Press Release

Year-End Resources to Help Employees With Stock Compensation Plan Amid Post-Election Market Uncertainty

Issued by myStockOptions.com

Dec. 3, 2024

Year-end is always a key time for financial and tax planning among the millions of employees in the United States who have stock compensation (such as stock options and restricted stock units), participate in an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), and/or have holdings of company shares. In 2024, stock-market uncertainty and the outcome of the US election have added yet more dimensions to planning.

To help, myStockOptions.com has updated its education and guidance on the major issues, decisions, and innovative financial-planning strategies for the end of 2024 and the start of 2025. This content is available in the website's section Financial Planning: Year-End.

Why Year-End Planning Is Important For Stock Comp

At year-end, multi-year planning is especially valuable with stock compensation. "You can control the timing of stock sales and option exercises, and you know when restricted stock/RSUs will vest," observes Bruce Brumberg, the Editor-in-Chief of myStockOptions.com. "Market uncertainty and the impact of the incoming Republican White House and Congress make the need for expert guidance even more important."

Timely year-end guidance is particularly crucial for people who are considering option exercises or stock sales at the end of 2024. "Employees with equity grants and company shares should be aware of the 2024 and 2025 thresholds for higher tax rates on compensation income and capital gains, the phaseouts for various tax credits, and the Medicare surtax on investment income," Mr. Brumberg notes. "They may want to consider keeping their income below those known thresholds, when possible. If they are convinced their tax rates will be higher in 2025 and beyond, they may want to defer deductions into the future and accelerate income into 2024."

Employees who tax-loss-harvest by selling company stock that has declined while they hold it must be aware of the rules on wash sales, warns Mr. Brumberg. "Under IRS rules, the purchase of new shares within 30 days of the sale at a loss can result in a forced deferral of that capital loss until a future year," he explains. "A purchase can include an RSU vesting, stock option exercise, or ESPP purchase." Employees and executives must also avoid insider trading, such as selling company stock when they know material nonpublic information.

Year-End Webinar Covers Post-Election Planning

Available on demand, a special year-end webinar covers all aspects of post-election financial and tax planning for equity compensation and holdings of company shares: Year-End & Year-Start Equity Comp Financial Planning (2.0 CE credits for CFP, CPWA/CIMA, CEP/ECA). In 100 minutes, the webinar features insights from a panel of three leading financial and tax advisors, including real-world case studies, to provide practical expertise on post-election planning for equity comp in both public and private companies. Panelists:

• John P. Barringer (CFP®), Managing Partner, Executive Wealth Planning
• Rebecca Conner (CFP®, CPA/PFS™, RLP), Founder, SeedSafe Financial LLC
• John Owens (CFP®, EA, ECA, CPWA®), Director of Financial Planning, Brooklyn FI
• moderator: Bruce Brumberg (JD), editor-in-chief of myStockOptions

Panelist details and the agenda of topics are available at the webinar registration page. Other webinars are also available to stream immediately on demand at the myStockOptions Webinar Channel.

About myStockOptions.com

With exclusive articles, 800+ FAQs, podcasts, videos, the Tax Center, interactive quizzes, the Learning Center with courses for CE credit, Global Tax Guide, infographics, extensive glossary, smartphone app for iOS and Android devices, and dynamic patented tools, myStockOptions.com is the premier online resource of educational content and tools on stock options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, stock appreciation rights, and employee stock purchase plans. myStockOptions.com is run by leading experts in equity compensation. Its content is created by a company with a long history of successful multimedia publications explaining complex legal and financial subjects in plain English.

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