Kyler Nielsen, CFP

06/18/2026

Your money should work as hard as you do! If you want increased clarity and a plan built specifically for you, head over to the link in my bio to schedule a time for us to meet!

06/15/2026

I don't know who needs to hear this, but a liquidity event is not a financial plan!

Private company equity can be exciting, but it can also be hard to plan around. The challenge is that many employees are building expectations around an event they don't have any control over - IPOs, acquisitions, tender offers, secondary sales, future valuations...

All these things really are? Payouts that may or may not arrive on the timeline you hope for.

All this means is that private company equity needs to be treated differently than cash, a diversified portfolio, or publicly traded stock.

The planning mistake is assuming: “When the company has a liquidity event, I’ll figure everything out then.”

By that point, the decisions may come quickly.

Taxes.
Vesting.
Exercise windows.
Concentration risk.
Lock-up periods.
Cash flow choices.
Investment decisions.
Whether to sell, hold, or diversify.

A liquidity event can create opportunities, but it also creates decision pressure. The better move to consider is to have plan before the event happens so you're making predetermined, confident decisions and avoiding big mistakes.

That means understanding what you own, what could trigger taxes, what liquidity you may actually have, and how much of your financial plan depends on an uncertain outcome.

If you have private company equity and you’re not sure how it fits into your financial future, visiting my Equity Compensation Planning Center on my website is a good place to start! Follow the link in my comments to access it!

06/12/2026

If every stock vest feels like a brand-new decision, this webinar is for you.

Your RSUs vest.
Your ESPP shares become available.
Your options may be exercisable.
Your company stock moves up or down.

Then comes the question:

“What should I do now?”

The goal is not to react every time something happens.

The goal is to have a plan before the decision shows up.

I’m hosting an educational webinar next week on how to bring more structure and clarity to your equity compensation decisions.

We’ll talk through how to think about selling, holding, taxes, concentration risk, and building a more consistent decision-making framework.

Do you have a plan for your stock compensation… or are you just guessing?

Tuesday, July 21, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

RSVP is required to receive the access link, so register at the link below!

https://bit.ly/4xgJf7w

06/10/2026

Do you know that your company stock is important, but you’re not exactly sure what role it should play in your finances? If that sounds like you, read this!

Equity compensation can be one of the most valuable parts of a high earner’s financial life.

It can help build wealth, support retirement goals, create flexibility, but also create complexity.

The issue I often see is that people know their equity is important, but they do not have a clear system for making decisions around it.

They know when shares vest.
They may know the current stock price.
They may even know the tax withholding mechanics.

The harder question is:
"What is this equity actually supposed to do for me?"

Is it meant to fund retirement? Pay for a home? Create financial independence? Diversify into something less concentrated? Cover future tax liabilities? Support a career transition?

Your stock compensation should not live in a separate mental bucket from the rest of your plan.

It should connect to your cash flow, taxes, investment strategy, risk tolerance, and long-term goals.

You need a structure for making decisions when the stock moves, when shares vest, and when life changes.

If you have meaningful company stock and you’re not sure what role it should play in your broader plan, I've created an Equity Compensation Decision framework that may give you some ideas on how to organize your thinking around your company stock. Follow this link to access it on my website!
https://bit.ly/4uoq9db

06/09/2026

The middle of the year is a good time to pause and ask a simple question:
"Am I actually on track with my retirement savings strategy?"

For high earners, this matters because income alone does not guarantee wealth building.

A strong income creates opportunity, and a clear system turns that opportunity into progress. The first step is usually making sure you are taking full advantage of your 401(k), especially if your employer offers a match.

Before getting into more advanced strategies, it is worth asking:

Am I contributing enough to max out my 401(k) this year?
Am I receiving the full employer match?
Does my current savings rate still make sense based on my income and goals?
Is my cash flow structured enough to support additional saving?

Once the foundation is in place, some high earners may have another opportunity available through their plan:

The Mega Backdoor Roth:

At a high level, this strategy may allow you to save additional dollars beyond the regular 401(k) limit and move those dollars into a Roth account. That can be valuable because Roth dollars may grow tax-free and can create more flexibility later in retirement.

The key word is "may" for a variety of reasons:

Not every 401(k) plan allows it.
Not every high earner has the cash flow to support it.
Not every financial plan needs it.

For high earners, the opportunity is not just to make more money - it's to be more intentional with the money that is already coming in!

Halfway through the year is a great time to make sure your savings strategy is not just happening by default but actually aligned with where you want to go!

Send a message to learn more

06/08/2026

If your company stock is up and you’re telling yourself “I’ll decide later,”

That may feel patient - it may even feel smart, but “later” is not a strategy.

For high earners with equity compensation, strong markets can quietly create more risk, not less.

Your salary, bonus, benefits, retirement contributions, and a growing part of your net worth may all be tied to the same company - when that stock rises, your concentration often rises with it.

That doesn’t mean you should automatically sell everything, really it means you just need a repeatable decision process.

A few questions worth answering before the market forces your hand:

What percentage of each RSU vest should I sell or hold?
How much company stock is too much?
How will equity proceeds connect to taxes, cash flow, and long-term goals?
What would I do if the stock rose another 20%?
What would I do if it fell 20%?

