
Job Events: Job Search and Negotiation
Articles (Jump to FAQs)
Alisa J. Baker
You may find a gap between what you expect from your equity compensation and what you receive. Often the problem stems from the complexity of the related documents and rules. Learn about them, and understand why you must focus on conflicting or inconsistent provisions.
Alisa J. Baker
NEW! Part 1 looked at the problems of conflicting or inconsistent provisions among different documents. Part 2 discusses which existing documents and rules nonfounder executives must consider when negotiating for equity compensation during the early (pre-public) stages of a company's development and growth.
Richard Friedman
UPDATED! Get a sense of what you should, and should not, expect in the terms of your stock option grant. This survey of 300 companies in 2007 looks at trends in vesting schedules, post-termination exercise rules, and other plan features (includes some details on restricted stock grants).
Edwin L. Miller, Jr.
Understand what could happen to your stock options or restricted stock in venture capital financings, in an acquisition, or in an IPO. Part 1 looks at M&A deals; Part 2 analyzes IPOs.
Kate Victory
Can't find comparative data on stock option and restricted stock grants? Read the results of surveys, including data on approaches to vesting, exercise, and underwater stock options.
Kate Victory
UPDATED! Finding comparative data on stock option and restricted stock grants is difficult. Here we provide survey data on grant guidelines, expiration provisions, job termination exercise rules, and M&A.
Bruce Brumberg
The days of exercising your stock options, pocketing the gains, and walking to a direct competitor may soon be over. Your company may put noncompete forfeiture provisions in your stock grants.
Beth Stackpole
Electronic Business, 6/1/05
Rather than guarantee bonuses, employment agreements for CEOs increasingly tie compensation to performance. Changes on the horizon herald a major shift in both how companies handle contracts and whether they will use contracts at all. (Registration is required.)
Gretchen Morgenson and Eric Dash
The New York Times, 10/15/06
This interactive graph shows the 2005 compensation of the highest-paid CEOs in the US. A chart shows the stock option gains of the top group. (Registration is required.)
Lisa Yoon
CFO.com, 7/26/05
As stock option expensing causes public companies to reduce stock grants, it similarly affects stock grants at private companies. The pay packages at private companies can now more evenly match those at public companies, and private companies can offer more generous option grants.
Ian Mount
Business 2.0, 10/13/04
Learn basic ways to calculate whether trading salary for equity makes sense.
KC Swanson
TheStreet.com, 6/1/04
Stock options are a nice incentive but probably not the road to riches.
Ivan Godard
InformIT, 5/13/04
As this blunt article points out, it is wise to be aware of the cynical realities that may lurk behind a grant of stock options at a technology startup.
Forbes, 4/23/04
Looking for data on the compensation of the 500 biggest companies? You can sort the data different ways. "Other" compensation includes vested restricted stock grants and stock gains from exercising stock options during the recently ended fiscal year.
Ruth Simon
The Wall Street Journal (CareerJournal.com), 7/21/03
Is restricted stock in your compensation package? Read a basic guide to how it works.
Jeff Daniel
EE Times, 2/9/01
Stock options are still a great job perk for obvious reasons, and a little research and knowledge can mean the difference between an educated decision and a blind guess.
CNN Money, 2/17/00
With a new job, the number of stock options you get, like your salary, might be negotiable.
Alan Webber
Fast Company, 11/98
Leigh Steinberg, the most powerful agent in sports, tells free agents in the business world how to negotiate great deals—and how to deal with their fear of negotiation.
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FAQs (Jump to articles)
The chances depend mainly on your position, its salary grade, and/or...
In most instances, stock grants are subject to the same types of...
Not usually. An exception would occur if your...
If your skills are in great demand, employers may...
Probably not. If a company grants an option with a specific vesting schedule and the schedule is later shortened from its original terms, the accountants...
A clawback is triggered when you leave to work for a direct competitor or engage in...
The exact percentage of companies that use clawbacks is...
During the early stages of a company's existence (e.g., up to the first round of venture financing) you may be able to get...
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