Compensation expert Richard Friedman (Ayco Company) explains what makes restricted stock and restricted stock units valuable equity awards. While these types of grants do not have the potential upside of stock options, they offer their own significant benefits. This interview is a companion to Mr. Friedman's article on this topic in the Restricted Stock section of the site, where he also has articles on financial and tax planning for restricted stock and RSUs.

Among the many ways to amass the wealth you need to fund the retirement you want, your stock compensation can play a major role. In this interview, financial advisor Daniel Zajac explains how combining equity grants with other assets can help you save enough money to fully fund your ideal retirement. The interview is a companion to Mr. Zajac's article on this topic.

NEW! When retirement is unplanned or taken early, there may be a gap between your retirement date and the qualifying age for retirement-plan distributions and Social Security. To bridge that gap, stock-based compensation can help, but its complexity can be confusing. In this interview, financial advisor Chuck Steege explains how you factor in stock compensation when you sequence cash flows to cover living expenses in retirement. The interview is a companion to Mr. Steege's article on this topic.

NEW! In this interview, CFP John Barringer discusses planning approaches to stock compensation that can help you build a financially secure nest egg for retirement. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Barringer's popular article series Stockbrokers' Secrets: Retirement Planning With Stock Compensation.

NEW! Get a sense of what you should, and should not, expect in the terms of your stock option grant. In this interview, compensation expert Richard Friedman (Ayco Company) discusses trends in vesting schedules, post-termination exercise rules, and other plan features. The interview is a companion to Mr. Friedman's article on this topic, which includes findings from Ayco's extensive survey of features in stock option plans.

NEW! In this interview, tax and securities law attorney Arthur Meyers discusses the key provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the tax reform which took effect in 2018, that affect individual taxation and stock compensation. He covers a range of tax-reform topics, including the changes in the withholding rates, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) provisions, and the new income triggers for the highest rate of long-term capital gains tax. He also explains the new tax-deferral opportunity for stock grants in private companies, plus the end of the performance-based exception to the $1 million corporate tax-deduction limit. The interview is a companion to our popular article on the topic of tax reform.

NEW! When stock options or restricted stock/RSUs vest, you need a strategy to make the most of their wealth-building potential. In this interview, wealth manager Tim Kochis explains that no single strategy for timing option exercises or restricted stock/RSU sales fits everyone, and he discusses his approach to this idiosyncratic type of planning. The interview is a companion to Mr. Kochis's article series on this topic.

NEW! Stock options can be very lucrative if handled properly, but there are situations in which people can easily make mistakes with them. In this interview, CFP Paul Palazzo discusses the most common financial-planning errors he sees that involve stock options, and how to avoid those pitfalls. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Palazzo's article on the same topic.

NEW! When you and your spouse decide to split, your stock grants will probably be divided too. In this interview, divorce attorney Linda Olup explains the treatment of vested and unvested stock grants in divorce, the approaches to valuation used by courts, the division of options in the property settlement, and the way courts regard stock grants as income for consideration in child support and alimony. The interview is a companion to Ms. Olup's article series on this topic.

NEW! In this interview, attorney Alisa Baker discusses employment, negotiation, and job-termination issues with equity compensation, the related stock plan documents you must understand, and common mistakes to avoid. This audio recording is a companion to Ms. Baker's article series Negotiating And Structuring Your Stock Compensation.

NEW! When a company is merging or being acquired, its employees wonder what will happen to their unvested RSUs. In this interview, wealth advisor Kristin McFarland explains the potential outcomes for holders of unvested RSUs and current equity holders in an M&A deal. The interview is a companion to Ms. McFarland's article on this topic.

NEW! An often underestimated danger companies face is the risk that an executive or employee may violate corporate, tax, or securities laws. In this interview, compensation expert Richard Friedman (Ayco Company) outlines practices for executives to help them avoid compliance problems, and explains the possible penalties of noncompliance. The interview is a companion to Mr. Friedman's article series on this topic.

CFP Laura Tanner shares her wisdom on investment diversification for employees with holdings of company stock. This audio recording is a companion to Ms. Tanner's article on diversification on the website.

CFP Alan Ungar gives guidance on the best time to exercise stock options, and expresses his strong point of view on what employees should do with shares acquired from restricted stock/RSU vesting. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Ungar's article series on option exercise strategies.

Your stock compensation may be your most valuable investment. Financial advisor William Baldwin explains his approaches to minimizing risk while trying to optimize the value of equity awards. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Baldwin's articles on his least-regret analysis for equity compensation, getting the most from stock options, and a financial advisor's view of stock plans.

CFP Geoffrey Zimmerman explains why it is important to see equity awards in the big picture of your life, including your circumstances, values, activities, and goals, before you make any financial-planning decisions with your grants. He also comments on the special planning dilemmas faced by senior executives with stock compensation. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Zimmerman's articles on the holistic approach to stock comp and special issues for executives in the Financial Planning section of this website.

In this interview, CFP Robert Pyle makes the case for diversifying at least some of your holdings in stock compensation and your company's shares to reduce your investment risk. Because your salary already depends on the company's fortunes, and as you may already own company stock in your 401(k), it may be wise to dollar-cost-average out of your company's stock on a regular schedule. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Pyle's article on the same topic.

NEW! Moving between US states, whether to relocate permanently or simply to travel for business, can involve tax complications for people who have stock compensation. In this interview, Deloitte consultant David Johnson presents the issues that you may encounter when you leave your home office and cross a state line. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Johnson's article (co-written with Mark Miller) on the same topic elsewhere on this website.

For internationally mobile employees, the tax treatment of equity compensation can be extremely complex. In this interview, Deloitte consultant Mark Miller explains the issues that employees should consider when they are preparing to take a job assignment in a foreign country. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Miller's articles on taxation for internationally mobile employees in the Financial Planning section of this website.

As privately held companies prepare for their market debuts, they make changes in equity compensation programs. Compensation consultant Ryan Harvey explains some of the shifts you can expect in your stock grants both during the period leading up to your IPO and after your company goes public. This audio recording is a companion to an article by Mr. Harvey and Bryan Smith in the Pre-IPO section of this website.

Financial advisor Robert Gordon explains some advanced techniques that can be used to hedge employee stock options or concentrated holdings in company stock as a way to reduce investment risk, especially among executives who have significant amounts of compensation tied up in equity awards or company shares. This interview is a companion to Mr. Gordon's articles on hedging topics in the section Financial Planning: High Net Worth.

In this interview, college-funding advisor Troy Onink explains strategies for the use of stock options, restricted stock/RSUs, and other equity awards to pay for the ever-increasing costs of higher education. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Onink's article series in the College Funding section of this website.

NEW! Attorney Daniel Janich discusses the types of equity plans that are available to limited liability companies (LLCs), the considerations involved in establishing an equity comp program at an LLC, and the related tax treatment. This interview is a companion to Mr. Janich's two-part article series LLCs And Equity Incentive Plans.

CFP Alan Ungar explains the ways in which taxes can affect decisions about when to exercise stock options, when to sell company shares, and how to plan for income from restricted stock/RSU vesting. This audio recording is a companion to Mr. Ungar's article on these topics elsewhere on this website.