Concentrated stock strategy
Multi-year diversification plans that respect blackout windows, 10b5-1 schedules, and tax brackets. The right diversification pace depends on tax exposure and conviction.
Financial planning for executives across the entire compensation stack: concentrated equity, deferred comp, RSUs, ISOs, and the planning that comes with senior roles.
Multi-year diversification plans that respect blackout windows, 10b5-1 schedules, and tax brackets. The right diversification pace depends on tax exposure and conviction.
401(k) is small relative to the deferred comp election and the supplemental executive retirement plan. The distribution election matters and is usually irrevocable.
Base, bonus, RSU, PSU, ISO, ESPP, NSO, deferred comp, supplemental retirement. We track all of it on one page.
For executives with international assignments or dual-citizenship work. We coordinate with international tax counsel where needed.
We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.
Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.
Senior executive compensation is rarely just salary and bonus. Most C-suite leaders have some combination of base, annual bonus (cash and equity), long-term incentive plan, deferred compensation election, supplemental retirement, and grants of restricted stock, performance shares, or options. The planning work has to hold all of it.
Composite scenarios drawn from real client work, anonymized.
Cash flow stabilized, beneficiaries audited, a draft plan in hand. Most clients feel oriented by month three.
Tax positioning implemented, investment policy in place, the first quarterly reviews done. Decisions start compounding.
The plan has flexed to handle real-life shifts (a new job, a sale, a loss). The pattern is steady decisions, not reactive ones.
The 10-year arc. The most useful planning window for senior executives is the 5 to 10 years leading up to retirement. The compounding decisions (Roth conversions, charitable trusts, diversification timing, real-estate decisions) work best with runway.
Common entry points:
Concentrated stock diversification, asset location, tax-sensitive investing across the broader portfolio.
See investment management →Year-round positioning with the executive comp stack in mind. Quarterly estimates, charitable timing, AMT exposure.
See tax planning →The income strategy for the post-executive years. Deferred comp distributions, Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing.
See retirement planning →Many executive clients also fit one of these:
"When I was made an SVP my equity comp doubled. Beth built a 5-year diversification model that I have been running ever since. The tax-aware execution is the value."
"The deferred comp election was one of the highest-stakes decisions of my career. I am glad I didn't make it alone. Beth ran multiple scenarios and made the choice clear."
"I was retiring after 27 years at the same company. The concentrated stock position was 60 percent of net worth. Beth's diversification plan respected the tax cost and got it down to a workable level over three years."
Posts our wealth advisors have put together on this topic.
A 10b5-1 plan is a pre-set trading schedule that lets an insider (an executive with material non-public information about the company) sell shares on a predetermined schedule without violating insider trading rules. It's one of the main tools we use to diversify concentrated stock positions over time.
Deferred compensation lets you elect to receive a portion of your current-year compensation in a future year. The benefits: tax deferral and potentially being taxed in a lower bracket at distribution. The risks: the deferred balance is usually an unsecured creditor claim against the company (no protection if the company fails), and the distribution election is often irrevocable. We model the math before the election deadline.
Rules of thumb vary, but most planners get nervous past 15 to 20 percent of net worth in a single stock, especially when that stock is also your income source. Senior executives often have 50 percent or more. The right pace of diversification depends on the tax cost, the conviction level, and the broader plan.
The Alternative Minimum Tax can apply when you exercise Incentive Stock Options and hold the shares (rather than selling them immediately). The bargain element (the difference between the exercise price and the fair market value at exercise) is an AMT preference item. We model the AMT exposure before the exercise so the tax bill doesn't surprise you.
Yes, and we expect to. Most senior executive planning involves a coordinated team. We tend to be the personal-finance hub, with the CPA handling tax filing and the estate attorney handling document drafting. The coordination is the work.
The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.