The New Deal.

Whether you're content with your current position or restless for a new challenge, you're going to have to negotiate another contract at some future time. The compensation in salary, bonus, equity, and options for your efforts also promises to become the greatest source of your future wealth - increasingly so in the new economy. Just as the rest of your business has been dramatically shaken by the changes in business over the past decade, so have the compensation packages for chief executives.

To ensure you get the best deal possible in your negotiations, you ought to be armed with some insider . information. That's why we hunted down top executive recruiters and compensation experts to find out exactly what's changed in recent years. Here's their advice about what you need to know before settling on your next contract:

Craft an Escape Hatch. "At this point, 95 percent of CEOs now have out-clauses," says Jeffrey C. Porter, president and owner of the Porter Hamel Group, a food processing specialist recruiter based in Portland, ME. He estimates that only 50 percent of CEO packages had such clauses in the late 1980s. Set to kick in if you're ousted for anything other than cause, these clauses can cover numerous items, including salary continuation, outplacement services, benefits, and office space.

Pack the Parachute. Even if you don't get booted during an acquisition, new ownership or a merger could mean a significant change in your responsibilities. That's why Wayne Luke, managing partner for international recruiter Heidrick & Struggles, suggests inserting a change of control agreement in your next contract. If the firm is sold, you should get immediate vesting in all benefits that require it. "And, then, you should ask that all your options be monetized," he notes.

Get a Reward. When renewing a contract, don't view the renewal itself as a reward, says Mike J. Album, a New York-based partner of the Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather, & Geraldson. "Now," he notes, "people are saying, 'I have achieved Y. I want some special recognition for that, in addition to the renewal of the contract.'" If you've earned it, ask for an extra bonus.

Demand Walking Money. Luke notes that executives increasingly don't have to walk away from the benefits of their previous companies' incentive packages. Boards of directors are willing to compensate an incoming CEO for those lost earnings. Album agrees, noting that "it could be $5 million of lost equity that has to be made up by the new company."

Acquire Equity or Options. This point likely won't surprise you: Equity and options are the new measures of a CEO's package, says Gary Klein, managing director of A.T. Kearny Executive Search's global media and entertainment practice, eclipsing what he calls the "nicety/sidebar" gauges of yesteryear. In pre-IPO situations, Klein sees incoming CEOs averaging eight to 10 percent equity stakes. For existing CEOs signing back up with their firms or joining a public company, options tied to performance are the preferred route. Porter says there has been a 60 to 70 percent increase in offering of and demand for stock and options in recent years.

Plan on a Shorter Term. Klein also notes that CEO packages now typically run three-year terms, rather than the former standard of five. Many boards, he says, would prefer to negotiate a two-year deal. When you're feeling confident, you might explore exchanging a year on your package for more equity or options.

Accommodate Your Lifestyle. Porter sees more boards willing to accept job placement services for your working spouse if taking the position means relocation. "Lifestyle issues come into play more than they did before," says Klein, adding that boards are also willing to accept that CEOs might not want to move their families immediately after taking a position. Increasingly, they provide housing expenses to give CEOs a place to stay close to corporate headquarters during the week as well as weekly commutating expenses to get you back home for weekends with the family.

Avoid termination restrictions. New rulings in various state courts and the passage of the Federal Business Trade Secrets Act, says Album, expand the constraint that a non-compete clause can hold over your future employment with other firms. "The goal is to have no termination restriction," he says. If that's not possible, work with your counsel to limit a non-compete clause's restrictions.

Don't get greedy. Finally, it's always been important to avoid pushing a board so far with your demands that you alienate it. But, Album notes, the compensation committee now has a to file a report with the SEC. Ask for too much and you may end up answering some uncomfortable shareholder questions at the annual meeting - and maybe negotiating your next deal sooner than you'd expected.

Chris Sandlund is a New York-based freelancer, who writes frequently about business issues.