ISOs Archives

Incentive Stock Options

ISOs are a tax-advantaged form of equity compensation offered by many startups and public companies. Unlike Non-Qualified Stock Options (NSOs), ISOs are not taxed as ordinary income at exercise under the regular tax system. But they can trigger the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), making your exercise timing and quantity critical decisions. A well-planned ISO exercise strategy, timed around your income, AMT exposure, and company outlook, can preserve a significant portion of your upside. Browse the posts below to understand how ISOs work and how to make smarter exercise decisions.

Cursor Employee Equity: What the SpaceX Acquisition Means for Your Shares and Taxes

If you're a Cursor employee staring at your equity dashboard with equal parts excitement and low-grade panic right now – that's a completely rational response. The SpaceX acquisition is real, the numbers are large, and the tax questions are complicated. Here's what you actually need to know.

Jun 17, 2026|Categories: Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSUs|

SpaceX Equity and New York Taxes: What NYC-Area Employees Need to Know

If you hold SpaceX equity and live in the New York City area, the IPO is a New York tax event, not just a federal one. And New York, bless its ambitious fiscal heart, never met a capital gain it wanted to leave alone. You need to know this before the window opens.

Jun 10, 2026|Categories: Alternative Minimum Tax, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSUs|

OpenAI IPO Equity: What Every OpenAI Employee Needs to Know

You spent years helping build the most valuable AI company in the world. The IPO is filed, the clock is running, and the decisions you make in the next few months will determine how much of that wealth you actually keep. This is the plain-English conversation your calendar keeps postponing.

Jun 9, 2026|Categories: Alternative Minimum Tax, ESPPs, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSUs|

Mega backdoor Roth IRA: the ultimate guide for tech employees (who are tired of paying the IRS)

You've maxed your 401(k), the Roth IRA door is slammed shut (thanks, income limits), and the IRS seems very pleased with itself. But the mega backdoor Roth IRA offers a surprisingly powerful workaround – one that can unlock tens of thousands of dollars in additional tax-free retirement savings each year, if your employer's plan allows it.

Jun 8, 2026|Categories: ESPPs, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSUs|

The Filing That Changes Everything: Your Anthropic IPO Employee Equity Survival Guide

The S-1 is in. The banks are circling. October is closer than you think. If you're an Anthropic employee sitting on equity, this isn't a drill – and this is the guide your financial future deserves (no billable hours required).

Jun 3, 2026|Categories: Alternative Minimum Tax, Entrepreneurship, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSUs|

What Happens to Stock Options When a Company Is Acquired?

When the all-hands invite arrives with no subject line and the entire company is on it, your mind goes straight to one place: your equity. This complete guide breaks down exactly what happens to stock options when a company is acquired – cash payouts, equity conversion, acceleration clauses, and what the IRS is circling on your calendar.

Jun 1, 2026|Categories: Alternative Minimum Tax, Entrepreneurship, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs|

What Happens to Your Stock Options When You Leave a Company?

You're leaving. Congrats! But before you delete Slack and order the celebratory tacos, we need to have a very important conversation about your stock options – because a 90-day clock just started, and it doesn't care how busy you are.

May 25, 2026|Categories: Alternative Minimum Tax, Entrepreneurship, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs|

10b5-1 Trading Plans: How to Finally Sell Your Company Stock Without the Stress

You can see your wealth. You just can't reach it. A 10b5-1 trading plan changes that – here's how corporate insiders use pre-arranged trading plans to sell company stock legally, automatically, and on their own terms.

May 18, 2026|Categories: Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, RSAs, RSUs|

Equity Compensation Financial Advisor in NYC

If you're a tech employee or founder in New York City sitting on stock options or RSUs and feeling uncertain about the right moves – you're not alone. Equity compensation is genuinely complicated, and the stakes are high. Fortrove Partners exists to give you the clarity and guidance you deserve.

Apr 20, 2026|Categories: 83(b) Election, Alternative Minimum Tax, Entrepreneurship, ESPPs, Financial Planning, ISOs, NSOs, QSBS, RSAs, RSUs|

Exercise ISOs in First Quarter

The best time to exercise ISOs

Jan 12, 2026|Categories: Financial Planning, ISOs|

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