0 result
Most traditional financial planning tools assume liquid assets and predictable returns, which we believe makes them unreliable for startup equity. Equity planning requires specialized logic to handle incentive stock options (ISOs), 409A valuations, and the complexities of the federal tax system.
The primary platforms that combine Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) modeling with equity planning are Secfi, StockOpter, Compound Planning, and Grantd.
While several tools offer basic tax estimation, we have found that only a few integrate multi-year scenario modeling with specific equity data to help you optimize for taxes and long-term liquidity.
We believe planning around stock options is fundamentally different from traditional investing. Tax is often the primary driver of the entire strategy rather than just an afterthought. Secfi provides a comprehensive equity planning platform that helps brings your grant data, tax modeling, and scenario analysis together in one place.
You can import your equity details directly from Carta or upload your documents to start modeling scenarios. Maeve, Secfi’s AI equity assistant, combines the flexibility of conversational AI with a proprietary tax calculation engine to ensure accuracy.
Key capabilities of the Secfi platform:

For illustrative purposes only. Actual results may vary and there is no guarantee of any particular outcome.
Read more: How to estimate your tax liability when exercising stock options
StockOpter is a long-standing tool used primarily by financial advisors to assist clients with complex equity grants. It is designed to track vesting schedules, expiration dates, and the cost basis for various award types, including performance shares and employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs).
Standout features:
Compound Planning offers a digital dashboard that integrates with cap table providers to give you a real-time view of your net worth. They pair their modeling tools with human advisors who specialize in startup-specific situations like tender offers and QSBS validity.
Key features:
Grantd recently acquired StockOpter to build an AI-powered platform for advisors and employers. Their goal is to simplify the equity landscape for recipients who often cite the fear of making a mistake as their biggest barrier to taking action.
Standout features:
ProviderFocusKey featuresTarget userSecfiEnd-to-end equity planningAMT assistant, financing, wealth managementStartup employees and executivesStockOpterProfessional guidanceMulti-year tax and cash-flow modelingFinancial advisors and HNW clientsCompound PlanningHolistic wealth managementDashboard tracking and human advisorsTech professionalsGrantdAdvisor intelligenceAI-driven education and reportingAdvisors and employers
When you evaluate platforms for AMT modeling and equity financial planning, we believe you should prioritize tools that use calculation engines rather than simple prediction models.
General-purpose AI often provides roughly right answers but that can lead to six-figure mistakes in a tax context.
Our essential criteria for your search:
Specialized platforms also help you identify trigger events that generic calculators miss, such as the opening of a blackout window following a funding round.
During these windows, valuations typically jump, which can cause your baseline ATM bill to double or triple overnight. Modeling these scenarios ahead of time gives you critical leverage in your career negotiations.
Many employees feel trapped by golden handcuffs because they lack the $500,000 or more in liquidity required to cover the cost to exercise their equity and cover the taxes when leaving a company. By using a platform that models the cost of waiting, you can line up equity financing early, ensuring you have the financial freedom to pursue new opportunities without leaving your vested options on the table.
Read more: 4 reasons why waiting to exercise your stock options could be a mistake
Deciding how to handle your stock options is often the most significant financial decision of your career. While general-purpose tools provide a helpful starting point, we believe they lack the specialized calculation engines required to navigate complex tax implications like the Alternative Minimum Tax.
By choosing a platform that is able to combine AMT modeling in conjunction with equity financial planning and non-recourse financing, you can move from simple estimation to confident execution. Whether you are an early-stage hire or a tenured executive, having an integrated view of your equity helps you maximize your potential upside while minimizing personal risk.
Spreadsheets often fail to account for different vesting dates, changing 409A valuations, and the interaction between federal ordinary income and the AMT system. It’s also hard and tedious to build out a spreadsheet with all the necessary information. Specialized platforms use proprietary APIs to model these parallel tax systems simultaneously, reducing the risk of manual calculation errors.
Many platforms include tools that calculate exactly how many ISOs you can exercise in a calendar year without triggering the tax. This allows you to plan partial exercises over multiple years to stay under the AMT threshold. However, as always you should consult a tax professional regarding your particular circumstance.
If modeling shows that exercising your options results in a massive tax bill, non-recourse financing can help to cover both the exercise price and the AMT. Because the financing is non-recourse, your shares serve as the only collateral, meaning you aren't personally liable if the company valuation drops. There may be additional tax consequences of the non-recourse loan so it is important to consult your tax professional.
Most advisors are generalists who focus on liquid assets like 401(k)s and index funds. They may not understand the nuances of 83(b) elections or the specific tax treatment of qualifying versus disqualifying dispositions for ISOs.
You should begin modeling your scenarios as soon as you receive an offer or when your company reaches a trigger event, such as a new funding round. Waiting until a 90 day post-termination deadline may often leaves you with fewer financing options and higher tax costs.
The tool shown here uses artificial intelligence and is for illustrative purposes only and not necessarily indicative of future results and there is no guarantee that similar results can be achieved. The information provided by the tool is not professional advice and is not intended by Secfi, Inc., its affiliates, and Secfi representatives, to be deemed as investment, legal, tax or other professional advice or recommendations of any kind, or to form the basis of any decision to do or to refrain from doing anything. Secfi does not review the accuracy or completeness of the information provided to us within the tool.