What Non-US Startups Need to Know About Granting Stock Options
What Every Start Up Should Know About Stock Options
Common Equity Plan Pitfalls
Why is a 409A Valuation Important?
Early Exercise Stock Options
Nowotny on Death and Taxes Episode 6 Surfs Up Dude! High Tech Tax Solutions for High Tech Workers
Episode 26: Talking Tax Reform and Executive Comp
In a competitive talent market, companies are reevaluating executive compensation packages to attract and retain top leadership. Compensation generally includes a base level of compensation combined with some form of...more
This article is the second in our series on equity-based compensation intended to assist employers with answering a common question: What type of equity compensation award is best for our company and our employees?...more
Today on “Just Compensation,” Darren Goodman and Taryn Cannataro of Lowenstein’s Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Group speak with Tax partner Sophia Mokotoff about the various types of equity awards that can be...more
Entrepreneurs with sound business ideas commonly make decisions that hinder early growth and capitalization. During the “Romance Phase,” the idea for a new product or service is fully developed, the initial team of talent is...more
Equity compensation is perhaps the most critical element of any startup company’s compensation package, helping to bridge the gap between the cash compensation a startup can offer against the more significant cash...more
Stock options are typically a critical component of a private company’s ability to recruit, incentivize and retain key talent. Particularly for early-stage companies, rewarding equity packages can help make up for the gap...more
Equity compensation is an effective way to attract and retain talent without materially reducing a company’s cash flow. That said, noncompliance with local laws could end up costing a company in the long run....more
Consider this fairly typical situation. Four years ago, employee Emma was granted an incentive stock option (ISO) to purchase 100,000 shares with an exercise price of $0.86 per share. Emma’s award is fully-vested and she...more
This blog is the first post in a four-part series. Part I will provide a high-level summary of stock option basics....more
Double-vest restricted stock unit awards (Double-Vest RSUs) made headlines a few years after the end of the Great Recession when they were awarded by pre-IPO tech giants. Since that time, it has become increasingly common for...more
Cash-strapped startup companies often find themselves looking for creative ways to engage and retain qualified people. One common way is to offer different types of equity compensation. ...more
Start-up and early stage companies commonly offer equity compensation to attract talent, encourage employee retention, and align company and employee interests on business objectives. There are several different types of equity...more
Last week, the SEC announced the adoption of Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 120 (SAB 120), which provides guidance for companies as to how they should recognize and disclose the cost of providing “spring-loaded” awards to...more
On October 18, 2021, the Ontario Court of Appeal released its decision in Battiston v Microsoft Canada Inc., 2021 ONCA 727, in which it overturned the trial court's finding that termination provisions in a stock award...more
Equity compensation – which links the self-interests of a company’s service providers with the interests of the company and its investors – is a compelling incentive for start-up companies to attract and motivate employees...more
In deciding how to best compensate employees in a startup, clients often consider stock options as a viable choice. But even once the decision is made to move forward with stock options, clients are still left to decide...more
The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) recently voted to propose temporary rules to permit companies to provide equity compensation to certain workers known as “gig” or “platform” workers....more
As pandemic effects linger, companies intent on avoiding layoffs are looking at compensating workers with equity in lieu of cash as part of their pay. In August 2020, the United Kingdom began winding down its Coronavirus...more
This White Paper highlights select recent developments in certain countries that could have implications for employee equity plans offered by multinational companies to employees in such jurisdictions. ARGENTINA - ...more
In 2015, the stockholders of nominal defendant, Investors Bancorp, Inc. (“Investors Bancorp” or the “Company”), voted to approve an equity incentive plan (“EIP”) adopted by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”)....more
During this webinar, attorneys Doug Currier and Scott Connolly discussed best practices for putting in place effective executive employment agreements, including inbound agreements and separation agreements. Topics discussed...more
As 2019 comes to an end, we are happy to present our traditional End of Year Plan Sponsor “To Do” Lists. This year, we present our “To Do” Lists in four separate Employee Benefits Updates. Part 1 covered year-end health and...more
Quick: Does your company have any insiders who either now or in the future may own $90 million or more in company stock? The CEO? The founder? A member of the board? If so, then now is the time for a crash course in the...more
There are a variety of forms that equity compensation can take, but the two most prevalent in the startup environment when the startup is a corporation are restricted stock and stock options. Many new entrepreneurs are...more
Here are ten common questions I receive from clients about issuing equity (stock or options) to service providers (advisors/directors/officers/employees/consultants)...more