Exercise and Liquidity Offerings
Learn about our exercise and liquidity offerings for your options and shares.
Get cash by selling your options or shares through our network of buyers.
Get the cash you need to own your stock options or gain some liquidity. Repay when your company exits.
Wealth Management Approach
Learn about our wealth management approach for those with equity.
Explore our liquidity options tailored for executives. Offering personalized strategies to help optimize your financial outcomes for your equity.
Discover our holistic wealth management services, designed specifically for executives to potentially maximize wealth and plan for the future.
Equity Solutions
Learn about our equity solutions to support and empower your team.
Learn about our services to educate your teams on equity, ensuring they are well-informed and can make the most of their equity compensation.
Asset Management Strategies
Comprehensive overview of Secfi's asset management strategies and services.
Invest in late-stage startups through Secfi's expertly managed diversified fund.
Partner with Secfi for customized funds in late-stage private companies.
Connect and invest in private equity of leading startups via Secfi.
Stock Options and Taxes
Exercise incentive stock options without paying the alternative minimum tax.
Exercise now or at IPO? Sell on the secondary market or hold? Understand your options in less than 5 minutes.
Decide whether to exercise your stock options now or later.
Calculate the costs to exercise your stock options - including taxes.
See what your stock options could be worth.
Confidently negotiate your equity compensation.
Value your pre-IPO stock with private market data.
Find answers, guides, explanatory videos, and more about your equity and finances.
Equity Education Survey
Equity, in the form of stock options, is a key component of startup compensation. Yet, companies aren't going the extra mile to help their team understand and maximize their equity potential. Startup employees are demanding more education and citing its importance when joining, engaging, and staying with their company.
Secfi surveyed more than 1,000 startup employees who exercised their stock options to understand their personal motivators and the role their company played in their decision-making process.
Key findings:
- 75% of startup employees say stock options were an important reason they joined their company and 92% have taken a personal financial risk to own their options.
- Startup employees say they value being educated about stock options (87%) more than the options themselves (78%).
- 57% of companies are not doing enough to educate employees about their equity.
Compensation Benefit
75% say that stock options were an important reason they joined their company
92% took on personal financial risk in order to own their options.
Buying stock options can be risky because there’s no guarantee that the company will go public or get acquired. Those who use their own cash savings or take out loans to cover exercise costs have no way of recouping the costs if their company has a less-than-favorable exit.
88% say it's very important for companies to offer equity education
Startup employees want their company to help them understand stock options. Employees expect their company to provide equity education to make an informed decision about their stock options.
Motivators for Joining
The startup community values the educational resources their company provides to help them make an important financial decision.
Equity Details During Hiring
“When I was hired, I was provided the following details about my stock options:”
Company Events and Equity
"My company provided me with the following information about my options proactively:"
Attracting and Retaining Talent
Companies can use equity education as a benefit to attract and retain talent. Other studies, including a report by McKinsey & Company, also show that employees care more about feeling valued by their companies than they do about compensation, especially in the era of "The Great Resignation."
Steps to Help Employees
1. Greater visibility at offer and during onboarding.
Offer letters need to have the necessary details for candidates to fully understand the value of their stock options, beyond the number of options they are being offered. Onboarding should also include an overview on how stock options work and resources for further information.
2. Ongoing education sessions.
Companies should provide education about how to calculate the value of stock options, how the exercise process works, the taxes associated with options, and how trigger events could impact their stock options.
3. Access to financial and tax professionals.
Employees should have direct access to tax and financial professionals that can advise them on their own personal equity situation.
4. Take financial risk off the table.
Offer access to sources of financing that have less personal risk for employees. This helps employees access the cash they need to pay for exercising costs.
Methodology & Demographics
This national survey of over 1,000 startup employees was commissioned by Secfi and conducted by Propeller Insights, an independent survey research firm in 2021. Propeller Insights uses quantitative and qualitative methodologies to measure and analyze marketplace and consumer opinions.