Going Public
myStockOptions.com Contributors & Editorial Team
An initial public offering (IPO) presents unique financial- and tax-planning circumstances for employees with equity compensation and holdings of company shares. We asked several leading financial advisors for their ideas on pre- and post-IPO planning. This article presents their responses in their own words.
Going Public
John P. Barringer, CFP®
My clients who work at startup companies preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) are giddy with thoughts of the wealth and opportunities their pre-IPO stock compensation will provide. I try to set them straight with five financial-planning points that may help to manage their post-IPO expectations.
Basics
Bruce Brumberg
Shares in privately held companies lack liquidity and thus cannot be sold, creating difficulty when taxes are owed on income recognized from stock option exercise and RSU vesting. To address this problem, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act introduced an income-deferral opportunity for certain types of stock compensation at private companies. These "qualified equity grants" are now provided by the Section 83(i) of the tax code.
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Going Public
myStockOptions Editorial Team
Stock grants in privately held companies can be structured in surprisingly diverse ways, many of which are not commonly known. This article looks at stock plan details in the Form S-1 SEC registration statements of IPO companies to explain how stock options and restricted stock grants at private companies may be different and more complex than the standard types of grants used by public companies.
Going Public
Ryan Harvey and Bryan Smith
Podcast included! As privately held companies prepare for their market debuts, they make changes in their equity compensation programs beyond just stock options. This article looks at some of the shifts you can expect in your stock grants from the startup stage through the IPO and the post-IPO periods.
Going Public
Bruce Brumberg
The biggest surprise for employees with stock options at pre-IPO companies is often the amount of taxes they need to pay when their company goes public or is acquired. When they exercise their options after the IPO or as part of the acquisition, selling the stock at the same time, a large chunk of their proceeds goes to pay federal and state taxes. This article looks at ways to reduce this tax burden.
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Basics
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