Equity is an important aspect of any tech worker’s overall compensation. This employee perk gives you a stake in the company and incentive to perform. Not only should it be negotiated upon hire, but also leveraged to its full-potential as your career progresses. When times are good, it’s comfortable to continue taking shares, but what happens when the market sours? The looming recession is forcing some workers to navigate falling stock prices for the first time.
While it’s tempting to mitigate risk by increasing cash compensation, it often provides marginal lifestyle comfort to high-earning workers. In contrast, continuing to receive equity has advantages that are often overlooked. Whether you have stock options or restricted stocks, today’s episode provides an alternative narrative to the doom and gloom of financial downturns. We’ll explore how to identify bear market opportunities, as well as strategic advice for those debating on how to manage their options. Through this lens, you’ll be well-equipped to weather recessions and make the most of your equity compensation.
In this episode, Malcolm Ethridge sits down with Brooke Harley, Founder and CEO of ClassRebel, an online e-learning company that offers affordable and relevant courses on wealth-building, angel investing, and the basics of managing equity. Through her work with ClassRebel, Brooke levels the playing field by making these investing topics available to anyone that wants to learn. She believes that anyone receiving equity compensation should view bear markets as a moment of opportunity rather than a moment of panic. Prior to founding ClassRebel, Brooke worked as a corporate attorney, venture investor, and startup board member.
Brooke Harley Discusses:
- How to get more bang for your buck when the market is down
- How her own personal experience as a startup employee led her to founding Class Rebel
- Ways to be strategic with your equity following a layoff
- Why it is important to negotiate for more equity when share prices are lower
Connect With Brooke:
Connect With Malcolm Ethridge:
- The Tech Money Podcast
- LinkedIn: Malcolm Ethridge
- Connect with Malcolm
- @MalcolmOnMoney
About our Guest:
Brooke Harley is the Founder and CEO of ClassRebel, an online e-learning company that offers affordable and relevant courses on wealth-building, angel investing, and the basics of managing equity. After deploying capital from her first VC fund, Brooke realized that many entrepreneurs had a distinct socio-educational advantage in raising money. Class Rebel represents her efforts to level the playing field by making these investing topics available to anyone that wants to learn them. Prior to founding ClassRebel, Brooke worked as a corporate attorney, venture investor, and startup board member.
