How to Consider Equity Compensation When You Work for a Private Company

Many private companies offer equity compensation in the form of employee stock options. For employers, offering this benefit is one way to attract and retain talent. Equity compensation can create a shared interest in the company’s overall success. If the company does well and the stock price appreciates, employees who hold company shares can increase their own wealth by exercising and selling valuable stock. But when you work for a private company, employee stock options...

The choice of when to exercise your incentive stock options can be a difficult one, with serious implications for financial planning and taxes. When your company is still pre-IPO, that opens up an entirely separate set of concerns that you may need to be aware of. The issues associated with pre-IPO incentive stock options (ISOs) are particularly relevant now, as early-stage companies increasingly find private funding sources and delay the date of their IPO. As...