"What gets measured, gets improved", is a common saying that's been going around the blogosphere for a while now. It applies to all aspects of your life, such as meeting a daily calorie goal or walking 10,000 steps.
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Employee Stock compensation is one of those things that you know you should be doing something with but really only give it any thought when you are forced to do something, like approve an option grant. Even if you aren’t checking every day, you should at least review your total employee stock plan once a year.
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First off, congratulations! You have sacrificed, saved, and worked hard to be in the position you are today. But before you retire and enter an exciting new chapter of life, let’s look at some planning items to consider when it comes to selling your employer stock options in the year of retirement.
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With so many publicly traded companies located here in Minnesota (United Health, Target, Best Buy, Medtronic, US Bank, General Mills) it’s not surprising that we often have questions about the NUA rule. Anyone who has worked with one of these companies over a significant period of time may be looking at a large concentrated stock positions with a potentially huge tax burden in the near future. The NUA rule may help alleviate some of that burden but you have to do it the right way.
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Whether you just got fired, are planning to leave your employer to pursue another opportunity, or ready to retire, you need to make sure you understand what happens with your employee stock options as this could have a huge impact on your tax situation and your retirement plans.
Read MoreWhat do you think about when you hear the words “financial advisor”?
High pressure sales techniques, obscure products with hidden fees, secret incentives to agents – the list is long and rather unflattering. How did we get here? And, more importantly, how can you choose the right professional to partner with if you don’t want to undertake managing your own money?
Read MoreWe say it all the time but why exactly does "Fee-Only Make a Difference" mean?Well, it mostly has to do with the compensation structure, called “Fee-Only,” and how it compares to "Traditional" commission based financial planners. It’s this unique way in which Fee-Only financial advisors are paid that allows them to be objective in their advice and avoid conflicts of interest.
Read MoreI have heard this so many times it would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. One of the selling points that commissioned based financial planners tell their prospects is that they don’t have to pay anything to work with them. Sorry, but nobody works for free, and the notion that you can get sound objective financial advice for nothing is ridiculous.
Read MoreFINRA, the regulatory authority overseeing broker/dealer community, unveiled a new version of Broker/Check. This is a database which keeps track of work history and disciplinary actions of the broker/dealers that it oversees.
Read MoreThe title of this blog post is the title of an article that I read in Investment News this morning. Basically it is about imposing the Fiduciary standard of care on Broker-Dealers.
Read MoreI was doing a little research this morning and found an excellent article on the Fool.com about the Broker/Dealer model (e.g. Edward Jones), and the inherent conflict of interest associated with this model.
Read MoreI have never seen a better explanation of the Fiduciary Model of Financial planning as compared to the traditional broker/dealer model.
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