As a longtime wealth advisor in the Bay Area, I've seen my share of young entrepreneurs catapulted into higher income brackets and new lifestyles after their tech startup generated a windfall of cash. But while they welcome financial success, they are often unprepared for the diversification, risk mitigation and tax liability reduction decisions their newfound wealth requires.
Such windfalls, of course, are not reserved for Silicon Valley luminaries. They are also common among early-stage employees who have accumulated shares at multiple companies and children who have come suddenly and unexpectedly into an inheritance. Whether from major cash-outs, accumulated company shares, unexpected inheritances or divorce settlements, significant wealth creation can pose unexpected challenges for these clients.
The Faces of Newfound Wealth
Clients with newfound wealth can include founders, co-founders or early-stage employees of startups that generated windfalls from an IPO during or after their employment. Some acquired new wealth may also result from a merger, acquisition or other liquidity event.
They might emerge from a six-year stint to capture a $20 million windfall after taking a tech venture public. They may be surprised by a $15 million payout as a result of an IPO at a previous employer where they thought their shares had been diluted.
The intense success over a compressed timeframe with little exposure to loss can leave young entrepreneurs with a distorted sense of risk. Most of their wealth — and therefore risk — is typically tied up in their company. Founders who became wealthy by employing risky strategies may be wired to assume outsized risk with their assets or prone to miscalculating risk with highly concentrated positions.
That distortion might be more acute with clients who invested entirely within the recent bull run — and all within the confines of the Silicon Valley ecosystem and its disproportionate number of successful startups. They may become overly optimistic and unprepared for an eventual downturn if their company vastly outperformed the broader market for several years. It's critical for them to understand the role diversification and risk management plays.
Other clients may have seen their wealth balloon in their late 20s before experiencing additional windfalls in their 30s from multiple firms, requiring ongoing risk and balance sheet management. Instead of instant wealth from a major IPO, they have accumulated shares in the form of restricted stock units (RSU) or other compensation. As early-stage employees, they receive the most valuable equity at the firms. But that equity dilutes over time. Once the RSUs are vested, they have less incentive to stay and often leave to restart the cycle at another firm.
It could also be a client who receives a family inheritance after the unexpected death of a parent, perhaps with assets from appreciated property values, a scenario that has become more common during the pandemic.
Understanding Risk & Protecting Assets
Financial advisors serve as a client's guide through defining and achieving their financial goals, oftentimes shepherding them through uncharted territory. While some seek advice in anticipation of a windfall, others wait until their money is in hand. By the time they reach our office, they are often overwhelmed by the management their wealth demands. That is why, in our experience, it is important to engage with an advisor they trust, and as early in the process as possible.
