Financial advisors who actually understand equity compensation.
RSUs, ISOs, AMT, 10b5-1 plans, pre-IPO lockups, concentrated-stock diversification, 83(b) elections, QSBS — matched with advisors who do this every day for tech employees like you.
Equity comp is not "another type of investment"
It's a tax puzzle with irreversible consequences. A single wrong move — exercising ISOs in the wrong year, missing a 10b5-1 setup window, letting a concentrated position run past 30% of net worth — can cost six figures. A generalist advisor who's never actually modeled an AMT exercise scenario will not catch this.
- RSU withholding gap: default 22% supplemental rate vs. your real 35–45% marginal. A $500K vesting year can mean a $60K+ surprise in April if not planned for.
- ISO exercise timing & AMT: exercise-and-hold scenarios can trigger AMT, but the AMT credit recovers in later years — the decision is multi-year, not single-year.
- Pre-IPO lockup planning: the 12 months before IPO is when most of the good moves get made. After lockup, options narrow.
- 10b5-1 trading plans: executives and 10% holders need them; everyone else benefits from them. Setting one up right takes a specialist.
- Concentrated stock diversification: tax-aware sell-down, exchange funds, direct indexing, hedging strategies.
- 83(b) elections & QSBS: must-file-in-30-days items that your company's onboarding packet probably doesn't emphasize.
Tools & guides
RSU Tax Calculator
Estimate your April surprise. Models the gap between 22% supplemental withholding and your real marginal rate, based on your vest schedule, base salary, and filing status.
Signing Bonus Tax Calculator
Accepting a new offer? See exactly how much of your signing bonus you keep after federal, state, and FICA taxes — and how much more you'll owe in April. Includes clawback repayment analysis (IRC § 1341).
The 12-Month Pre-IPO Planning Checklist
What to do at 12, 6, 3, and 1 month out. Covers exercise timing, estimated-tax planning, liquidity windows, lockup behavior, and diversification strategy.
ISO vs NSO vs RSU: What You Actually Own
Three kinds of equity with three different tax treatments. What triggers AMT, what the 1-year and 2-year holding rules buy you, and when each is worth exercising.
10b5-1 Trading Plans: Who Needs One and How to Set It Up
Why executives and insiders need them, what the 2023 SEC amendments changed, and how to design one that minimizes both tax and concentration risk.
Diversifying Concentrated Employer Stock
Five strategies when 40%+ of your net worth is in one ticker: gradual sell-down, exchange funds, direct indexing, charitable trusts, collar hedges. The right mix depends on tax basis and time horizon.
QSBS: The $15M Federal Tax Exclusion on Pre-IPO Stock
IRC § 1202 can eliminate federal tax on up to $15M of startup gains — but qualification depends on company structure, gross assets at issuance, and holding period. Post-OBBBA rules explained.
ISO AMT Calculator
Estimate the Alternative Minimum Tax impact of exercising ISOs. Enter your income, shares, strike price, and current FMV — see your incremental AMT exposure and the 2026 phaseout cliff side-by-side.
The Complete Guide to RSU Taxation (2026)
Every tax that hits RSU income — at vest and at sale. Covers the 22% withholding gap, FICA, long-term capital gains rates, NIIT, state tax differences (CA/WA/NY), double-trigger RSUs, and common mistakes.
Post-Termination ISO Exercise: The 90-Day Decision
Left a company with vested ISOs? You have 90 days before they expire or lose ISO status. How to decide whether to exercise, model AMT exposure, and what to do if you can't afford both the exercise cost and the tax bill.
RSU Estimated Tax Payments: Avoid the April Surprise (2026)
Why 22% supplemental withholding systematically under-withholds for high earners, how the safe harbor rules work, and exactly how to calculate and pay quarterly estimated taxes so you're not scrambling in April.
IPO Lockup Expiration: Tax-Efficient Sell Strategies
Why selling at the 180-day lockup is usually a tax mistake, how to set up a 10b5-1 plan during the lockup so it fires on day one, and how waiting 6 more months for LTCG treatment can be worth $50K+ on a $1M position.
What Happens to Your Equity in an Acquisition
Cash deals vs. stock-for-stock reorgs. Single-trigger and double-trigger acceleration. ISO disqualifying dispositions. QSBS exclusion survival. Escrow holdback timing. The decisions that need to be made before your deal closes.
