We Live And Breathe Equity Compensation
A significant part of your income comes from equity. For many clients, equity compensation requires more than general investment guidance. A coordinated, specialized approach can help address the full range of decisions involved.
Equity compensation is a significant component of total compensation for many tech professionals, and one that often comes with considerable complexity.
We specialize in working with clients whose income is heavily tied to company stock. That includes RSUs, ESPPS, ISOs, NSOs, and performance-based awards. These forms of compensation can create meaningful financial opportunities, and each comes with its own complexity and considerations.
When your wealth is heavily tied to your employer’s success, the decisions around selling, holding, or exercising can feel deeply personal. You may also have varying feelings around the risk of your company’s stock, especially when you have a concentrated position. We understand these nuances, and our role is to provide clarity and objectivity when emotions and money overlap.
We Help You
✓ Understand your equity, how it works, and when key decisions matter.
✓ Decide when to exercise, sell, or hold based on taxes, risk, and goals.
✓ Plan around trading windows, blackout periods, and 10b5-1 plans.
✓ Evaluate 83(b) elections and QSBS opportunities early to understand the potential tax considerations involved.
✓ Optimize taxes through withholding, AMT planning, and timing strategies.
✓ Integrate equity with your broader plan, including mega backdoor Roth and cash flow.
✓ Manage concentration risk and build a diversification strategy over time.
✓ See how equity fits into your overall financial picture and long-term goals.
We Specialize In
✓ RSUs: Tax timing, withholding optimization, & strategic selling
✓ ISOs & NSOs: AMT planning, 83(b) elections, QSBS opportunities, and exercise timing
✓ ESPP: Purchase strategy, tax treatment, and optimal disposition timing
✓ Employee Trading Plans (10b5-1): Structured selling strategies to reduce timing risk and remove emotion
✓ Early-Stage & Private Equity: Exercise decisions, liquidity planning, and tax optimization pre-IPO
✓ Tech Compensation Optimization: Mega backdoor Roth, benefit maximization, and income planning strategies
✓ ISOs & NSOs: Tracking vesting schedules and building long-term liquidation strategies
Whether you're at a pre-IPO startup or a public company, we partner with you to develop a custom strategy for your equity compensation financial planning.
Multi-Year Simulations
We model how your income, equity, and taxes may evolve over the next several years, helping you prepare and plan before major tax events arise. Knowing the numbers ahead of time helps reduce stress and prevents surprises or reactive decisions based on fear or pressure.
Diversification & Selling Strategy
We help you reduce concentrated risk by building a thoughtful plan to diversify company stock. This could be a short-term selling strategy, or a long-term goal spread out over time. We combine disciplined planning with ongoing guidance to help clients stay aligned with their plan, even when market conditions or company news create uncertainty.
✓ Scheduled sales: We help you determine what to sell & when.
✓ Proactive selling plans: We help you establish a structured approach to selling, with the goal of reducing reactive decisions and keeping your plan aligned with your broader financial objectives.
✓ Accountability: Your Advisor will help you follow through on plans
✓ Covered Calls: A strategy some investors use to generate potential income from concentrated stock positions. This involves risk and may not be appropriate for all situations.
✓ Direct-indexing: A strategy designed to provide exposure to individual stocks with the goal of supporting portfolio diversification over time.
How We Help Clients With Equity Compensation
Vesting & Trading Window Planning
We track your vesting dates and trading windows, helping you act strategically rather than reactively. Our goal is to minimize impulsive decisions when deadlines, volatility, or excitement about company performance create pressure for you to act.
Tax Strategy for AMT, ISO, NSO, & RSU
Each equity type comes with its own tax rules and considerations, and the complexity can be intimidating. We break it down clearly and provide guidance to help you understand the potential tax implications of each equity type, so you can make more informed decisions.
✓ RSU tax timing and withholding gaps
✓ ISO vs NSO AMT considerations
✓ ESPP limits and disqualifying dispositions
✓ Long-term vs. short-term capital gains timing and spreading (custom indexing, annual capital gains budgeting)
✓ Tax deferral or mitigation strategies such as Tax-exchange Funds, Charitable Trusts, and QSBS Exemption Stacking
Equity in the Bigger Picture
Hold vs. Sell Strategy
We work with clients to evaluate whether holding, selling, or leveraging company stock may align with their tax situation, risk tolerance, and financial goals.
Option Exercise Timing
We evaluate ISO and NSO exercise timing, AMT exposure, and liquidity to enable confident decisions.
Concentration Risk
We analyze overexposure to company stock and propose strategic diversification strategies.
Retirement Planning
We connect equity decisions to your retirement timeline so investing, taxes, and risk stay aligned.
Feel confident knowing everything is aligned and backed by a clear, thoughtful strategy.
Client Stories
See how we’ve helped people just like you.
Growing Together: Anna & Steve’s Equity Compensation Journey Through the Milestones
Read about how Anna & Steve’s equity compensation journey evolved through their different milestones, and how their Advisro’s advice evolved with them at different stages of life.
Turning Equity Compensation into a Home: Sara and Jeff’s Homebuying Journey
Read about how Sara & Jeff, a tech couple working at Lyft & Chime, used their equity compensation to buy their dream home, with their advisor guiding them every step of the way.
Building a Life, Not Just a Portfolio: A Plus Level Client’s Equity Compensation Journey
Read about how a former SVP at Palantir navigate equity compensation, home buying, and career changes with her trusted advisor for over 10 years.
This testimonial was given by a current client of DiversiFi Capital LLC, and it is not representative of all client experiences. No cash or compensation was given for or to elicit this testimonial.