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Financial Planning: Strategies

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Ten Financial-Planning Rules Everyone With Stock Options Needs To Know

Michael Beriss
Managing your stock options is one of the most complex financial challenges you will face. These 10 rules will help you get the most out of your company's stock plan.

How To Avoid The Most Common Stock Option Mistakes (Part 1)

Beth Walker
Avoid the mistakes others made during prior ups and downs in the stock markets. Common mistakes arise in nine different situations, including termination, mergers, financial planning, term expiration, and life events.

How To Avoid The Most Common Stock Option Mistakes (Part 2) This is premium content

Beth Walker
Avoid the errors that many people have made, including mistakes that stem from major life events and taxes.

Psychological Factors Affect Your Stock Option Exercise Decisions

Professor Steven Huddart
It is tempting to exercise and sell your stock options when your company's stock price hits new highs or becomes worryingly volatile. However, this decision may not be in your best long-term financial interest. This article exames the psychological factors that can, along with economic motives, influence your stock option choices.

Stockbrokers' Secrets (Part 4): What I Tell My Best Clients About Down-Market Strategy This is premium content

W.E.B. Bantling
Market declines rattle even the most experienced stock option veterans (and their advisors). If you are less than fully prepared to cope with the emotional toll caused by an uncertain market, consider these 10 topics.

Restricted Stock: Tax, Financial, Estate, And Retirement Planning (Part 1) This is premium content

Richard Friedman
Understand financial planning for restricted stock and RSUs. Part 1 discusses the growing popularity of these grants, their special features, and the related tax planning.

Retirement Planning With Your Stock Options And Other Stock Compensation (Part 1: Pre-Retirement Planning)

Carol Cantrell
Your stock options and restricted stock are important for your retirement planning. Understand the related issues and explore strategies, whether you are planning for retirement now, are nearing retirement, or have retired already.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans & Your Financial Planning (Part 2) This is premium content

Bruce Brumberg
Employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) are changing in many ways, largely in response to accounting rules. For Part 2, myStockOptions.com asked financial and wealth advisors what they are recommending to clients about ESPP participation.

Stockbrokers' Secrets (Part 1): What I Tell My Best Clients About Stock Option Strategy

W.E.B. Bantling
My clients want to exercise options shortly after they vest for a significant purchase, like a fancy boat or a sports car. The most expensive boat or car I can imagine is the one bought with your just-vested options. Tips I tell clients include not exercising too soon or waiting too long.

Stockbrokers' Secrets (Part 2): What I Tell My Best Clients About Stock Option Strategy This is premium content

W.E.B. Bantling
I see too many smart people who have substantial gains in their stock options do dumb things, as I explained in my first article. Here are more of the rules I try to teach my clients, which can act as a guide for you, too.

A Financial Advisor's View Of Your Stock Plans This is premium content

William Baldwin
Rather than providing you with a guarantee, today's benefit plans offer only an opportunity to attain financial security. The decisions you must make will turn some of you into financial winners.

Getting The Most From Your Stock Options This is premium content

William Baldwin
Stock options are a major element of your long-term incentive compensation, offering tremendous potential to accumulate personal wealth. Given your stock options' complexity, it’s essential to develop a strategy to realize their full potential.

How The Bush Tax Cuts Still Affect Your Stock Option Planning

Tom Davison
Even under President Barack Obama, the Bush administration's 2003 tax cuts and later extensions will continue to affect tax strategies for NQSOs, ISOs, and restricted stock. Unless these tax laws change soon, many of them will persist through 2010.

Lessons In Sitting Pretty

Marie Leone
CFO
Basic financial-planning strategies and mistakes to avoid with your stock options.

Options: Have An Exit Plan

Lewis Braham
BusinessWeek
Because stock option and restricted stock grants are part of your overall portfolio, you need a clear strategy for when to hold and when to sell.

Taking Stock Of Options

Bruce Fraser
Financial Advisor
With many variables to consider, timing and strategy for when to exercise are critical for realizing stock option gains and avoiding tax liabilities.

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I have various stock option grants with vested options. Do I need to exercise first my oldest grants or my oldest vested options?

There's no requirement for which vested options you must exercise first. The decision of which options to exercise first is part of your...

I have vested stock options. What should I do: exercise and hold, exercise and immediately sell, or wait to exercise? This is premium content

This is a difficult question to answer, and no single strategy applies to everybody. The best course for you is colored by both your company's stock option plan and your personal financial goals...

I have more than one stock option grant, and they are at different exercise prices. Which one should I exercise first? This is premium content

Most option plans do not prescribe the order of option exercises, which is usually up to you...

I have both in-the-money and underwater options. If I exercise them all and immediately sell the stock, can I offset the gains with the losses on the underwater options? This is premium content

This is wishful thinking, because these are two separate transactions. It does not make sense to...

Are there financial strategies for NQSOs? This is premium content

As other FAQs and articles in this section explain, there is no universal plan for everybody. With that said, we present some general advice from experts...

My company's stock price recently fell dramatically, but I expect it to rise again soon. Are there any NQSO strategies (or mistakes to avoid) in a market upturn? This is premium content

When the stock market rebounds after a fall, one of the most common mistakes among optionholders is exercising too early to grab quick profits...

I plan to exercise options for stock that pays dividends. Are there any exercise strategies or at least mistakes to avoid? This is premium content

To receive a dividend you must own a stock on the record date, so you want to be aware of the ex-dividend date. Also consider...

What provisions in the 2003 tax law still affect my stock option strategy?

The 2003 tax law has no provisions that deal directly with employee stock options or stock purchase plans. If your income goes up...

To seek financial aid for my children's college tuition, I need to report my income and assets to the US Department of Education on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Should I list my stock grants? At what value? This is premium content

As long as the student is considered a dependent of the parent for financial-aid purposes, the parent does have to report stock options on line...

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