Mastering Financial Wellness: Ten Essential Strategies for Personal Wealth
Knowing where to focus is the key to success on your journey of financial wellness. Something specific will trigger your decision to hire a financial advisor. You must know where to start before you can address specific questions. Think of this as a financial wellness top ten. 1. Avoid Debt: The Foundation of Financial Wellness […]
How to Avoid the IRS Tax Trap on Stock Options
You could be overpaying your stock options tax without knowing it — even if you have a tax preparer. Here’s how to dodge this costly tax trap. Exercising your employee stock options is a good thing. After all, it usually means you’re becoming wealthier and smarter about your long-term finances. But, like it or not, […]
How to calculate your alternative minimum tax (AMT): 6 simple steps
Avoid a high alternative minimum tax (AMT) bill by understanding how ISO exercises impact it. Receiving incentive stock options (ISOs) has its perks. You can eventually sell them for a potentially life-changing payout. A payout that can be your ticket to financial freedom. However, ISOs have a downside too. Depending on how you handle them, […]
New year, new tax goals: 4 ways to meet your 2024 tax resolutions
Close out your 2023 taxes and set yourself up for a prosperous 2024 with these tax tips. Now that we’ve entered a new year, you’re probably gearing up for a smooth tax season…right? Oh, just me? That’s awkward. You’re probably focused more on new workout regimens, hairstyles, travel goals, and so much more. But consider […]
Avoiding AMT on ISO stock options if your company’s stock drops
If the value of your company’s stock declined significantly after you exercised Incentive Stock Options (ISO), you may have a tax problem. Here is a strategy for avoiding AMT on ISO stock options when the stock price falls. Did you exercise and hold? A common strategy with incentive stock options is to exercise and hold […]
Everything You Need to Know About Non-Qualified Stock Options in San Francisco
Non qualified stock options (NSO) are one of three types of stock options commonly received by tech employees in San Francisco. Incentive stock options (ISO) and restricted stock units (RSU) are the others. None of the three are taxable when granted, but that’s where the similarities end. There is no decision to be made with […]
4 Ways to Accelerate Your AMT Credit (with Examples)
If you qualify for the alternative minimum tax credit after exercising ISOs, here’s how to receive the tax reduction faster. If you’ve had to pay the alternative minimum tax (AMT) after exercising your incentive stock options (ISOs), you understand how much of a nuisance it can be. However, the upside of paying the AMT is […]
Tech IPO tax planning: Should you select 22% or 37% withholding?
How to make an IPO tax withholding selection that works for you. If you’re a tech employee with a looming IPO, you’ve got a potentially life-changing payday to look forward to. But before you get too excited, you need to make some big decisions. No, not about how soon you’ll retire or what international vacation […]
Have double-trigger RSUs? An expert says to avoid this tax mistake
Prevent a bad tax surprise with this complex type of restricted stock unit. In the vast world of equity compensation, tech employees have a myriad of options (pun intended) to choose from. One of the most common forms of equity compensation is restricted stock units (RSUs). Among publicly traded companies, RSUs are by far the […]