Services
For tech employees at some of the world’s leading companies, equity compensation is often the most valuable and most complex part of the total package. Stock options, Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and Restricted Stock Units each work differently, vest differently, and are taxed differently. Without a deliberate strategy built around your specific grants, vesting schedule, and overall financial picture, the wealth you have worked years to accumulate can be significantly eroded by taxes, concentration risk, or poorly timed decisions.
At Strategic Capital, equity compensation planning is one of our core specialties. We work with tech employees across the country to build a comprehensive strategy around their full compensation picture, from understanding what they have been offered to making smart decisions about when and how to exercise, sell, and diversify. If you have equity compensation and are not sure whether you have the right plan around it, you are in the right place.
Stock options give you the right to purchase shares of your company at a predetermined price, known as the strike price, regardless of what the stock is worth at the time you exercise. In the startup and private company world, stock options are one of the most common forms of equity compensation, used to attract and retain talent by giving employees a stake in the company’s future growth.
Options come in two forms. Incentive Stock Options, or ISOs, are typically offered to employees and carry preferential tax treatment under certain conditions. Non-Qualified Stock Options, or NSOs, are more flexible but taxed as ordinary income at exercise. Understanding which type you have, and when and how to exercise them, can have a significant impact on your tax bill and your long term wealth.
Key concepts that drive stock option strategy include your vesting schedule, your strike price relative to the current fair market value, your expiration date, and in some cases Rule 701 if you are at a private company. Liquidity events such as an IPO, a merger or acquisition, or a secondary sale of private stock can also dramatically change the calculus around your options and require immediate strategic attention.
At Strategic Capital we help tech employees navigate every dimension of their stock option strategy so that when the moment comes to act, you are already prepared.
An Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or ESPP, is one of the most underutilized benefits available to tech employees. The structure is straightforward: your company allows you to purchase its stock through payroll deductions, typically at a discount of 5 to 15 percent below fair market value. That built in discount represents an immediate return on your investment before the market moves a single dollar.
What makes ESPPs more complex than they appear is what happens after you purchase the shares. Depending on your plan, you may be able to sell immediately or you may be required to hold your shares for a minimum period. Company imposed trading windows can also restrict when you are able to sell. The timing of your sale matters significantly from a tax perspective, as holding periods determine whether your gains are taxed at ordinary income rates or the more favorable long term capital gains rate.
For tech employees who are also managing RSUs and stock options, an ESPP adds another layer of equity exposure to an already concentrated position. Without a coordinated strategy that accounts for all three, you may be accumulating far more single stock risk than you realize. At Strategic Capital we help tech employees evaluate their ESPP alongside their complete equity compensation picture and build a strategy that maximizes the benefit while managing the risk and the tax consequences intelligently.
Restricted Stock Units, or RSUs, are one of the most common forms of equity compensation at established public tech companies. Unlike stock options, RSUs do not require you to purchase anything. They are a direct promise from your employer to deliver shares of company stock once you meet a vesting requirement, typically a time based schedule that rewards you for staying with the company, or in some cases for high level executives, a performance based schedule tied to specific company or individual goals.
When your RSUs vest, the shares are treated as ordinary income at their fair market value on the vesting date, regardless of whether you sell them or hold them. That means every vesting event is a taxable moment, and without a proactive tax strategy built around your vesting schedule, you can find yourself with a significant and largely preventable tax bill.
For tech employees with multiple vesting tranches across several years, RSUs can quietly become the largest asset on your personal balance sheet. That level of concentration in a single company stock creates real risk that needs to be managed deliberately, not ignored because the stock has performed well.
At Strategic Capital we work with tech employees to build a comprehensive RSU strategy that addresses the tax implications at vesting, the decision of when and how much to sell, how to diversify out of a concentrated position efficiently, and how your RSUs fit into your complete financial plan including your retirement accounts, estate plan, and insurance strategy.
Client Experience
I have been with Strategic Capital since 2024. I've had multiple video conferences and emails with Chris and Bobby. I feel very comfortable with their advice, part of which is because they explains the benefits and risks in simple English. I am certain my account is being handled carefully, with a strong sense of responsibility, and there has never been a sense of them trying to rush through things. I know that I am in good hands here.
We’ve been working with Chris, Bobby, and Adam at Strategic Management, and we couldn’t be happier. They respond to every question quickly — and always with thoughtful, useful information that helps us make smart decisions with confidence. What really stands out is how genuinely they focus on our interests and goals as we move into this new chapter of retirement.
They’ve taken the time to understand our priorities and have built a comprehensive plan that aligns perfectly with our future needs. Every step feels well thought out, and that gives us immense peace of mind knowing that the guys at Strat Cap have truly “got this.” It’s a great feeling to know your financial future is in such capable, caring hands.
Chris and Isabella have been very helpful. They have been very attentive to considering my individual circumstances and needs in generating an investment plan I trust.
Highly recommend Bobby Russell at Strategic Capital. His depth of knowledge in financial planning is incredibly impressive, and the level of service he provides is top-tier. He genuinely cares about his clients' success.
I have had a great experience with Chris and Bobby. They were knowledgeable and patient as they helped us navigate the best options for our finances. I would recommend them to any of my friends and family who were looking to do the same.
The folks at Strategic Capital are super knowledgeable and go out of their way to provide personal service. Great service, great people
Incredible service!
When it comes Strategic cap. they just don't manage wealth, they create Meaningful relationship with my self. I love them and I love pet dogs too. 100%
Selected client reviews from Google.
Read all reviews on GooglePlease note that the testimonials presented are from those individuals, some of which may be firm clients, who submitted a testimonial through Google, and do not represent the views of all firm clients. Testimonials relate solely to the individuals’ experience making such testimonial and there can be no assurance that others will have similar experiences. No direct compensation was paid for any of the testimonials presented on this website.
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