Year-End Equity Comp Playbook With John Owens
HomeThe Long Term Investor › Episode

Year-End Equity Comp Playbook With John Owens

33:59 Nov 12, 2025
About this episode
Your finances have layers—investments, taxes, planning for the future. If you want a second set of eyes, Peter opened up a few spots for a quick, no-obligation call. Grab yours now. ----- Equity compensation can turbocharge wealth—and taxes. Brooklyn Fi managing partner John Owens joins Peter to share a clear year-end playbook for RSUs, ISOs/NQSOs, and ESPPs, including how to avoid AMT surprises, right-size withholding, and unwind concentrated stock positions. Listen now and learn: ► A simple order of operations for year-end equity comp decisions ► RSU withholding pitfalls (and how to fix them before April) ► ISO/AMT basics and why late-year exercises can backfire ► How to build a rules-based plan, use 10b5-1 mechanics, and when donor-advised funds make sense Visit www.TheLongTermInvestor.com for show notes, free resources, and a place to submit questions. (00:00) Introduction (03:15) A hard-won lesson: when AMT grows larger than your stock (and what to do next) (04:21) Don't start equity planning on December 15 (really) (05:19) First move: build an inventory and triage the quick wins (08:18) AMT 101 for ISO holders: the "parallel" tax you don't want to pay (10:47) RSUs: why 22% withholding often sets up an April tax bill (12:24) ESPPs: capture the discount, control concentration (14:55) Designing a rules-based sell plan to unwind concentration risk (18:11) The base rates on single stocks: why a diversification plan matters more than a "feel" (20:42) 10b5-1 plans: automate good behavior and expand your ability to sell (23:31) Charitable giving with concentrated stock: donor-advised funds and timing across 2025/2026 (26:11) Family gifting: UTMAs, kiddie tax, step-up in basis, and multi-generational choice (27:28) The year-end document checklist most people miss (29:17) When to hire help (and when not to) (31:19) Biggest year-end mistakes to avoid Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠) Disclosure: This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any parti
Select an episode
0:00 0:00