Mistake No. 1: Not Understanding Your Grant Or How It Works
This point may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised. Employees sometimes tell their financial advisors they have “stock options” but upon inspection of the plan documents it turns out they have another type of equity comp. So, first of all, confirm which type of equity grant you have.
A related mistake is simply failing to read all the stock plan documents and not fully understanding the terms of the grant. Study up on them. “Grant info needs to be organized, saved, and updated to provide ongoing guidance,” suggests Bill Dillhoefer, the CEO of Net Worth Strategies, the company behind the StockOpter equity compensation analysis applications for financial advisors.