Your equity compensation, finally decoded.
RSUs, stock options, ESPPs, EMI and the rest of the alphabet — explained for the people who receive them, with worked numbers, current tax figures and zero jargon.
United States series
RSUs, options & ESPPs — the US playbook
From your first grant to the tax forms nobody warns you about: each guide stands alone, with worked examples using current-year figures.
RSU Taxes Explained: The Complete Plain-English Guide
How RSUs are taxed in the US: what happens at grant, vest and sale, why withholding falls short, what your W-2 and 1099-B really s…
The $0 Cost-Basis Trap: How to Avoid Paying Tax Twice on RSUs
Brokers routinely report a $0 cost basis for RSU sales on Form 1099-B. Left uncorrected, you pay income tax and capital-gains tax …
The RSU Withholding Gap: Why You Owe Thousands at Tax Time
RSU income is withheld at a flat 22% federal rate while many recipients sit in the 32-37% brackets. Learn how to measure your pers…
Sell-to-Cover Explained: What Really Happens When Your RSUs Vest
Why fewer shares land in your account than vested, where the missing shares went, how sell-to-cover appears on your 1099-B, and ho…
RSU vs ISO vs NSO vs ESPP: Every Equity Type Explained Side by Side
The four main forms of US equity compensation compared in plain English: how each is taxed, when you pay, what can go wrong, and h…
Your First RSU Grant: A Plain-English Walkthrough
Just received your first RSU grant? Here's how to read the agreement, what vesting and cliffs mean for your money, what actually h…
United Kingdom series
EMI, CSOP, SIP & SAYE — the UK playbook
HMRC's schemes are generous and badly explained. These guides cover the employee's side: what you hold, what you'll pay, and the deadlines that matter.
EMI Share Options: The Complete Employee's Guide (UK)
What Enterprise Management Incentive options are, why they're the UK's most tax-advantaged equity, how vesting and exercise work, …
EMI Option Tax at Exercise and Sale: Rates, Reliefs and Worked Examples
Exactly how EMI options are taxed in the UK: nothing at grant, the discount-only rule at exercise, CGT at 18-24% on sale, Business…
CSOP vs EMI: What the Scheme on Your Option Certificate Means for You
The UK's two tax-advantaged discretionary option schemes compared from the employee's side: limits, tax at exercise and sale, the …
Growth Shares and Unapproved Options: UK Equity Outside the Schemes
Not all UK equity fits EMI or CSOP. How unapproved (non-tax-advantaged) options are taxed, how growth shares and hurdles work, whe…
RSUs for UK Employees of US Companies: Tax, Payroll and the Forms In Between
How RSUs from a US parent are taxed for UK employees: income tax and NI at vest through PAYE, why nearly half the shares can disap…
SIP and SAYE: Should You Join Your Company's Share Scheme?
The UK's two all-employee schemes decoded: how Share Incentive Plans (free, partnership and matching shares) and Sharesave (SAYE) …
Why ShareBased
Built for recipients, not issuers
Independent
We don't sell equity plans, broker accounts or advice. No company is paying us to make their scheme look good — our only job is explaining yours.
Plain English, real numbers
Every guide includes worked examples with actual tax figures for the stated year, so you can follow the arithmetic — not just the vibes.
Kept current
Thresholds, rates and limits change every tax year. Guides carry their update date, and we revise when the rules move.
Go deeper
The reading list
Books we genuinely rate for people whose pay arrives partly in shares — from behaviour to portfolio construction. (Affiliate links; disclosure.)