Pre-IPO Tender Offers: Tax and Strategy
Your company is offering employees a chance to sell shares before the IPO. Should you participate? What's the tax treatment for shares vs. options? What does it do to your QSBS clock? How to evaluate the trade-off before the deadline closes.
Startup Equity Offer Calculator
Evaluating a new job offer? Enter your shares, company valuation, and exit scenarios to see your ownership percentage and estimated after-tax proceeds across conservative, base, and optimistic exit cases. Includes liquidation preference modeling.
Donating Appreciated Stock: The RSU Tax Strategy Most Tech Employees Miss
If you hold RSU shares for 12+ months that have appreciated, donating them to charity (or a DAF) eliminates the capital gains tax and still gets you the full FMV deduction. How the math works, the OBBBA changes for 2026, and the bunching strategy explained.
What Happens to Your RSUs and Stock Options When You Get Laid Off
Laid off with unvested RSUs, ISOs, or NSOs? Unvested RSUs are typically forfeited at termination. ISOs have a 90-day exercise window. NSO windows vary by grant agreement. What acceleration clauses apply, what you can negotiate in severance, and the 90-day action plan.
RSU Tax Reporting: W-2, 1099-B, and Form 8949 Explained
The cost basis double-counting trap that causes thousands of tech employees to overpay every April. How RSU income shows up in W-2 Box 1 vs. Box 12, how sell-to-cover generates a 1099-B with wrong basis, and the exact Form 8949 adjustment (code B) to fix it.
Year-End Equity Tax Planning: 10 Moves Before December 31
ISO exercise windows, NQDC deferral elections, estimated tax catch-up, mega backdoor Roth, charitable stock gifts, 10b5-1 plan setup, and QSBS holding period milestones — the time-sensitive decisions that tech employees with equity comp need to make before December 31.
Golden Handcuffs: The Real After-Tax Cost of Leaving Your Tech Job
Considering a new job offer but holding significant unvested equity? A calculator and decision framework for the true after-tax walkaway cost, cliff-timing arbitrage, and how to negotiate a sign-on that covers what you leave behind.
RSU Tax-Loss Harvesting and the Wash Sale Rule
RSU vesting counts as an acquisition for wash sale purposes. If your employer's stock declines and you sell at a loss, a vest within 30 days before or after disallows the loss. How the quarterly vest calendar creates traps — and how to harvest losses cleanly.
Underwater Stock Options: What to Do When They're Worth Nothing
Your option strike price exceeds current FMV. You have more choices than you think: hold for recovery, early exercise at low FMV to start the LTCG clock with zero AMT, ask about repricing, or navigate a company exchange program. Decision framework for ISOs and NSOs.
RSU Cliff Vesting: What Happens on Your 1-Year Date
The 4-year / 1-year cliff schedule explained, what triggers at the cliff date, why 22% supplemental withholding leaves most tech employees with a large April tax bill, and exactly what to do in the months before your shares vest.
How to Negotiate RSUs at Tech Companies
Most candidates negotiate salary and accept equity terms as-is — leaving 40–70% of total compensation largely on the table. The 8 questions to ask before signing, negotiation tactics that work, and how to compare competing offers on an after-tax basis.
How to Choose a Financial Advisor for Equity Compensation
Fee-only vs. fee-based, CFP vs. CPA vs. EA, and six diagnostic questions that separate real equity comp specialists from generalists who claim to handle it. What credentials, fee structure, and case experience to require before you hire.
H-1B Visa & Equity Compensation: What Changes When You're Not a US Citizen
How RSUs, ISOs, and ESPP are taxed on H-1B, F-1 OPT, and other visa statuses. Covers the substantial presence test, dual-status year, FICA transition when switching from OPT, workday allocation for grant-to-vest periods, pre-departure planning, and tax treaties by country.
RSU Tax Rates (2026): Every Rate That Applies to Your Equity
The complete rate reference for RSU vesting and sales: federal supplemental withholding (22%), your actual marginal bracket, LTCG rates at sale, NIIT, FICA, and a state-by-state table with CA, NY, WA, TX, FL, and nine other states. With a worked example showing the full gap at a $350K income year in California.
How matching works
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RSU Advisor Match is a matching service. We connect you with vetted fee-only financial advisors in our network — we don't manage money or provide advice ourselves. Advisors in our network are fiduciaries who charge transparent fees (not product commissions), and we match you based on your specific situation.