Whether you’re currently a corporate executive with many good years ahead of you, or one with retirement on the immediate horizon, managing your compensation can be a fine balancing act. 

Brinton Eaton understands the nuances of benefits packages — often better than benefits administrators in the workplace — and provides the technical guidance and financial planning insight you need to make the right decisions at the right times.

Corporate executives are typically eligible for a variety of forms of compensation that can easily exceed their base pay. These executive compensation plans have become powerful competitive tools for recruiting, retention and motivation. For an executive, making an optimal decision about the flexible design features of these plans can be a complex exercise.  At Brinton Eaton we work with our clients on an annual basis to make sure you are maximizing your take home income and that your investments are correctly allocated to include your company ownership options.

Brinton Eaton seeks to understand the fine details within each of your plans, and takes the time to see where and how they dovetail with each other. We match your options against your financial goals, and look closely at your cash flow objectives and assess your investment strategy.

We consider which stock options you should exercise? Which compensation you should defer? If the 401(k) still makes sense to be in the plan at your level? When you should take retirement? What about the so-called supplemental plans, stock purchase plans, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights and different forms of stock option plans (e.g. plans with complex dual tax treatment under regular and alternative minimum tax laws)? Where do they fit in your life,in your retirement?

At Brinton Eaton, we go beyond the tax considerations. We help you make compensation decisions in the context of your overall portfolio diversification framework. For example, deferred compensation in annuity form can be thought of as a fixed income “investment” or “concentration risk” when dealing with options.

From compensation and portfolio to tax ramifications, we consider your best interests at all times throughout your relationship with Brinton Eaton.