BrightPlan, a financial wellness company, has launched a new Equity Compensation Planner to provide employees with the digital tools and professional financial advice they need to view and manage their employer-provided equity compensation. 

When 86% of HR managers struggle to attract and retain quality workers, and 65% struggle to engage employees as reported in the 2022 Wellbeing Barometer survey, the Equity Compensation Planner is a much-needed asset for companies to leverage. 

Employers can better retain and engage top talent by demonstrating the value of equity compensation as a key component of an employee’s total compensation package.

The Equity Compensation Planner provides a transparent view and deeper understanding of the value of company-provided equity to an employee, including RSUs (restricted stock units), ESPPs (employee stock purchase plans) and stock options.

With its digital self-service capabilities, BrightPlan’s Equity Compensation Planner allows employees to track the estimated value of shares in near-real time for public company stocks, view the potential deal over time, and have visibility into trading windows to know when they can trade their shares. 

Complexe topic

Share-based compensation is a complex topic for employees, as many are unaware of the value of their shares as part of their total compensation and do not know how to exercise their options. 

Employees often underestimate the value of a benefit if they don’t fully understand it, and people often leave their jobs for higher salaries without understanding the greater value of the equity they leave behind. 

Holger Mueller, vice president and principal analyst at Constellation Research, said: “This new feature also enhances an employer’s retention and engagement strategy; when employees understand the value of what their company provides, they are more motivated to stay and add value. Finally, BrightPlan helps HR teams mitigate risk by answering specific financial questions that HR may not be authorised or legally qualified to answer.”

Studies have also shown that employees value their share-based compensation more when provided with training and guidance. This new tool allows employees to access personalised educational content to learn how equity compensation works. 

Education

The solution is complemented by unlimited access to BrightPlan’s financial planners, who have in-depth expertise in the company’s equity compensation offering. 

These financial planners can provide personalised advice to help employees make the most of the equity provided by their employer while keeping in mind the employee’s unique financial situation and needs.

Marthin De Beer, founder and CEO of BrightPlan, concluded, “Employers have a responsibility to provide the education, tools and resources that enable their employees to navigate the complexities of equity compensation, which can motivate them to look at accelerating the value of the company and stay with their employer longer.”

Key Capabilities: 

The Equity Compensation Planner is a comprehensive feature that covers tracking, visibility and best practice advice for equity benefits across stock options, RSUs and ESPP. 

Several powerful, 24/7 capabilities allow employees to:

• Track Value: View the present and future value of their equity
• Obtain Equity Events Information and Notifications: Track stock options, RSU vesting events, ESPP purchase events, and get timely alerts via push notifications
• Estimate the Right ESPP Contribution Amount: Access a calculator to understand the impact of ESPP contributions on take-home pay
• View Trading Windows: See when company trading windows are open to know when to sell stock and receive push notifications to understand when the windows open and close
• Learn About Employer Equity: Read dynamic educational content, including related articles and webinars in the BrightPlan Academy
• Receive Global Support: Employees around the world of U.S.-based employers will be able to use the feature to manage their RSUs, ESPP and stock options
• Engage with Financial Planners: Employees can talk to a financial planner and get guidance on optimising their equity compensation strategy

Optimising Equity With Investment Strategies: 

In addition to the Equity Compensation Planner, employees can link other investment accounts to BrightPlan and have the ability to see all of their investments in one place. For diversification, BrightPlan also offers automated investments in the US through three key portfolios: ESG (environmental, social, governance), Factor and Index.

Availability: 

The Equity Compensation Planner is available in the United States as part of BrightPlan’s Total Financial Wellness solution. Outside the US, the Equity Compensation Planner will be available subject to compliance with local laws and regulations.