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The basics
Open the stock-grant section on a job’s income card. Enter the stock already granted and any future annual refresh, then set their vesting schedules. The plan turns the scheduled vests into income as they occur.
Choose whether vested shares are sold for cash or partly kept in a named investment account.
Illustrative numbers
Annual refreshes build gradually
Annual refresh$40,000
Vesting25% a year for four years
First refresh vest$10,000 twelve months after the grant
Four overlapping refreshes, with flat stock prices$40,000 vesting per year
The full ongoing refresh amount is reached gradually. Existing unvested grants add their own vesting amounts on top.
Calculation transparency
How it works in MoneyWhatIf
- 01
Existing grants and future refresh grants have separate schedules. Refresh amounts and the stock price can follow different change assumptions.
- 02
Vesting is modeled as job income, including applicable income and payroll taxes. Kept shares land in the selected account with basis equal to their value at vesting.
- 03
Stock retained in an account is not counted as a second saving contribution. Later growth above its new basis can create a capital gain when sold.
- 04
By default, unvested stock is forfeited when the job ends. Change the exit setting if existing grants should continue vesting. If no eligible destination is selected, vested shares are sold for cash.
Keep in mind
Model limits
The vesting schedule is annual; a scheduled first-year tranche is not prorated like recurring salary in a partial year.
RSUs do not cover stock options, exercise prices, or an ISO bargain element for AMT. A tax liability in the projection is not a payroll withholding instruction.
This explanation documents the planning model. It is educational, not individualized tax, legal, Medicare, or investment advice.
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The words behind it
Related financial terms
Plain-English definitions, with 2026 figures and worked examples, from the financial terms glossary.