Executive Equity Compensation
For senior leaders and two-career families building wealth through equity.
It isn't a single product - it's a stack: RSUs, ESPP, NDQC, options, performance shares, and 401(k), each on a different calendar and tax treatment. Managed in isolation, executives leave five-figures on the table every year.
Restricted stock units
(RSU & PSU)
- Vest-and-sell vs. vest-and-hold framework
- Estimated tax safe-harbor optimization
- Multi-year vesting calendar coordination
- concentration management across grants
Employee stock purchase
(ESPP)
- Lookback discount maximization
- Disqualifying vs. qualifying disposition
- Contribution coordination with cash flow
Nonqualified deferred comp (NQDC)
- Annual election analysis - the October decision
- Distribution timing across pre-retirement
- Bankruptcy-risk assessment of plan custody
- 409A coordination
Stock Options
(ISOs & NQSOs)
- Exercise sequencing across tax years
- AMT pre-payment & recovery modeling
- 83(b) election analysis
- 10b5-1 trading plan setup for insiders
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Should I sell my RSUs as soon as they vest?
For most executives, yes—selling at vest and reinvesting in a diversified portfolio avoids building dangerous concentration in a single stock, and there's no tax advantage to holding since RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at vesting. The right answer depends on your concentration level, conviction, and cash needs, which is why it's a framework decision rather than a rule.
Q: How are RSUs, ESPPs, NQDC, and stock options taxed differently?
Each follows different rules: RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at vesting, ESPP discounts depend on holding period and disposition type, NQDC is taxed when distributed under 409A rules, and stock options trigger ordinary income or AMT depending on whether they're NQSOs or ISOs. Coordinating them across tax years is where the real savings come from.
Q: What is the NQDC October decision?
Nonqualified deferred compensation plans typically require you to elect how much salary or bonus to defer for the following year by a fall deadline, often in October. The election is irrevocable, so it has to be modeled against your projected income, vesting events, and distribution timing before you commit.
Q: Do I need a 10b5-1 plan?
If you're a corporate insider or hold a significant equity position, a 10b5-1 trading plan lets you sell shares on a pre-set schedule without running afoul of insider-trading rules. It's especially valuable when you have concentrated stock to diversify but limited open trading windows.
Q: Does Lake House work with executives outside the Philadelphia area?
Yes. Lake House is based in Yardley, PA, and serves executives across the Philadelphia–Princeton corridor in person, and clients nationally through virtual relationships.
Where this goes wrong
Three professionals, no one coordinating.
HR portal, CPA at tax time, advisor in occasional conversations - no one running the integration. Lake House runs the coordination so each decision is made with the full picture