The best time to build structure is before you need it! Your financial plan should drive your equity decisions, not the other way around.

If you have RSUs, stock options, ESPP, or concentrated company stock, I wrote more about this here!

When markets are strong, most professionals with RSUs and company stock do nothing - because things feel fine, but a rising stock price isn’t a plan - it’s a feeling. Here’s why high markets are actually the right time to bring structure to your equity compensation decisions.

06/05/2026

If you have stock compensation and a potential liquidity event coming up, this post is for you.

A liquidity event can be exciting, but it is also one of the easiest moments to make an expensive mistake.

You may be dealing with:

RSUs
ISOs or NSOs
Lockup periods
AMT exposure
Estimated taxes
Concentrated company stock
Timing of sales

That is a lot to manage, especially when real money is finally becoming available.
Before the event happens, get clear on a few things:

What do you own?
Different types of equity are taxed differently.

When will taxes apply?
Vesting, exercising, selling, and settlement can all create different outcomes.

How concentrated are you?
A large company stock position can build wealth, but it can also create risk.

What is your sell strategy?
Waiting until “later” may feel safe, but timing, taxes, and lockups matter.

With equity compensation, “I’ll figure it out later” can become a very expensive sentence.

If you want a clearer starting point, I’ve created equity compensation resources, including an Equity Compensation Checklist, to help you organize the key decisions before they become urgent.

Access it here!
https://bit.ly/3Q1Ss2U

06/04/2026

If you receive RSUs, stock options, ESPP shares, or company stock and you’re not totally sure what to do with them, this webinar is for you.

Equity compensation can be a great wealth-building tool.

It can also create a lot of questions:

"Should I sell or hold?"
"Am I too concentrated in company stock?"
"What taxes should I be planning for?"
"How do I stop making one-off decisions every time shares vest?"

I’m hosting a practical educational webinar to help you bring more structure and clarity to your stock compensation decisions.

Do you have a plan for your stock compensation… or are you just guessing?

Tuesday, July 21, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CDT

RSVP is required to receive access credentials - register at the link below!

https://bit.ly/3REG8WV

06/03/2026

If you’re trying to buy a home, upgrade your home, or decide whether to move in this housing market, this post is for you!

The housing market right now can feel like the dashboard of a 25-year-old sedan that hasn’t been serviced… ever: like every check engine light is on.

Interest rates are higher.
Home prices are still elevated.
Inventory can feel limited.
Property taxes are expensive.
Insurance costs have become harder to ignore.
Renovations rarely stay on budget.
Somehow, the house still needs a new roof.

For high-earning professionals, the question often gets reduced to:
“Can we afford the house?”

The better question is:
“Can we afford the house without derailing our long-term goals?”

That’s the part that often gets overlooked.

A home decision can affect your cash reserves, monthly flexibility, tax planning, investment contributions, equity compensation decisions, school or childcare costs, career flexibility, retirement progress, and overall peace of mind.

In a challenging housing market, I think the best decisions start with three numbers:

1. A truly comfortable payment
Not the maximum payment a lender approves. The payment should still allow you to save, invest, travel, give, and sleep at night.

2. The total cash needed
The down payment is only one piece. Closing costs, moving expenses, and the inevitable “we didn’t realize that would cost so much” expenses all need to be included.

3. The opportunity cost
If more money goes into the house, what gets delayed? Future travel? College funding? Investment contributions?

That does not mean you shouldn’t buy the house. It means the house should fit into the plan, not become the plan. Before making a move, consider asking:

Does this home support the life we want, or stretch us into a more expensive version of stress?

A good housing decision should give you more stability, not just more square footage.

If you’d like help thinking through how a major housing decision fits into your broader financial plan, you can schedule a consultation here:
https://bit.ly/43g4rwN

06/02/2026

If you make a lot of money but still feel like your cash flow is tighter than it should be, this post is for you!

High income does not automatically create financial clarity - especially when your income is coming from several places:
Salary
Bonus
RSUs
Stock options
Commissions
Deferred comp

…and somehow the big expenses always seem to show up at the same time.

Property taxes.
Home projects.
Travel.
Tuition.
Taxes.
Another “quick” house repair that is never quick.

A lot of high-earning professionals do not have a spending problem as much as they have a timing problem - life runs monthly, but income may arrive quarterly, semiannually, annually, or randomly. Equity may vest on a schedule that has nothing to do with when your real-life expenses show up.

That is why structure matters! A strong cash flow strategy usually starts by separating income into categories:

Core income
What supports your regular lifestyle?

Variable income
What funds savings, investing, taxes, goals, or one-time expenses?

Equity income
What should be sold, held, diversified, or earmarked?

Tax reserve
What needs to be set aside before it accidentally gets spent?

Emergency fund
What gives you flexibility without constantly dipping into investments?

At a certain income level, the biggest opportunity usually is not tracking every coffee purchase.

It is creating a system where your income has a job before life absorbs it. High income without structure can disappear surprisingly fast, but high income with structure can become a powerful engine for long-term flexibility!

I created a Variable Income Framework to help high-earning professionals organize salary, bonuses, equity compensation, taxes, and spending decisions more intentionally!

You can find the PDF on my website here:
https://bit.ly/4o6s8kD