myStockOptions.com

Leading online resource on stock comp, from basics to taxes to financial planning. We make complex stock comp topics easy to understand (maybe even fun).

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Amendment No. 1 to the SpaceX IPO filing (SEC Form S-1) shows an alternative way to compensate and reward employees other than using stock options and restricted stock units. @SpaceX is giving employees (and family members and friends of the company) the right to buy stock at the IPO price that they can sell at any time after the IPO without any lockup. Here is the wording in the new filing:

"At our request, the underwriters have reserved up to five percent of the shares of Class A common stock offered by this prospectus for sale at the initial public offering price through a directed share program to certain employees and persons selected based on the discretion of our executive officers, which may include parties with whom we have a business relationship and friends and family of our executive officers. If purchased by these persons, these shares will not be subject to a lock-up restriction."

Technically, this is a direct share program, being called in this case "friends and family shares." These programs are somewhat common in IPOs, although the structure and % can vary.

The full amendment to the S-1: https://t.co/24CLwK943n

For employees in IPO companies and their advisors, see the section Pre-IPO: Going Public at myStockOptions for education and guidance on IPO financial and tax planning: https://t.co/B0tun4vhLE

#SpaceX #SpaceXIPO @elonmusk

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Sometimes new laws can be interpreted as applying to equity comp until clarified by guidance and rules. That's the case with California AB 692 (effective January 1, 2026) and New York's "Trapped At Work" Act. Under a broad reading of these laws, they impact equity comp by apparently restricting the use of any type of clawback-type clauses in equity agreements, such as those in new-hire or retention grants if the employee terminates. Our FAQ on how clawbacks work has been updated with details. https://t.co/UX8TfOzE3f

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Startups looking to create a stock option plan have many issues to consider, as do investors in them. In an article at myStockOptions, two attorneys with expertise in this area explain the various parts of private company stock plans, such as the share reserve, vesting provisions, and liquidity features. https://t.co/7OmfERr1Gm

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Along with his regular work at myStockOptions, our editor-in-chief Bruce Brumberg is also a high-school tennis coach every spring. This is his 16th season at the school in the Boston area where he coaches (and 26 years since he started myStockOptions). Here is the senior class of talented tennis players on Senior Night. They led the team to its eligibility for the Massachusetts state tournament, which starts next week.

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

In the award-winning tools of myStockOptions, we regularly update not just federal but also state tax rates that apply at RSU vesting or NQSO exercise. You can specify the state to use for taxes, along with your federal withholding rate and Social Security/Medicare. For more on our tools, which are available to license, see: https://t.co/qV5WWIDQx4

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

WEBINAR: Our Equity Comp Bootcamp (May 14) distills the complexity of stock comp and highlights what matters most: how grants work, how equity comp is taxed, and how to make planning decisions with confidence. Register at the link. Watch live or on demand! #fintwit #taxtwitter https://t.co/awGbjqs5nM

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

https://t.co/5ruLa8hKkw

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

This week it emerged that Meta, the company behind Facebook, plans to "unfriend" about 10% of its workforce. At myStockOptions, our "Job Events" section (link in replies) features resources that can help employees avoid mistakes with stock options and RSUs at job termination and negotiate new-hire equity awards at their next employers. https://t.co/dXB939LktZ

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Didn't receive our alert (below) by email? You can opt into our newsletters in your account at myStockOptions, or you can opt in at registration. https://t.co/VIgNma0pOa

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It's a relief to be done with tax season. Now, in this serene post-filing time, your attention can shift to bigger-picture financial planning. Our new quarterly alert (link in replies) highlights some of the major recent additions and updates at myStockOptions concerning financial planning for equity comp. Plus: planning for volatile or nervous stock markets; how to prep for a tender offer or IPO; how to negotiate equity comp to protect it in job loss; big updates for equity comp taxation in our Global Tax Guide; and tax-return blunders to avoid for those who filed an extension to Oct. 15.

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

April has been a busy month in the myStockOptions Global Tax Guide, an overview of equity comp taxation in 50 countries. Updates include tax numbers for the 2026-27 tax year in the UK, the latest in France's complex tax treatments of equity awards, and the introduction of a capital gains tax in Belgium: https://t.co/BHX06b7OCR

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Happy Tax Day 2026. Can't beat the buzzer and file your federal tax return on time? See our FAQ on filing for an extension and the related mistakes to avoid: https://t.co/4cAZTcwekc

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Few people have been working in the trenches of stock option taxation for as long as CPA Michael C. Gray. With the deadline for tax returns looming in just a couple of weeks, our new Forbes article interviews him about the complexity of stock option taxation—which continues to befuddle employees and even some tax pros. https://t.co/QgXEJ4L6qD

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

https://t.co/aLIklbVgvt

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

The award-winning resources for tax returns at myStockOptions are matched at its sibling website myNQDC, all about nonqualified deferred comp. See the tax-season alert from myNQDC (link in the replies).

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https://t.co/B51IQZY5ua

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

The tender offer at Anthropic is getting a lot of buzz. Launched in Feb and still open, it lets employees sell up to $6bn in shares at a $350bn valuation. What is a tender offer? How does it work? What should employees consider? Our latest at @Forbes explains (link in replies).

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

The article has some interesting insights into private company stock options plans, including how they create liquidity when still private, the risks of getting too excited about start up equity grants, and the opportunities. Its main focus is on Blue Origin and its new stock options plan and the older one set up by Jeff Bezos when he founded company. For more on private company stock options and liquidity programs, see the articles and FAQs in the myStockOptions section Pre-IPO (link in bio).

https://t.co/f5ItZQ8syC

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

Part of a recent @arstechnica article (below) on #SpaceX and @elonmusk jumped out at us. Elon Musk has been a big believer in stock options at his companies, first at Tesla (which now grants RSUs) and later SpaceX, which has been an innovator in creating liquidity for private company equity grants. Employees have had regular opportunities to participate in sale programs. (Article link in the next post.)

[myStockOptions.com @StockCompGuru]

With tax returns due in about a month, see our 2-minute YouTube video on the top 5 things you must know when you report sales of stock acquired from equity comp and ESPPs on your federal tax return. The 5 topics covered:
1. Selling stock at vesting, exercise, or purchase
2. Why the 1099-B will not fully report your tax basis
3. Tax-qualified ESPP
4. ISO stock sales
5. Why you should talk with a CPA or EA
For more on tax return reporting, see the myStockOptions Tax Center. #TaxTwitter https://t.co/HnDe8lbcw7