Stock Option and IPO Planning
Stock Option and IPO Planning
Darrow Wealth Management specializes in stock options and equity compensation. If your employer is going public, merging, or getting bought out, work with an advisor experienced with strategic stock option planning, tax implications, and strategies to best manage sudden wealth.
Clients include executives and founders who have a variety of equity compensation, including:
- Incentive stock options (ISOs)
- Nonqualified stock options (NQSOs)
- Restricted stock awards (RSAs)
- Restricted stock units (RSUs)
- Founders shares
- Profits interests
- Employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs)
Many clients have a combination of long shares and equity subject to ongoing vesting. Through our ongoing advisory relationship, we’re able to help clients with the entire equity compensation lifecycle from even before a grant to long after the sale.
Nationally Recognized Wealth Advisor in Stock Compensation
Selection of media appearances by Kristin McKenna CFP®, President of Darrow Wealth Management and a nationally recognized specialist in employee stock options and equity compensation.
Publications above reflect media organizations that have quoted and/or published articles authored by Kristin McKenna and should not be misconstrued as a current or past endorsement of Kristin McKenna, Darrow Wealth Management, or any of its advisors. Please refer to the media page for more information and links to published works.
Financial Advisor for Employee Stock Options
Especially for founders and early employees, stock options can create a major liquidity event that transforms your financial life. To maximize the opportunity, it’s critical to get the right team of advisors in place before making irreversible decisions with your shares.
Our team of stock option advisors can work to help you:
- Plan for an IPO or acquisition
- Develop an exercise strategy to balance potential tax benefits with risks of holding a concentrated stock position
- Assist with identifying and tracking shares likely to qualify for the tax-free sale of qualified small business stock
- Plan a tax-conscious liquidation strategy, considering different grants, holding periods, and outside cash needs
- Plan and execute a trading strategy including price targets, market vs limit orders, using options for long shares, considering liquidity constraints due to trading volume, liquidation order, and so on
- Assess ways to hedge the risks of a concentrated holding, such as the use of options on long shares, if permitted
- Assist in the drafting of 10b5-1 plan provisions
- Decide on a strategy to best use the proceeds, including funding multiple goals and investment management services to help you diversify sudden wealth
- Understand how vested and unvested stock options may be treated if you leave the company or retire
- Explore cashless or sell-to-cover exercises of stock options
- Approach employment negotiations around stock options and equity compensation
- Implement a multi-year diversification strategy through an ongoing wealth management advisory relationship
- Consider ways to further your charitable or legacy goals through different investment or trust vehicles
- Coordinate the approach with your tax advisor and estate planning attorney
Wealth Management Services
Darrow Wealth Management is a fee-only financial advisory firm and full-time fiduciary.
The Darrow Private Wealth Management Program offers clients a complete solution to their asset management and comprehensive financial planning needs.
Stock Option and IPO Planning Related Articles
What Happens To Stock Options If You Are Laid Off?
Losing your job is stressful. If you’ve been laid off, you may be wondering what will happen to your stock options or restricted stock units. It will depend on some specific details about your company, grant agreement, and the type of stock options or awards you have. Here’s what you
Frozen IPO Market Reveals Dangers of Pre-IPO Exercising & Pre-Spending a Windfall
The Instacart IPO is on hold…again. What should employees with stock options do when their employer’s IPO stalls? In truth, best practices around an IPO are sometimes skewed towards what not to do. If you have stock or options from a company that’s about to go public, there may be
Should You Sell Stock Options After The IPO Lockup Period?
What’s your post-IPO stock liquidation strategy? Working for a company as it goes public can be a very exciting and rewarding experience. If you have company stock, an IPO means there will soon be a public market for your shares. IPOs make it much easier to sell stock options after
What Does it Mean to Early Exercise Stock Options?
If you work for a private company or startup, you may be able to exercise your stock options early. With an early exercise, employees buy unvested stock options, as is common with restricted stock. Why would you want to pay for shares before they vest? In the right situations, early