What You Need to Know About Dividing RSUs in Divorce – Laurie Itkin & Scott Levin Explain

Laurie Itkin, CDFA & Chief PeaceKeeper™, and attorney-mediator Scott Levin discuss how they work together during #divorce #mediation to help couples value and divide restricted stock units.
 
Roughly a decade ago, RSUs began supplanting stock options as a popular form of corporate compensation. RSUs hold several advantages over stock options, owing mostly to the RSU’s simplicity compared to stock options. But during divorce, several questions often arise as to employer benefits such as RSUs. Ms. Itkin and I address these questions in this video, including the following:
 
– Is this property subject to division as an asset or is it income that will be counted for child and/or spousal support?
 
– What portion is separate property vs community property?
 
– Taxes can make up to between 35% and 50% of the value — how is that addressed?
 
– How does the non-employee former spouse ensure he or she gets his or her share over the ensuing years as they vest?
 
– What about options that don’t need to be exercised for up to 10 years?
 
– And how do you deal with this when the company isn’t even publicly traded?

Attorney Mediator CDFA and Chief PeaceKeeper™ Scott Levin sit down the Laurie Itkin to discuss RSU division during divorce and how they work together to help clients in mediation. Laurie Itkin is a financial advisor, wealth manager, and certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA). She is also the author of the Amazon best-seller, Every Woman Should Know Her Options: Invest Your Way to Financial Empowerment. Investopedia named Ms. Itkin one of the top 100 most influential financial advisors in the country. Through her financial consulting company, The Options Lady, she provides divorce-related financial planning and analysis to individuals and couples throughout all stages of the divorce process. Reach Ms. Itkin at https://www.theoptionslady.com/

Scott Levin is the founding partner at https://sandiegofamilylawyer.net/

.

By Published On: October 16th, 2020