Insights

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Weighing the Advantages and Drawbacks of Investment Apps

With the rise of online investment tools, investing has become easier, more convenient, and more accessible than ever before. Today, a range of investment apps are available, allowing users to make trades quickly and seamlessly from their smartphones. While expanding ...

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What to Do When Your Company Stock Falls Below Its IPO Price

When you’re working for a startup and receiving equity compensation, hopes can run high at IPO time. Often, pre-IPO employees enjoy sizable boosts in their wealth after their companies go public. When things don’t go as planned, it can be hard to let go of the hope ...

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Principles of Conscious ESG Investing

As the prospect of your company’s IPO becomes more real, you have many decisions to make about how to invest your newfound wealth. ESG investing can help you pay your good fortune forward by supporting businesses that are making positive change in the world. Done ...

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How Do You Know If Your Financial Advisor Is Working for You?

As your company prepares to go public, it’s important to get the very best financial advice to make the most of this rare opportunity. The right experienced, trustworthy financial professional can keep you aware of important deadlines, tax rules, and other details that ...

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What Is the Benefit of an 83(b) Election?

What is an 83(b) election? When you file an 83(b) election, you’re taking advantage of section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). This provision allows early investors in a company, including employees receiving equity compensation, to calculate and pay tax on ...

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What Does It Mean to Exercise a Stock Option?

Stock options are a form of compensation that many startups and other companies offer their employees and other key players in the company. A stock option is a contract in which the company issuing the stock grants the right to purchase a certain number of shares at a ...

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How to File an 83(b) Election for Restricted Stock Grants

What is an 83(b) election? An 83(b) election is a way to potentially limit your tax liability for gains on shares of company stock. It allows you to pay taxes on shares before they vest, when their value may be still relatively low. You may choose to file an 83(b) ...

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How are Restricted Stock Awards and Restricted Stock Units Taxed?

Restricted stock awards (RSAs) and restricted stock units (RSUs) are two types of incentive programs that are common in startup companies. While similar, there are some key differences in how these benefits are delivered and taxed. Both require careful tax and ...

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SPAC vs. IPO: What's the Difference?

Your company is going public. Whether that happens via a SPAC or the traditional IPO process, you have several important decisions to make in the near future. There are some key differences between the two processes, however, that can affect how you manage your stock ...

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Is It Time to Review Your 401K?

To stay on track to meet your retirement goals, it’s important to make a regular habit of reviewing your 401(k) portfolio. This helps ensure that you’re putting enough aside and that you have the best mix of investments to meet your financial objectives. If you haven’t ...

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How Does an Employee Stock Purchase Plan Work?

If your company offers an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), it could provide a path to future wealth. Like any investment, however, participating in an ESPP carries risk. Before signing up, you should understand how an ESPP works, the specific provisions of the plan ...

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What Is a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT)?

A grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT) can allow you to avoid large amounts of gift or estate tax while transferring high-value investments to the next generation. Changing Estate Tax Law While most families don’t have to worry about estate taxes, they can put a ...

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What Is a SPAC?

Often referred to as “blank check companies,” special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have been around for decades. Typically created by investors with specific expertise in a particular industry or market sector, a SPAC is a company whose sole purpose is to ...

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Is a Long-Short Fund Right for You?

As we enter the second half of 2020, many investors have turned to alternative assets to protect them from the economic downturn. No one likes to lose money, and Warren Buffet (Founder of Berkshire Hathaway) said, “The goal is simply to survive the disaster with the ...

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5 Steps to an Effective COVID Portfolio

We’ve all been impacted by COVID-19. We have learned a lot about the virus, ourselves, and our economy over the last couple of months, but there is still a lot that remains unknown. While we can be certain that as our society opens back up there will be an increase in ...

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An Introduction to Stock Options and Taxes

As the number of startups hit new heights in the Silicon Valley and various companies are utilizing equity to help attract, retain, and motivate skilled workers, the term “incentive stock option” is becoming more common in employment contracts. Although many will use ...

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