Equity compensation and concentrated stock

Equity compensation, planned ahead of its deadlines.

Shares that vest, options with an exercise window, a lock-up that ends on a set date: equity compensation turns a salary into decisions with deadlines and tax attached. I plan those decisions in advance with professionals and executives across Los Angeles, and keep the portfolio in step with them. The aim is that no sale is forced and no tax bill arrives as a surprise.

Does any of this sound like you?

Your company is going public, or just did, and most of your net worth sits in one stock you are not yet free to sell.
RSUs vest every quarter and you are not sure whether to hold them, sell them, or how much tax is really owed.
You hold incentive stock options and have heard the phrase “alternative minimum tax” without anyone explaining what it means for you.
You founded or joined early, a sale is in view, and QSBS could save you a great deal of tax if the details are right.
Years of vesting have left one company at a third or more of everything you own.

If any of these is close to home, a 15-minute conversation is a reasonable next step.

Book a 15-minute call

What I plan, and when

Each decision goes into the plan with its date, then into the portfolio. Your tax return stays with your CPA; I work alongside them.

Vesting RSUs: Which shares to sell as they vest and which to keep, and what each choice does to that year’s tax.
The withholding gap: Vested RSUs are usually withheld at a flat 22% federal, while the income can be taxed at up to 37% federal and 13.3% in California. I size the set-aside long before April.
ISO exercises: When to exercise, how many, and what the alternative minimum tax will cost in that year if you hold the shares.
Lock-ups and trading windows: A sale schedule that fits the windows your employer allows, including a 10b5-1 plan set up in advance.
One large position: A sell-down schedule tied to tax years, gifts of appreciated shares and, where your plan calls for it, hedging.
QSBS: Whether founder or early-employee stock qualifies under Section 1202, and what a sale or a rollover must do to keep the exclusion.

Wider toolkit, wider range of outcomes. Nothing enters your account that is not in your Investment Policy Statement. Methods and risks in full: Form ADV Part 2A, Item 8.

Questions people ask

Does Westlight Wealth help Los Angeles employees with RSUs and stock options before an IPO?

Yes. Gustaf Rounick, CFP®, plans equity compensation for professionals and executives across Los Angeles: when to sell vesting RSUs, when to exercise incentive stock options and what the alternative minimum tax will cost, how a lock-up and trading windows shape a sale, and how much tax to set aside. The portfolio is managed to match the plan.

How does Westlight Wealth plan a concentrated stock position?

It starts with what the position is for and what a fall in the stock would cost you. From there, Westlight Wealth writes a sell-down schedule tied to tax years, trading windows and your other goals, and weighs staged sales, gifts of appreciated shares and, where your Investment Policy Statement allows, hedging.

What does equity compensation planning cost at Westlight Wealth?

There is no separate fee. Planning is included in Westlight Wealth’s one published advisory fee, tiered from 1.15% to 0.30% of the assets it manages, with a $400,000 household minimum. The full schedule and worked examples are on the Services & Fees page, and the first conversation is a complimentary 15-minute call.

Writing on this

What I have written on vesting, IPOs, concentrated positions and QSBS.

31 May 2026Your SpaceX Equity and the IPO: A Calm Plan for a Once-in-a-Career Moment
A calm, practical guide for SpaceX employees: how to handle equity, taxes, lock-ups, and volatility around the IPO — and turn a windfall into lasting security.
23 Aug 2025Concentrated Stock Positions: Six Ways to Hedge Without Triggering Capital Gains
Holding too much of one company’s stock can jeopardize your wealth—and selling may spark a hefty tax bill. Explore six advanced techniques to hedge risk, diversify exposure, and defer capital gains while keeping your goals on track.
1 Sep 2025How Founders Can Defer Seven-Figure Gains with a QSBS §1045 Rollover
Startup founders holding QSBS for more than six months but less than five years can defer taxation on gains above the Section 1202 exclusion by reinvesting sale proceeds into new QSBS within 60 days. This Section 1045 rollover carries the deferred gain and the original holding period into the…
22 Jul 2025Tax-Loss Harvesting 2025: Turn Market Dips Into Long-Term Tax Savings
Market pullbacks don’t have to hurt. Discover how tax-loss harvesting converts temporary losses into real tax relief, protects future gains, and fits smoothly into a disciplined investment plan—complete with wash-sale guidance, crypto nuances, state quirks, and charitable giving hacks.

Also: Retirement inside ten years · A sale, an inheritance or a payout · Services and fees

A vest date or a window coming up?

Fifteen minutes is enough to see what is coming, what it may cost in tax, and whether working together makes sense. No prep, no pressure.

Book a 15-minute call Or send a note

We talk for 15 minutes.You share what’s on your mind. I listen, ask a few questions, and we see if there’s a fit.
You get a clear next step.If there’s a fit, we’ll talk about what an ongoing relationship looks like. If not, I’ll point you toward someone better suited. Either way, you leave with clarity.
No obligation, ever.Fee-only means no commissions and no product sales. You won’t be sold anything.