Insights
Plain answers to expensive questions.
Don writes for the moments that actually happen: a vest, a layoff, an offer, a raise that quietly becomes a lifestyle.
Start here
The one to read first
The Right Order of Financial Decisions for Google Employees
Most financial mistakes I see aren't wrong decisions. They're right decisions made in the wrong order.
Browse by topic
32 pieces, sorted into the questions they answer.
See all topicsThe library
Everything Don has published
29 full articles and 3 shorter notes, carried over word for word.
Should I Sell My Google Stock to Buy a House - or Borrow Against It?
I hear some version of this question from Googlers pretty regularly: “Why would I sell my Google stock for a house and pay the taxes if I can just borrow against it?” I get the appeal.
Read the article Insurance and protectionLong Term Care - One of My Financial Fire Drills for Googlers
Around August of every year, I go through the motions of asking myself whether today's the day I let my long-term care insurance policy lapse.
Read the article Retirement planningWhat Happens After You’ve Already Won?
I recently came across a profile of Jeff Dean that made me think about something beyond Google. Dean joined Google in 1999, when the company still had fewer than 100 employees.
Read the article Spending and behaviorWhat Is Your Money Actually Buying?
Last week's post, I ended with one simple question: What is this additional money supposed to make possible?
Read the article Spending and behaviorWhy Doesn't More Money Always Create More Freedom?
After twenty years of working with successful families, I've noticed something that initially didn't make sense.
Read the article Concentrated stockCan You Afford for Google to Stop Needing You?
Google has created extraordinary wealth for many Googlers and Xooglers. The bigger question isn't whether you'll stay- it's whether your financial life gives you the flexibility to choose.
Read the article Spending and behaviorWhy So Many Successful Google Employees Lose Track of Their Spending
High income doesn't cause wealth. Awareness does.
Read the article Concentrated stockGoogle Made You Wealthy. Now What?
If you've spent the better part of your career at Google, there's a good chance your biggest financial challenge isn't building wealth anymore. It's deciding what your wealth is actually for.
Read the article Concentrated stockWhat Googlers Holding RSUs May Be Missing About AI Infrastructure
A Googler sent me an article recently about Anthropic’ s infrastructure deal with Google Cloud.
Read the article Leaving GoogleLeaving Google? Don’t Rush Your Roth Conversion.
Don Hilario, CFP®, Hilpan Moxie Wealth Management, LLC - an investment adviser registered with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Read the article Equity compensationRSUs Aren't Just Income. They're a Forced Investment Decision.
Most Google employees think RSUs are a compensation event. The IRS agrees. The problem is that the IRS is only describing the tax treatment. It isn't describing what actually happens.
Read the article Concentrated stockWhat Happens If You Do Nothing With Your Google Stock?
Doing nothing with your Google stock is still a decision. It just doesn’ t announce itself. There’ s no trade confirmation. No tax event.
Read the article Concentrated stockI Have $1M in Google Stock- Should I Sell or Keep Holding?
At some point the position stopped feeling like compensation. It started feeling like a decision you've been putting off.
Read the article Spending and behaviorWhen a Client Asks About Silver, I Don't Answer the Silver Question
If you've worked with a financial advisor for any length of time, you've probably brought something up that you read about or heard about.
Read the article Concentrated stockGoogle Just Had Its Best Quarter Ever. If You Hold the Stock, Read This
In Jurassic Park, the scientists didn’ t fail because they lacked intelligence. They solved every problem in front of them. The system worked exactly as designed.
Read the article Concentrated stockI Have $900K in Google Stock - Should I Hold or Diversify?
What Actually Matters When the Charts Are Saying "Stay"If you're a Google employee with RSUs or a concentrated stock position, this is the decision you're actually facing.
Read the article Tax planningI’m a Retired Google Employee With $10M - Should I Be Doing Roth Conversions Right Now?
If you’ re a retired Google employee with a meaningful portfolio and no W-2 coming in, this is probably a question you’ ve asked. Or will ask.
Read the article Retirement planningWhat a 3% COLA Assumption Actually Means If You’re a Google Employee Planning to Retire on RSUs
Most retirement plans don’ t fail because people are too aggressive. They fail because they’ re just reasonable enough to go unquestioned.
Read the article Family and legacyThe Real Genius Behind Saving for Your Children
In the 1985 film Real Genius, a group of brilliant students spend months building a powerful laser. They solve every technical problem. The physics is flawless. The execution is perfect.
Read the article Equity compensationReview Season Is Here. And I Want to Tell You Why I Actually Look Forward to It.
Every spring, the financial industry publishes its version of what you should be worried about.
Read the article Concentrated stockWhy Selling Concentrated Stock Isn’t the Decision You Think It Is
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.
Read the article Spending and behaviorWhen $500,000 Isn’t Enough: The Quiet Math Behind High-Income Pressure
I want to walk you through a real scenario. Not a hypothetical. Not a headline. A real household.
Read the article Equity compensationRSU Guide for Tech Employees: Start Here
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.
Read the article Equity compensationFinancial Planning for Technology Employees with RSU Compensation
Employees at large technology companies often receive a meaningful portion of their total compensation through equity incentives such as Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).
Read the article Equity compensationHow Are RSUs Taxed? A Guide for Technology Employees
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) can be a powerful wealth-building tool for technology employees, but they can also create tax surprises if the rules are not understood upfront.
Read the article Concentrated stockManaging Concentrated Stock Positions for Technology Employees
For many employees at large technology companies, Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) can accumulate into a significant portion of their net worth over time.
Read the article Equity compensationShould Technology Employees Sell RSUs Immediately?
When RSUs vest, the shares are already taxed as income. The real question is whether you would buy that much of 1 company's stock with the cash.
Read the article Equity compensationUnderstanding RSU Compensation at Technology Companies
For many employees at large technology companies, a significant portion of total compensation comes in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).
Read the article Concentrated stockSell the Stock or Borrow Against It?
Borrowing against company stock for a house keeps the shares and defers the tax bill. The step that gets skipped is running the scenario where the stock drops.
Read the note Trading windowsReady Before the Window Opens
A concentrated stock sale had to wait for a trading window. The real work was having every decision already made before it opened.
Read the note Firm newsSome News From Hilpan Moxie
Hilpan Moxie is now registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser, 14 years and more than $100 million after the practice began.
Read the noteNo article matches that yet. Try a broader word, for example RSU, Roth, or spending.