Analysis & Perspectives

Insights behind your financial decisions.

Deep advice on tax strategy, equity compensation, retirement, and more.

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FINANCIAL PLANNING

How cash flow planning brings clarity to complicated income

Your income probably isn’t as simple as it looks on paper. Maybe it’s a salary plus a year-end bonus that swings widely.

5 min read

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Saving for college: timing, taxes, and smart strategies

Sending your child to college is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. Tuition, housing, books, and fees add up quickly.

8 min read

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Is it better to rent or buy a house? How to decide what’s best for you

Deciding whether to buy or rent a home can feel overwhelming. Do you go for the freedom of owning your own space or the flexibility of renting?

10 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

Equity compensation can accelerate wealth or magnify risk

Depending on your profession, equity compensation can represent a substantial portion of your net worth. In the tech world, it may be 30 to 60% or more.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

What is tax-loss harvesting? How investors use losses to reduce taxes

How much your portfolio earns matters, but so does how much you keep after taxes. Tax-loss harvesting is one of the most common tools investors use to help manage it.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Tax optimization strategies to help you keep more of your wealth

You’ve worked hard for what you’ve built. But there’s a question that nags at nearly every high earner: How much of this will I actually get to keep?

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Why use a donor-advised fund? A tax-smart way to give

Most people who give to charity are not thinking about tax strategy when they write the check. It’s an act of generosity, after all.

9 min read

TAX STRATEGY

How much can you gift a family member? Gift tax rules explained

Giving money or assets to a family member feels straightforward when you’re doing it, but on the tax side, it can be anything but straightforward.

8 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

RSU tax planning: what to know beyond basic withholding

RSUs can look simple on paper. Shares vest, taxes are withheld, and you move on. In reality, the timing of vesting and sale can create tax outcomes that are easy to underestimate.

10 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

RSU withholding: what it is and why it often falls short

For a lot of employees, the moment RSUs vest feels like a win. What is less visible at that moment is the tax bill that may already be forming.

9 min read

TAX STRATEGY

What is direct indexing? A tax-smart investing strategy explained

Most investors who want broad market exposure buy an index fund or ETF and move on. But for investors with more complex tax situations, direct indexing has become increasingly popular.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Tax-loss harvesting strategy: strategy, timing, and portfolio tradeoffs

Tax-loss harvesting is often viewed as a way to find losing positions and sell them before year-end to offset taxable gains. That framing misses most of what makes the strategy worth using.

9 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Donor-advised fund: strategy, timing, and tax tradeoffs

A donor-advised fund (DAF) can be relatively simple to open, but the planning and strategy behind funding one requires more thought.

10 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Direct indexing: strategy, portfolio fit, and tax tradeoffs

Direct indexing is increasingly being promoted as a tax-smart, customizable alternative to index funds. The idea is that, rather than owning shares of a mutual fund or ETF that tracks an index, you can instead own the individual securities directly.

10 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Gift tax limit: how different types of gifts are treated

The gift tax limit is often used to refer to the IRS annual exclusion, which is the amount a donor can give to a recipient in a calendar year without triggering a federal gift tax return filing requirement.

9 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Section 1202: how the QSBS tax exclusion works

Section 1202 is part of the Internal Revenue Code and deals with the qualified small business stock exclusion, commonly referred to as QSBS. For those who own eligible startup equity, founder shares, or private company stock, it can enable them to exclude a portion of the capital gains from federal tax when those shares are eventually sold.

10 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

How are RSUs taxed? Income, withholding, and capital gains explained

How are RSUs taxed? The short answer is that RSUs generally have two tax moments: vesting and sale. At vesting, the fair market value of the delivered shares is treated as ordinary income.

10 min read

AI & FINTECH

AI in fintech: cut costs or reinvent the experience?

As seen on Forbes

Technology revolutions lead to a fork in the road: Do you use new tools to do what you already do, only cheaper? Or do you use it to do something customers never imagined?

4 min read | Article by Bill Harris

EQUITY COMPENSATION

ISO vs NSO: key differences in stock option taxes and planning

Incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options can look similar on the surface. Both give you the right to buy company stock at a set price.

8 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

409A valuation: what it means for employees with stock options

Private company employees often hear about 409A valuations when they receive stock options, but may not know why the number matters or what to do with it.

7 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

Concentrated stock position: risks, taxes, and planning options

Concentrated stock positions can build significant wealth, but they can also put too much of an investor’s financial future in the hands of one company.

8 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

Pre-IPO stock options: what to know before exercising or selling

For early employees at a company that grows and eventually goes public, pre-IPO stock options can represent meaningful financial upside.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Tax alpha: what it means and why after-tax returns matter

Two investors can earn the same pre-tax return and walk away with very different amounts of money. The difference is taxes.

7 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

How are stock options taxed? A guide for employees

How are stock options taxed? The answer depends on the type of option you hold and when you exercise and sell.

8 min read

EQUITY COMPENSATION

Equity compensation planning: how to make smarter decisions with RSUs, options, and company stock

For many employees, executives, and founders, equity compensation is one of the largest wealth-building opportunities of their careers.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Tax drag: how taxes can reduce investment returns

Taxes can mean the difference between a portfolio that looks strong on paper and one that actually lives up to its potential.

7 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Brokerage account taxes: what investors need to know

A taxable brokerage account is one of the most flexible ways to invest. There are generally no contribution limits, no retirement-account early withdrawal penalties, and no age-based restrictions on when you can take your money out of the market.

8 min read

TAX STRATEGY

Taxable brokerage account: how it works and where taxes fit in

A taxable brokerage account offers something most retirement accounts do not: flexibility. There are generally no contribution limits, no retirement-account early withdrawal penalties, and no age-based restrictions on when money can be accessed.

8 min read

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