Guides in Comprehensive Financial Planning

Life isn’t one of these. “I notice that you got it. You notice that I want it. Know that I can take it to the next level baby.”–Nicki Minaj Yes, I feel dirty for quoting a Nicki Minaj song, just for the record. How ...(more)

  Without a doubt one of the most vexing investment decisions you will ever make is when to exercise and when to sell your options.   And when one considers the “stock option dilemma”, it is no wonder the decision is ...(more)

The tax cuts of the last few years, starting with the big tax cut in 2003, bring both good and bad news for ISO holders. The good news is that by exercising an ISO and holding for at least one-year, the gains over the ...(more)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY One way that companies reduce dilution and mitigate the effect of the new IRS expensing rules on their bottom line is to offer employees the choice between stock options and restricted stock as part ...(more)

Your company's employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) can be a strong financial benefit. The skimpy interest rates currently offered by many other investment vehicles, such as CDs and money-market accounts, have made ESPPs ...(more)

A growing number of companies are making stock grants that base your profit on more than just your continued employment or an increase in the company's stock price. As companies take a portfolio approach to stock ...(more)

If you are like many executives, insider trading restrictions cause recurring headaches for you and your company. When you receive a significant portion of your compensation in stock options, restricted stock/RSUs, or ...(more)

Along with (or instead of) stock options, your company has awarded you restricted stock. Restricted stock grants carry their own requirements and tax rules, which can significantly differ from those of stock options. ...(more)

Stock options aren't just for the folks on "mahogany row" any more. Companies make them available to employees below the executive level. Splitting compensation between hard cash and stock has definite benefits for both ...(more)

Tim Ferriss’s book The Four Hour Workweek has sold well over a million copies. I’ve purchased two, and several friends have based on my recommendations. That’s over a million people who have some sort of dream of ...(more)

“I don’t want to be the person digging my own grave.”–Katherine Heigl There are times when you hear stories about the troubles of people in financial straits and you feel genuinely sorry for them. Empathy bubbles over ...(more)

“I’m so poor I can’t even pay attention.”–Ron Kittle Almost everyone has to deal with loss at some point. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one or the loss of a dream, we are faced with the ripping away of something ...(more)

    Derecho: a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.             --Wikipedia On June 25, 2012, a rare, freak storm passed through the ...(more)

    “The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.” --Douglas Engelbart I knew better. When I was a carefree bachelor stationed in Germany, I lived life to the ...(more)

    “Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it.”             --Thomas Jefferson “Status symbols are medals you buy yourself.”             --Bernhard Wicki When you’re not paying ...(more)

    “There is a certain Buddhistic calm that comes from having....money in the bank.”             --Tom Robbins A recent study (http://www.creditdonkey.com/no-emergency-savings.html) showed that 41% of Americans ...(more)

    “Action expresses priorities.” --Mahatma Gandhi What is a discussion about priorities in life doing in a finance blog? Everything. Your priorities in life should be dictating what you’re spending your money on. ...(more)

    “A really great talent finds its happiness in execution.” --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe When I was in college, we had to run a speed and agility test called the Indoor Obstacle Course Test (IOCT). If you want to ...(more)

    "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." --Will Smith  When I was in my mid-20s, I bought a brand new BMW convertible. I lived in ...(more)

    “The oil men were acting like the peddler who lost money on every sale but tried to make it up on volume.”            -Paul Mallon When Filene’s Basement closed, the hordes gathered to pick up the remnants of the ...(more)