 95% support of votes cast on our executive compensation program.

Throughout 2024 and into 2025, we continued our robust stockholder outreach program. Our independent Directors, including our Lead Independent Director, have participated in key engagements. Feedback from our stockholders is carefully considered by the Compensation and Talent Development Committee in making compensation decisions.

Stockholders are voting to approve, on an advisory basis, the following resolution:

“RESOL