Executive Equity Compensation

The short version

Equity compensation is where most executives accumulate real wealth, and where most of them make expensive, irreversible mistakes — a missed 83(b) window, an AMT surprise on an ISO exercise, a concentrated position that quietly became most of the balance sheet. We manage the whole equity picture: what you hold, what is coming, what it will cost in tax, and how it gets converted into a portfolio that does not depend on one company.

This is for you if

You hold RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPP shares, performance shares, or non-qualified deferred compensation
A large share of your net worth sits in one employer's stock, largely by default rather than decision
You are subject to trading windows, preclearance, or stock ownership guidelines
Vesting events keep arriving and you have never had a plan for what happens to the shares

What we handle

The full grant picture. Every outstanding award mapped by type, vesting schedule, strike price, expiration, and cost basis by lot — including the unvested pipeline, which is where exposure is most often understated.

ISO exercise and AMT. Modeling the alternative minimum tax consequences of an exercise before you make it, including partial-exercise strategies, disqualifying disposition trade-offs, and the credit in later years.

83(b) elections. The 30-day window is statutory and unforgiving. Where an election applies, the decision needs making immediately, with an understanding of what happens if the equity never vests.

10b5-1 plans. Structuring a written plan that converts a recurring, uncomfortable decision into a single one made in advance — subject to the applicable cooling-off period, certification requirements, and your company's own policy.

Concentration reduction. Staged selling across tax years, specific-lot identification, charitable gifting of low-basis shares, and an honest assessment of the strategies that exist for large positions and what each one costs.

Deferred compensation elections. NQDC deferral and distribution elections operate far in advance and are largely irrevocable. They also make you an unsecured creditor of your employer, which is a risk worth sizing.

Tax-year coordination. Vesting, exercises, sales, and charitable gifts sequenced together rather than decided one at a time as each event arrives.

How the work runs

Inventory. Grant documents, equity administrator statements, exercise history, basis by lot, insider policy, and the trading calendar.
Model. Multi-year tax projection across vesting and exercise scenarios, plus the funded-status analysis that shows how much concentration your plan can actually absorb.
Build the plan. Which shares are sold when, through what mechanism, and inside which window.
Maintain it. New grants, changed roles, and moving tax law all change the answer. This is not a one-time exercise.

Questions we hear most often

Is there a percentage of my net worth I should not exceed in company stock?

No number is right for everyone, and treating one as a rule usually produces worse decisions than no rule. What determines the answer is whether your required future spending is funded without the position.

Won't selling trigger a huge tax bill?

The tax is real and bounded. The concentration risk is neither. Staged selling, lot selection, pairing against realized losses, and charitable gifting can all reduce the drag without eliminating it.

Can I set up a 10b5-1 plan right now?

Only if you are not aware of material nonpublic information, and even then the plan cannot begin executing immediately — cooling-off periods apply and vary by role. The practical timeline is longer than most people expect.

What if my company restricts what I can sell?

Ownership guidelines, post-vest holding requirements, closed windows, and hedging prohibitions all narrow the options. Reading the actual insider trading policy, not the summary, is the first step.

Do you coordinate with my CPA?

Yes, and it matters more here than almost anywhere else. Equity decisions are tax decisions.

Educational content only. This is not tax, legal, or accounting advice. The treatment of any specific grant depends on your plan documents and your own facts.