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
- Nonqualified stock options
- Restricted stock
- Restricted stock units
- Founders shares
- Profits interests
- Employee stock purchase plans
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.
Stock Compensation Advice from the Experts
Kristin McKenna CFP® is nationally recognized for her expertise 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
- 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
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
Developing an Exit Strategy for Stock Options in a Down Market
Stocks are down this year, pretty much across the board. Unfortunately, there are some companies that won’t survive the downturn. Even for the ones that
What a Down Round Means for Employees with Stock Options
Quite simply, a down round is when a company raises money at a lower valuation per share relative to earlier financing rounds. A simple example: