Scenario 1
A client holds 40,000 vested ISOs with a low strike price and wants to start exercising before a likely liquidity event. The advisor needs to avoid creating a one-year AMT spike that forces an unwanted sale.
- Compare exercise amounts across this year and next year with AMT-sensitive tax estimates.
- Show how each path changes concentration, cash required, and expected after-tax upside.
- Document a recommended exercise schedule the advisor can review with the client and CPA.
Scenario 2
A client expects a secondary sale, tender offer, or IPO in the next 6 to 24 months. The question is whether to exercise now for holding-period benefits or wait to preserve liquidity.
- Model exercise-now versus wait scenarios with side-by-side tax and concentration tradeoffs.
- Show the effect of holding period assumptions on the recommendation instead of relying on a generic stock-option rule of thumb.
- Produce a client-facing recommendation that ties the exercise path to timing, cash flow, and diversification goals.