Equity compensation planning for families paid in RSUs, ESPP and options.
We plan each vest, purchase and exercise before it happens, with the tax cost worked out in advance, and we write down why each decision was made. It is built for W-2 parents at Apple, Gilead, Genentech and in Amazon leadership who want a clear answer and someone to handle the follow-through.
Get startedAt a glance
- Each vest and exercise planned ahead of time
- Equity, salary and benefits taxed as one picture
- Every decision documented for your children
Equity is often the largest and least planned part of a high-income family's pay. Inside the Age Five Family Office™, it sits with your tax management, your investments and your benefits, so a vest is never a separate decision. The reasoning behind each choice goes into your FamilyKnowledge® Library, where your children can read it when they are old enough to understand it.
For 2026, employers typically withhold 22% federal tax on RSU income, or 37% on supplemental wages over $1,000,000 in a year. A married couple filing jointly reaches the 35% bracket at $512,450 of taxable income and 37% at $768,700, so withholding alone often leaves a balance due. In California, state tax on top of that runs up to 13.3% (2025 schedule), plus 1.3% SDI on all wages. Planning ahead turns that gap into a known number.
Without a plan
- RSUs vest and sit in one company's stock by default
- The tax bill shows up in April, larger than expected
- ESPP shares sold without checking the holding periods
- Option exercises made without modeling the AMT
- Nothing written down, for next year or for the kids
With the Age Five Family Office
- A hold, sell or diversify decision before each vest
- Estimated payments or withholding set from a forward tax model
- ESPP and option decisions coordinated with the rest of your income
- Single-stock exposure reduced on a written schedule
- Each major decision recorded in your FamilyKnowledge® Library
RSU taxes and vest decisions
RSUs are taxed as wages when the shares are delivered. We decide what to keep and what to sell at each vest, and size withholding or estimated payments so the year-end balance is known in advance.
ESPP purchases and sales
A Section 423 plan lets you buy up to $25,000 of stock per calendar year, valued at its fair market value on the grant date. We track qualifying and disqualifying sales so the discount is not lost to avoidable tax.
ISOs, NSOs and the AMT
For 2026 the AMT exemption for joint filers is $140,200 and starts phasing out at $1,000,000. We model each exercise against that before you exercise, not after.
401(k), Mega Backdoor Roth and deferred comp
For 2026 the total 401(k) limit, counting your deferrals, employer money and after-tax contributions, is $72,000. Where your plan allows after-tax contributions, we coordinate them with your equity income and cash flow.
Concentrated stock and 10b5-1 plans
A written schedule to reduce single-company risk, set around blackout windows, your tax brackets and what your family needs the money for.
California and Washington taxes
California taxes all capital gains as ordinary income. Washington has no wage income tax in 2026, but taxes long-term capital gains at 7%, and 9.9% above $1,000,000, and a new 9.9% income tax on AGI over $1,000,000 starts in 2028.
Model
We map your grants, vesting dates and benefits, and project your federal and state tax several years forward.
Plan
We decide each vest, purchase and exercise ahead of time and handle the follow-through with your tax preparer.
Document
We write the reasoning into your FamilyKnowledge® Library, so next year's decision and your children's questions start from a record, not from memory.
Grant types, vesting schedules and plan rules differ by company. We plan around the specifics of your employer's equity and benefits.
What each service model typically includes. These describe general service models, not specific firms.
| A typical CPA at tax time |
A typical investment adviser |
Age Five Family Office |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Each vest planned before it happens iHold, sell or diversify decided ahead of each vest, with the tax cost estimated in advance. | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Salary, equity and benefits taxed together iRSUs, ESPP, options, the 401(k) and deferred comp planned as one picture, not one at a time. | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-year forward tax modeling | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built for families with under $50M in net worth | ✓ | – | ✓ |
| Age Five Wealth Education for your children | – | – | ✓ |
| A documented FamilyKnowledge® Library your children can read | – | – | ✓ |
