Consider a couple with two equity packages. One spouse leads a sales team and receives restricted stock units (RSUs) each quarter. The other is a senior engineer with a recent refresh grant and an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP). Two tranches vest in the same month, with a 529 contribution due this year and a kitchen renovation planned for next summer.
Their question sounds simple: which shares should they sell?
Begin with a household equity inventory
Gather both grant agreements, vesting schedules, ESPP terms, recent pay statements, and all vested shares. Put RSU vests, option expirations, ESPP purchases, trading windows, bonuses, and planned sales on a shared calendar.
Separate what the household owns today from what may arrive later. Vested shares belong on the balance sheet; unvested grants are future compensation subject to continued employment and the company’s share price. The inventory should also show sector exposure because two spouses can own different company names while both salaries and grants depend on the same industry.
Add the household goals beside the equity dates.
A vest next March looks different when college funding is due in April or a career break begins in June. The calendar turns future shares into choices tied to dates rather than a single undifferentiated pile of compensation.
Set one concentration policy for both spouses
A household concentration ceiling defines how much investable net worth can sit in one company. Many planners use a range around 10 to 15 percent as a starting convention, adjusted for taxes, career exposure, other assets, and the family’s tolerance for a large decline.
Apply the policy across both spouses and consider correlated employers. When a vest pushes the household above the limit, some shares are sold. Below it, the couple can decide whether keeping shares fits the broader plan. You are setting the rule for the household, not holding a quarterly referendum on each company.
The ceiling can change after a promotion, refresh grant, large price move, or career transition.
Write down the rule and the events that trigger a review so the couple does not renegotiate the policy every quarter.
Choose which shares to sell first
Once the household exceeds its ceiling, compare the available lots using four inputs:
- Cost basis. RSU shares sold soon after delivery often carry little capital gain or loss because the fair market value included in wages generally becomes tax basis. Brokerage basis reporting can require an adjustment, so confirm the figure before filing.
- Holding period. Shares near the long-term capital-gain threshold may deserve different timing.
- Position size and sector exposure. The larger or more correlated position may carry more household risk.
- Access and restrictions. Trading windows, company policies, and material nonpublic information can limit a sale.
The answer can use more than one tranche. Recent shares may be inexpensive to sell from a tax perspective, while older shares may represent the larger concentration problem. This is one of those places where the tidy answer is usually less useful than the blended one.
Project taxes on one return
Each employer withholds from its own payroll. The tax return combines both salaries, bonuses, RSU income, option exercises, investment income, and gains from completed sales.
RSU income may be withheld under supplemental-wage rules, including the optional 22% flat method for 2026 supplemental wages up to $1 million. That rate can sit below the household’s marginal bracket. Incentive stock options can create alternative minimum tax, and state tax adds another layer.
Build the projection before a large vest or exercise. Include full-year income, expected sales, charitable gifts, pre-tax contributions, and estimated payments. If equity was earned across state lines, confirm how each state sources the income.
The projection also helps compare lots.
Selling RSU shares soon after delivery may create little additional gain, while trimming older shares can create a larger tax bill and a larger reduction in concentration. Seeing both effects together keeps taxes from deciding the sale by themselves.
Give the proceeds a household job
Match expected proceeds to goals already on the calendar: a 529 contribution, home project, sabbatical fund, parent-care reserve, or broader long-term investments. Time horizon guides the destination, with near-term money held differently from funds intended for later years.
A possible career pause belongs on the same calendar.
Compare unvested shares forfeited at several departure dates, replacement health-insurance costs, and transition cash. If one salary goes away, revisit the concentration ceiling because the household now depends more heavily on the remaining employer.
A lower-income transition year may also change Roth conversion capacity, capital-gain rates, and health-insurance subsidies. Model those choices together because one can raise the income figure used to calculate another.
Use the grant-specific guides for the mechanics
The RSU guide, ISO and alternative minimum tax guide, and ESPP guide cover the individual grant rules. If one package belongs to a quota-carrying employee, see financial planning for sales professionals; Salesforce employees can use the Salesforce benefits guide.
Create a repeatable household process
A couple with recurring grants should answer each vest with the same sequence:
- Update the joint income and tax projection.
- Measure company and sector exposure against the household ceiling.
- Select the shares or options to sell or exercise.
- Reserve for taxes and direct the remaining proceeds to named goals.
- Revisit the plan after a refresh grant, promotion, departure, or major price move.
The process does not predict either company’s share price.
It gives the couple a consistent way to make the next decision without reopening every prior argument.
Frequently asked questions
What is equity compensation planning for a couple?
It coordinates both spouses’ vesting, exercises, sales, taxes, concentration, and household goals. Both compensation packages belong on one calendar and balance sheet.
How much employer stock is too much?
A range around 10 to 15% of investable net worth is a common starting convention for one company. Taxes, career exposure, other assets, and the family’s tolerance for a large decline can support a lower or higher ceiling.
When should a couple sell RSUs?
Compare total household concentration, cost basis, holding periods, taxes, and trading restrictions. Selling soon after RSU delivery can be a useful default above the household ceiling because the shares often have little gain beyond the compensation income recognized at delivery.
If two grants share your kitchen table
Put both packages on one calendar and decide from the household view.
Stoneholt helps high-income couples coordinate equity, taxes, and the goals those shares are meant to fund. Schedule an introductory call if you want to think through your next vest or exercise.
This article is educational and general in nature. It is not individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional about your specific circumstances.
