#equity-instruments
Equity Instruments
Understanding stock, SAFE notes, convertible notes, and startup financing structures
Планове с призрачни акции за малкия бизнес: Възнаградете ключови служители, без да се отказвате от собствеността
Планът за призрачни акции предоставя на ключови служители хипотетични единици, които следват стойността на компанията и се изплащат в брой — без емитирани акции, без разреждане, без право на глас. Изплащанията са обикновен доход, подлежащ на FICA при плащане, работодателят ги приспада през същата година, а наградите, уредени в брой, са задължения, преоценявани по справедлива стойност през всеки отчетен период. Плащането в рамките на 2½ месеца след годината, в която единиците придобиват право, удовлетворява освобождаването за краткосрочно отсрочване по раздел 409A; план с двама до трима участници обикновено струва 4000–10 000 щатски долара за стартиране.
Скалата на AMT през 2026 г.: По-ниски прагове на постепенното отпадане, двойно по-голямо възстановяване
За 2026 г. OBBBA връща праговете на постепенното отпадане на AMT на $500 000 за еднолични и $1 000 000 за съвместни декларации и удвоява възстановяването на освобождаването от 25 на 50 цента за долар, така че същият доход, който не е дължал AMT през 2025 г., може да дължи петцифрена сума догодина. Ръководство за това кой е изложен на риск, как да оцените позицията си и пет планиращи стъпки преди края на годината.
Profits Interests, Explained: How LLCs Can Grant Equity Without Triggering a Tax Bill
A profits interest lets an LLC or partnership grant a service provider real equity with no tax at grant or vesting under Rev. Proc. 93-27 and 2001-43 — provided the distribution hurdle equals fair market value at grant, the interest is held two years, and the recipient accepts K-1 partner status. Here is how the safe harbor works, how the hurdle math is set, and the six mistakes that break the tax-free treatment.
FASB ASU 2025-07: The New 'Own Operations' Derivative Scope Exception for ESG-Linked Debt, Earnouts, and Customer Warrants
FASB's ASU 2025-07 adds an ASC 815 scope exception for non-exchange-traded contracts whose payoff depends on a party's own operations — ESG-linked interest rate step-downs, M&A earnouts, regulatory and product milestones, change-of-control triggers — and routes warrants received from customers through Topic 606 instead of derivative accounting. Effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026, with early adoption permitted.
Your Convertible Note Just Converted. Is That a Gain, a Loss, or Neither?
FASB's ASU 2024-04, mandatory for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2025, defines a three-part test for whether settling a sweetened convertible-note conversion counts as an induced conversion (expense only the sweetener) or a debt extinguishment (gain or loss against carrying value) — a classification that can swing reported expense by hundreds of thousands of dollars on the same transaction.
Delaware's New Safe Harbor for Founder Deals: What the Section 144 Ruling Means for Related-Party Notes and SAFEs
On February 27, 2026, the Delaware Supreme Court's Rutledge v. Clearway ruling upheld the 2025 SB 21 amendments to DGCL Section 144, confirming a safe harbor for related-party deals — including founder bridge loans and insider SAFE participation — approved by disinterested directors or a majority-of-the-minority vote. Here's what founders must document to qualify.
FASB ASU 2025-12: How to Calculate Diluted EPS in a Loss Year with Options, Warrants, and Convertible Notes
FASB's ASU 2025-12 clarifies that a net loss does not automatically make options, warrants, and convertible notes antidilutive: companies must test the combined numerator-and-denominator effect, apply the fix retrospectively to all prior periods presented, and adopt it for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026.
FASB ASU 2026-01: How Startups Must Now Measure PIK Dividends on Preferred Stock
FASB's ASU 2026-01 requires PIK dividends on equity-classified preferred stock to be measured at the stated contractual rate — not fair value — effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026, with early adoption permitted. Here's what venture-backed startups with PIK preferred provisions should do before their next audit.
Cap Table Mistakes Before Series A: The Option Pool Shuffle, Vesting Traps, and Stacked SAFEs
Before a Series A term sheet arrives, founders should check three specific cap table failure points — a pre-money option pool shuffle that dilutes only founders, missing or over-vested founder equity, and stacked SAFEs with unmodeled conversion terms — each of which can delay or derail a raise.
Carta vs. Pulley vs. Ledgy: How Startup Founders Should Choose Cap Table Management Software in 2026
Carta, Pulley, and Ledgy are the three leading cap table platforms in 2026, differing mainly on annual pricing ($1,200–$20,000+), US-only vs. multi-jurisdiction equity compliance, and 409A valuation turnaround time.
Fractional and Outsourced CFO Practice Bookkeeping: A Complete Guide for Solo Operators and Multi-Partner Firms
How independent fractional and outsourced CFOs should structure their books — ASC 606 treatment for retainers and project work, 409A and 83(b) handling for advisor equity, the Section 199A SSTB phase-out at $201,750 single / $403,500 joint, and target utilization and realization benchmarks for a healthy practice.
ISO vs. NSO Stock Options: A Startup Employee's Tax Guide to AMT, 83(b), Early Exercise, and the $100K Limit
A practical tax playbook for startup employees holding ISOs or NSOs — covering AMT exposure via Form 6251 line 2i, the 30-day Section 83(b) deadline, the two-year-and-one-year qualifying disposition rule, the $100,000 first-exercisable ISO cap, and the 1099-B cost basis error that causes double taxation.