A comprehensive review of the points that anyone that is serious about managing their career should be aware of. A few points from my own experience:

1) Recruiters - the guys that work for agencies, not in-house HR people - often have no understanding of "package" versus salary. If you start talking about the value of your current / desired package they seem to put you at the bottom of the pile of candidates.

2) Several companies have offered me stock, some free of charge, some at preferential rates. I have only ever accepted the free stock; and not once has either sort been worth didley squat in the long run. I wouldn't count this towards the package value - except when trying to blag a bigger package from a new employer.

3) My personal rule is convert every benefit to cash ASAP. If they offer you a car, take the cash instead, If they offer insurance, take the cash and arrange your own. It always seems possible to negotiate a better deal tailored to your needs than the one-size-fits-all offer from the employer. The only exception is pension if, and only if, the employer is making a significant contribution on the condition that you make a contribution - it's free money and tax efficient.

4) The 'meh' thing. I'm doing that right now. I was freelance and decided to go back to being an employee to spend more time with my family instead of in airports and hotels. I took a hugely satisfying public sector job with a low salary and next to no package to get back into employment. After a year I jumped into a private sector job in a company with a great reputation. The package was flexible and worth twice that of the previous job. But after a few months I've realised that it's meh. I'll put up with it for a while, but I've already got my eyes open for the next move.