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Every spring, the financial industry publishes its version of what you should be worried about. This year the list includes geopolitical conflict, oil prices, tariff shifts, inflation that will not fully settle, and an AI investment cycle that is reshaping entire sectors,  including the ones many of you work in every day.

The data behind all of it is real.

The biggest tax mistake I see isn’t people doing something reckless.

It’s people doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.

And getting hit with a six-figure tax bill they never saw coming.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting across from someone who had just left a large tech company.

No panic. No chaos.

I want to walk you through a real scenario.

Not a hypothetical.

Not a headline.

A real household.

(Prompted by a sharp observation from Afrina M. on high-income pressure— this is what the math looks like inside a real household.)

A family of four.

Two kids.

If you work in tech, there’s a good chance a meaningful part of your wealth isn’t coming from your salary.

It’s coming from RSUs.

And in my experience, most people don’t struggle because RSUs are complicated…

They struggle because no one ever shows them how the pieces fit together.

RSUs aren't a bonus. Everyone treats them like one, and that's where the trouble starts.

For many employees at large technology companies, Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) can accumulate into a significant portion of their net worth over time.

Years of vesting schedules, refresh grants, and strong stock performance can gradually turn employer equity into one of the largest assets in an investor’s portfolio.

The question comes up at almost every vesting event. Stock lands in the account, a decision appears, and most people either sell reflexively or hold indefinitely without ever really choosing.

Neither is a strategy.

For Google and tech employees, the sell-or-hold decision is one of the most repeated financial choices you'll make,  sometimes monthly.

For many employees at large technology companies, a significant portion of total compensation comes in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). While RSUs can become a meaningful wealth-building tool over time, they also create additional complexity around taxes, RSU withholding, concentrated stock risk, and long-term financial planning.