What's the difference between RSUs and stock options?

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are company shares that vest over time and are taxed as ordinary income when they vest. Stock options, including ISOs and NSOs, give you the right to purchase shares at a predetermined price. Their tax treatment depends on the option type and when you exercise and sell the shares.

Should I sell my RSUs as soon as they vest?

For many people, selling RSUs soon after vesting helps reduce concentration risk because the shares have already been taxed as ordinary income at vesting. Whether to hold or sell depends on your financial goals, confidence in the company, and overall investment strategy.

What's a mega backdoor Roth?

A mega backdoor Roth is a retirement strategy that uses after-tax 401(k) contributions together with in-plan Roth conversions or in-service distributions to move significantly more money into Roth accounts than standard contribution limits allow. Availability depends on your employer's 401(k) plan.

How much should I be saving?

The ideal savings rate depends on your income, retirement goals, equity compensation, and personal circumstances. Many high-income professionals target saving 25% to 35% of gross income across retirement plans, taxable investments, and employer equity.

When should I leave my current job?

While career decisions are personal, evaluating the financial impact is important. Consider equity vesting schedules, deferred compensation, severance packages, health insurance, and retirement benefits before making a decision. Financial modeling can help you understand the tradeoffs.

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Financial Planning For Professional Women In Career-Building Years.

Financial planning for professional women in the career-building years covering equity comp, executive comp, and the planning that supports both. Built for when income is growing and time is short.

Schedule A Consultation Call (561) 210-7339

Fiduciary CFP® Equity Comp Strategy Fee-Based Women-Focused

HOW WE WORK WITH PROFESSIONAL WOMEN

When the income is going up and the calendar is full.

Equip comp strategy

RSUs, ISOs, ESPP, performance shares. The tax events, the diversification timing, the concentration management. Often the biggest moving piece on the balance sheet.

Built for busy people

Most decisions get made in one or two well-prepared meetings, not in endless back-and-forth. We come to the meeting with the homework done.

Major purchases, mapped out

Home upgrades, vacation homes, education funding. The cash flow and the tax math, run before you sign.

Long view of the career arc

Most career-stage planning ignores the inflection points: equity vesting cliffs, the move from salary to multi-comp, the senior role. We plan around those.

Long-term, not transactional

We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.

South Florida-rooted, nationally licensed

Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.

What we cover.

Equity compensation planning. Restricted stock units, incentive stock options, employee stock purchase plans, performance shares. The tax timing on each is different. The diversification strategy is essential.

Cash flow and tax optimization. High-income years often produce the biggest planning opportunities: 401(k) and HSA max, mega backdoor Roth where available, charitable timing, deferred comp election decisions.

Concentration risk management. When a meaningful portion of your wealth is in your employer's stock, the diversification strategy matters. We model it on a multi-year schedule.

Family financial planning. 529 funding for kids, college planning, the cash flow rhythm of dual-career households.

Career transition planning. Job changes, severance packages, equity vesting decisions. We model the financial side of the decision before you make it.

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IN PRACTICE

Common situations we work through.

Composite scenarios drawn from real client work, anonymized.

01 The first 90 days

Cash flow stabilized, beneficiaries audited, a draft plan in hand. Most clients feel oriented by month three.

02 The first year

Tax positioning implemented, investment policy in place, the first quarterly reviews done. Decisions start compounding.

03 Three years in

The plan has flexed to handle real-life shifts (a new job, a sale, a loss). The pattern is steady decisions, not reactive ones.

How we work together.

Most professional-women clients are time-constrained. The engagement is built around that. We do the modeling, the analysis, and the document review. Meetings happen on a real cadence (quarterly is typical) with the agenda set in advance. Email and text are workable between meetings for the small questions.

The work is also coordinated with the rest of the team you already have. Your CPA, your estate attorney, your business attorney. We're the personal-finance hub that connects them.

RELATED SERVICES

What professional-women planning typically covers.

These are the most common entry points:

Full Financial Planning

The complete picture. Cash flow, equity, retirement, taxes, estate.

See full financial planning

Investment Management

Portfolio construction and tax-sensitive investing for high-income earners.

See investment management

Tax Planning

Year-round positioning. RSU sales, charitable giving, deferred comp decisions.

See tax planning

Other Audiences

Adjacent specialty pages.

Many professional women also work with us as one of these:

Executives Divorced Women Business Owners Pre-Retirees

What we don't do.

Contact Us Today

We don't lead with proprietary products, structured notes, or non-traded REITs as a portfolio building block. We don't take custody of your assets. We don't promise market-beating returns. The honest answer is that nobody who has to tell the truth to a regulator can.

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QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Common questions about Financial Planning for Professional Women

Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) are shares granted to you that vest over time. When they vest, they're taxed as ordinary income at the value on the vesting date. Stock options (ISOs and NSOs) give you the right to buy shares at a set price; the tax treatment is more complicated and depends on the type and timing of the exercise. We map out a strategy for each.
Usually yes, unless you have a strong conviction about the company and limited other assets. The shares were already taxed as income when they vested, so selling at the vesting price generally doesn't create additional tax on that value. Holding them increases concentration risk, while diversifying into a balanced portfolio can reduce risk.
A mega backdoor Roth is a strategy that uses certain 401(k) plan provisions—after-tax contributions plus either an in-plan Roth conversion or an in-service distribution—to move substantially more money into Roth accounts than the standard contribution limit allows. Not all employer plans support this strategy.
It depends on your income, retirement timeline, equity compensation, and family situation. For many high-income professional women in their career-building years, saving 25% to 35% of gross income across retirement accounts, taxable investments, and employer equity can be an appropriate target.
We don't provide career advice, but we help evaluate the financial implications of changing jobs, including equity vesting schedules, deferred compensation, severance benefits, health insurance, and retirement plan options. Reviewing the numbers often makes the decision clearer.

Find Us

Two offices, one team.

Boca Raton (Home Office)

1200 North Federal Highway, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33432

(561) 210-7339

Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET

Plantation

7901 SW 6th Court, Suite 320

Plantation, FL 33324

(954) 809-3553