Your wealth, fully managed for startup founders
A flat-fee CPA and financial planner team that gives you personalized, holistic advice across your taxes and financial plan. We plan your 83(b), QSBS clock, option exercises and exit, and file your returns.
What we handle for founders
The founder decisions that carry a deadline or a tax bill, planned with the rest of your money.
- 01
Your 83(b) election
The election is due within 30 days after the stock is transferred to you, not after it vests, and late filing has no relief. We confirm the date and the filing method before the clock runs. See how to file an 83(b) election.
- 02
QSBS eligibility and the clock
For stock acquired after July 4, 2025, the exclusion is 50% at three years, 75% at four and 100% at five, capped at the greater of $15 million or 10 times basis per company. We track when each lot qualifies.
- 03
Option exercises and AMT
An ISO exercise owes no regular tax but the spread counts toward AMT, with a 2026 exemption of $90,100 single or $140,200 joint. We size an exercise to the cash you can tie up in private stock. See equity compensation planning.
- 04
Personal runway
A valuation does not pay rent. We plan household spending against your salary, savings and the cash already committed to the company, for a delayed exit as well as a fast one.
- 05
Planning before an exit
Start when the 409A climbs or about 18 months before an expected exit. Lockups most often run 180 days, and a single sale after one can put every gain into one tax year.
- 06
Your federal and state returns
Your CPA prepares and files them, with equity forms reconciled against what your broker and company report. Nothing is filed until you review and approve it.
How Nino helps founders
Founders usually meet their CPA once a year, after the decisions are made. On an Advisor plan your CPA and financial planner work from the same picture of your equity, cash and household all year, and Nino’s AI software keeps it current between meetings.
Book a free consultation-
A plan in your first two weeks
Your CPA and financial planner build your tax and financial plan around the grants and stock you hold, the cash you need, and the exit you expect, then revisit it every quarter.
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Ask before the deadline, not after
A CPA you see only at filing season usually hears about an exercise after the 30-day 83(b) window has closed. Your team hears about it while there is still time to choose.
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Software between meetings
Record your grants in Nino’s grant form, connect your accounts, and ask the AI how an exercise or a sale would change your taxes and your runway. Connections are read-only.
What should founders decide early?
Four choices that are cheap to get right at the start and expensive to fix later.
Whether to early exercise
On unvested ISO shares an 83(b) election counts for AMT only, and early-exercisable grants can push more of the grant past the $100,000 ISO limit into NSO treatment. ISO early exercise for founders walks through it.
Which state you sell from
California, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and Alabama do not follow the federal QSBS exclusion, so a gain excluded on your federal return can still be taxed by your state. Residency at the sale matters.
How much to keep in the company
Your salary, your shares and your options can all depend on one company. Decide how much of your net worth you want riding on it before a tender or an exit forces the question.
What to do with the proceeds
Sale proceeds need a tax reserve before anything else. A Section 1045 rollover can defer QSBS gain held more than six months if you reinvest in new QSBS within 60 days.
Pick your plan
Every Advisor plan includes a CPA and financial planner team, federal and state tax filing, and our Ultra software.
Essential
- Everything in Ultra software, plus:
- A dedicated CPA and Financial Planner team for you
- Single-filer return, quarterly taxes included
- Retirement & equity planning
- Quarterly advisor access
- Rentals
- 0
- K-1s
- 0
- States
- 1
- Brokerage
- 3
Plus
Most Popular- Everything in Essential, plus:
- A dedicated CPA and Financial Planner team for you and your spouse
- Married filing jointly return, international coverage included
- One coordinated plan for both of you
- Quarterly and ad hoc advisor access
- Rentals
- 2
- K-1s
- 5
- States
- 3
- Brokerage
- 5
Premier
- Everything in Plus, plus:
- Business bookkeeping and tax filings, priced by complexity
- Joint or single return, complex international coverage
- Advanced equity & estate planning
- Priority advisor access
- Rentals
- 5
- K-1s
- 10
- States
- 5
- Brokerage
- 10
Software plans starting from $20 a month
Our AI financial assistant on its own, with a 7-day free trial.
Guides for founders
Read up on these decisions, or run your own numbers.
How to File an 83(b) Election
An 83(b) election changes when restricted stock is taxed. Learn when it applies, how to file, and what to check within 30 days of the stock transfer.
Read guideWhat Is QSBS?
Qualified small business stock may qualify for a federal gain exclusion. Acquisition date, company eligibility, holding period, and basis determine the benefit.
Read guideISO Early Exercise for Founders
Early exercising ISOs can lock in a small AMT spread, but on ISO shares the 83(b) election does not start the capital gains clock. Here is how the rules work for founders, and when to skip it.
Read guidePre-IPO Stock Option Tax Planning
A founder holds founder stock, ISOs, and NSOs at once, and the pre-IPO window closes several tax decisions on their own deadlines. Here is what to check, and in what order.
Read guideStock Options Calculator
Estimate ISO or NSO exercise costs and explore how an ISO exercise could affect AMT.
Open calculator