Compound

My last year at Carta, we facilitated $7.4B in secondary transactions for private companies. That year, only 43% of eligible shareholders participated. Here’s how Compound advisors, like Nicholas Garcia, help their clients consider the upside, but also manage risk. The decision to sell is uniquely personal, and Compound advisors guide clients to a decision centered around their personal financial situation and goals. Concentration and liquidity risk is real. There’s no guarantee of another liquidity event. It’s been 3 years since I have personally had an opportunity to liquidate Carta stock. Understanding that is key to deciding how much to sell and whether or not to sell. Then there’s deciding what to sell and what to do with those proceeds. In our new Manual, Nicholas models a number of approaches to tender offers: https://lnkd.in/eYjPYKFA

Today’s a special day at Compound. We keep on compounding — now managing more than $4 billion in AUM. When we merged Compound and Alternativ Wealth in September 2023, we had $1B under management. At the time, that felt huge. Less than two years later, we’re at $4B (that's 269% growth!). Along the way, we’ve welcomed new advisors across the country, served thousands of clients, and expanded what our platform can do — from tax filing to a dashboard now used by over 10,000 people. The growth is exciting, but for me, this milestone is about momentum. It’s proof that a model built on modern tools and personal relationships can actually scale. Proud of this team. Grateful to the advisors and clients who’ve joined us. And excited for what’s next. See how we did it: https://lnkd.in/ezKTQmH7

When I tell people about the Compound dashboard, these three features always get me amped up. Our advisors (and their clients) share in the excitement because all of these features (1) make their lives much easier and (2) really set us apart. 1️⃣ Our equity compensation tool Our dashboard makes it easy to see your company equity right next to the rest of your balance sheet. We pull in details across ISOs, NSOs, RSUs, and private stock holdings so clients can view everything in one place — from grant dates and vesting schedules to strike prices and tax implications. That way, our advisors can guide clients through key decisions like when to exercise, how to manage AMT exposure, and how equity fits into their broader financial plan. 2️⃣ Our net worth tracker What it says on the tin. Clients can see how their net worth changes day to day. We factor in public and private investments, real estate, company equity, crypto, 401ks, and more. 3️⃣ Our document vault The vault holds our client’s important financial documents, tax returns, statements, etc — right where they manage their personal finances. Plus, you can tag by assets or ownership, so forms are easy to find when you need them. All of these features make it easier for clients to know what they have at any point in time and give our advisors the context they need to make smart, personalized recommendations.

The best part of my job is helping individuals and families make thoughtful financial decisions typically starting with their company equity — the part of their financial life that creates both the most opportunity and the most questions. I’m grateful for the trust my clients put in myself and my team, and for being included on the 2025 Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-In-State list is a reflection of that work. Almost 5 years after helping launch Compound as the first advisor, my team has grown to ~$420M in AUM (adding ~$85M in the last 6 months) and our firm has surpassed $4B in AUM, with lots of momentum ahead. The Compound Dashboard is our "one source of truth" that tracks investments, taxes, equity, and more in one place — and helps me model different scenarios to see how equity decisions affect a clients overall plan. That focus on solving real client challenges is what makes this recognition possible. And none of it happens without the team I get to work alongside every day. https://lnkd.in/gkNYzwnU

Imagine joining a Series A startup as an early employee with the chance to early exercise for $40K. You wait. Two years later at $1B valuation? That same exercise now costs $400,000. This happens to startup employees every day. The difference between building wealth and leaving money on the table often comes down to timing. Download the Equity Decision Framework →

For most tech employees, the post-IPO lockup is the waiting period. But it's actually the most important time to be planning. You need to be ready with a strategy for when the subsequent windows open. Because once trading goes live, the price is moving every day — and you don’t want to be stuck in reaction mode or following someone else’s plan because it sounds like the easiest decision. Before the lockup opens, decide: → At what price do I start selling? → What are my exercise decisions? → What does my company's trading window calendar look like? → What potential outcome would give me the least regret? If you want to model out scenarios before the lockup opens, our equity planning tool was built for it: https://lnkd.in/e8PPW44J