A good financial advisor for RSUs and stock options decides with you when to exercise, when to sell and how much tax to set aside, then keeps your employer’s stock from becoming most of what you own. Fee-only planners who publish prices charge a median $4,500 a year for ongoing planning (middle half $2,400 to $7,200) or $2,000 for a one-time plan. Equity pay is complex enough that the advisor’s depth matters more than the price.
Fewer advisors do this than you’d think
In our study of fee-only firm websites, 18% of firms named equity compensation as a specialty, against 63% for retirement planning.
Many more will say they can help. The questions below show who has done it.
What each kind of equity demands
Each type of equity is taxed at a different moment, and that timing drives most of the planning.
| Type | When it’s taxed | The planning question |
|---|---|---|
| RSUs | As wages when the shares are delivered, usually at vesting | Sell or hold each vest, and is enough tax withheld |
| Nonqualified options (NSOs) | The spread at exercise is income | When to exercise, and how to pay for it |
| Incentive options (ISOs) | No regular tax at exercise, but the spread counts for the AMT | How many to exercise each year, and how long to hold |
| Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) | At sale; part can be ordinary income | Sell at once, or hold for better tax treatment |
RSUs and the withholding gap
When RSUs vest, the value is taxed as wages. Employers usually withhold federal tax at the flat supplemental rate of 22%, rising to 37% only on supplemental wages above $1 million in a year. If your top bracket is 32% or 35%, a large vest can leave a real bill at filing time. A good advisor estimates that gap each year and sets the cash aside, or adjusts withholding, before April.
The other RSU question is simple to state and hard to act on: once shares vest, holding them is the same as using that cash to buy your employer’s stock. An advisor should ask whether you’d buy that much today.
ISOs and the alternative minimum tax
Exercising an ISO usually triggers no regular income tax, but the spread between the exercise price and the stock’s value counts for the alternative minimum tax. In 2026 the AMT exemption is $90,100 for single filers and $140,200 for joint filers. Exercise too many in one year and you can owe tax on gains you haven’t sold.
To get capital-gain treatment on the whole gain, you have to hold the shares more than 1 year after exercise and 2 years after the grant. Sell sooner and part of the gain is taxed as wages. A good advisor runs the AMT figures before you exercise and spreads exercises across years when that saves tax.
NSOs
The spread at exercise is income in the year you exercise, whether or not you sell. The planning is about timing: exercising in a lower-income year, or before an expected rise in value, and having the cash for the exercise price and the tax.
ESPP
Many plans let you buy at a discount. Sell right away and you lock in the discount as income. Hold for more than 1 year after purchase and 2 years after the offering date, and more of the gain can be taxed at capital-gain rates, though you carry the stock’s risk while you wait. Your employer sends Form 3922 with the dates you need.
Early exercise and 83(b)
If you can exercise options before they vest, or receive restricted stock, an 83(b) election lets you be taxed on the value now rather than at vesting. The IRS requires the election no later than 30 days after the shares are transferred to you. An advisor working with startup employees should raise it before you exercise, not after.
Concentration is the real risk
Equity pay keeps adding to the same position. After a few years, one company can be most of your net worth, on top of being your employer. A good advisor sets a written plan: how much to sell at each vest, a target share of your net worth, and how to diversify without taking the whole tax hit at once. Executives with trading windows may also use a 10b5-1 plan to sell on a schedule. If the stock is already a large share of what you’ll retire on, the concentrated positions specialty is the closer fit.
Questions to ask an equity compensation advisor
| Ask | A good answer includes |
|---|---|
| How many clients have equity at my kind of company? | A number, and public or private companies like yours |
| How much tax will my next vest leave me owing? | An estimate against your bracket, not just the 22% withheld |
| How would you decide how many ISOs to exercise this year? | An AMT projection, and a multi-year plan |
| What share of my net worth should my company stock be? | A target, and a selling plan to get there |
| Do you charge a percentage on company stock you don’t manage? | A clear yes or no, with the dollar effect |
The last question catches a common cost. If an advisor charges 1% on your total assets, a $1 million position in company stock you’re simply holding adds $10,000 a year to the bill, based on that median rate.
What it costs
Fee-only planners who publish prices charge:
- Ongoing planning: a median of $4,500 a year, middle half $2,400 to $7,200. Equity pay often puts you in a higher complexity tier, so expect quotes toward the top of that range. See what flat-fee advisors charge.
- One-time plan: a median of $2,000. It can suit a single decision, such as an ISO exercise or a tender offer. See one-time plan costs.
- Hourly: a median of $300 an hour, for a review of a specific grant. See hourly planner costs.
- Percentage of assets: a median of 1%, usually including investment management.
Ask for the total in dollars a year, and what happens to the fee after a big vest or a sale.
How to find one
Start with advisors for tech employees, the equity compensation specialty or the list of equity compensation specialist advisors in the public graph. Senior leaders can also look at advisors for executives, and early employees at a startup heading for a sale at advisors for founders. Bring your grant documents to the first call; a good advisor will want to see them.