Category: Equity & Tax
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Deferred Comp and the California Exit: What Senior Tech Leaders Should Know Before Leaving the State
For senior technology executives, a large share of compensation often arrives in forms other than salary: nonqualified deferred compensation, restricted stock units, options, and other long-dated pay. For those same executives living in California, every dollar of that compensation is exposed to the highest state income tax rate in the country, currently 13.3% at the…
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Too Much of a Good Thing: Managing a Concentrated Position in Your Employer’s Stock
For many successful technology professionals, the same equity that built their wealth eventually becomes their biggest financial risk. Years of stock grants, option exercises, and a rising share price can leave a large share of net worth tied up in a single company. The position that made you wealthy is now the position that could…
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Beyond the 401(k): How High-Earning Practice Owners Can Shelter More Than $200,000 a Year
For a successful physician or dentist who owns a practice, the standard retirement accounts often feel too small. After years of training and a late start to earning, a practice owner in peak years may be saving aggressively and still bumping up against the ceiling of what a 401(k) allows. In 2026, an employee can…
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The AMT Trap: How to Exercise Incentive Stock Options Without a Surprise Tax Bill
Exercising incentive stock options can trigger tax on income you never received. How the AMT works, what changed in 2026, and how to avoid a surprise bill.
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Selling to a DSO: What Dentists Should Know Before Signing With Private Equity
DSOs are buying dental practices fast in 2026. How they value your practice, why the headline price isn’t your payout, and what to weigh before you sign.
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QSBS Just Got Better: How the New Three-Year Rule Could Save Startup Employees Millions
The 2025 tax law expanded QSBS with earlier, larger exclusions. What founders and startup employees should know, including California’s state tax trap.
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How to Think About Equity Compensation and What It Really Means for Your Wealth
For many professionals in tech, startups, and growth-stage companies, equity compensation isn’t a bonus, it’s a core part of total pay. Stock options and equity grants often carry the promise of meaningful upside, but they also come with complexity, tax traps, and timing decisions that can materially impact long-term wealth. Understanding how equity works and…