ShareBasedEquity comp, decoded
The reading list

Books & resources

The short shelf we actually recommend to people paid partly in shares — behaviour first, mechanics second, portfolio last.

Affiliate disclosure: links below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, ShareBased earns from qualifying purchases — at no extra cost to you. We only list books we consider genuinely useful. Full policy: affiliate disclosure.

Start here

Money behaviour & foundations

The Psychology of Money

Morgan Housel

Twenty short lessons on how people actually behave with money — essential ballast for anyone whose net worth swings with a stock price.

View on Amazon →

The Millionaire Next Door

Thomas J. Stanley & William D. Danko

The research classic on how quiet, consistent habits — not windfalls — build lasting wealth.

View on Amazon →

A Random Walk Down Wall Street

Burton G. Malkiel

Why markets are hard to beat and diversification wins — the intellectual backbone of the sell-and-index strategy.

View on Amazon →

United States

US equity comp & investing

Consider Your Options

Kaye Thomas

The long-running practitioner reference on US equity compensation tax — options, RSUs, ESPPs — updated across many editions.

View on Amazon →

The Simple Path to Wealth

JL Collins

The classic case for low-cost index investing — the natural destination for diversified RSU and ESPP proceeds.

View on Amazon →

I Will Teach You to Be Rich

Ramit Sethi

A practical, systems-first personal finance setup — automation, accounts and investing — that pairs well with lumpy equity income.

View on Amazon →

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

Larimore, Lindauer & LeBoeuf

Plain-spoken, evidence-based investing fundamentals from the community that popularised the three-fund portfolio.

View on Amazon →

United Kingdom

UK investing

Smarter Investing

Tim Hale

The standard UK reader on building simple, robust portfolios — ideal for deploying SAYE and SIP proceeds.

View on Amazon →

How to Own the World

Andrew Craig

A UK-focused introduction to investing globally with ISAs and pensions — the wrappers your equity proceeds should graduate into.

View on Amazon →

Official sources

Primary references we check against

IRS (US)

Equity compensation rules, Form 8949 instructions, AMT guidance and current-year thresholds at irs.gov.

HMRC (UK)

EMI, CSOP, SIP and SAYE manuals, CGT rates and Self Assessment guidance at gov.uk.

Your plan documents

Grant agreements and plan rules override every generality — ours included. They are the first source, always.