Advisors for executive / professional clients

Equity compensation (RSUs, options, ESPPs), deferred comp elections, concentrated employer stock, blackout windows, and benefits that change with each promotion or job change. These interact with each other and with taxes in ways generic advice routinely misses.

Vested RSUs are taxed as ordinary income at vest, and default withholding often under-covers high earners. The planning questions: sell at vest or hold, how much employer concentration you already carry, and how vesting interacts with your bracket this year.

Know your post-termination exercise window (often 90 days for ISOs, set by your plan documents), the cost to exercise, and the tax difference between ISO and NSO treatment. Leaving without a decision can forfeit the option value entirely - check your award documents early, not in your final week.

It defers income tax and can be powerful in high-earning years, but the money is an unsecured promise from your employer, investments are limited, and payout schedules are rigid. Weigh it against maxing every other tax-advantaged account first and your confidence in the company's solvency.

Sequence matters: old 401(k) rollover decisions, new plan enrollment timing, HSA and FSA transitions, option exercise windows, and gaps in life and disability coverage. A short planning session before the start date prevents the common, expensive oversights.