Webinar Replay

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Member Update + Equity Comp Masterclass Preview 

Tom Dickson opened with a brief Financial Experts Network (FEN) member update and then previewed a four-part Equity Compensation Master Class led by Aric  Jacobson. The live master class dates are February 3, 10, 17, and 24 (four sessions), and Tom emphasized that subscribers can access the program for $0 program fee (with **CE reporting fees passed along as applicable), while non-subscribers pay $59 for the full four-session program plus applicable CE reporting fees. 

1) Program logistics, access, replays, and CE positioning

• Access & registration flow: Tom described that registrants can enroll for all four sessions at once, get an “Add to Calendar” option, and access everything via the dashboard (“Learning” → “My Master Class”).
• Replays & CE-eligible replays: Tom said each session will have (a) a replay version for viewing and (b) a CE-eligible replay/self-study version that requires passing a quiz.
• CE credit framing (as stated in the webinar): Tom characterized each master class session as CE-eligible and referenced CFP and IAR CE availability, and also mentioned EA/CPE in the context of CE coverage. 

2) FEN operational updates and member value points (adds pulled directly from the transcript)

• Tom reiterated FEN’s focus on live webinars, citing 119 live webinars last year and 124 in 2024, and said webinars are listener-rated with a reported 88% rating level he tracks closely.
• He highlighted a mandatory two-hour CFP ethics course scheduled for March 16 (as described in the session) and positioned it as useful for CFPs needing ethics credit in their cycle.
• Tom also described a new content concept: turning high-rated sessions into podcast-style summaries, including an AI-generated sample he planned to share. 

3) Aric  Jacobson’s background and what the four sessions will cover

Aric  said he began as a tax/employee benefits attorney (starting in New York), later moved into financial services, and has spent ~25–30 years working in and around equity compensation; most recently he worked on Commonwealth Financial Network’s advanced planning team, collaborating with advisors and clients on equity comp cases across both public and private companies. 

Session structure (as described):

• Session 1: Foundations + RSUs (noted as most common in public companies), plus RSAs and ESPPs.
• Session 2: Deep dive into ISOs vs. NQOs (tax treatment differences and planning).
• Sessions 3–4: More advanced real-world planning situations, including private-company issues and “rabbit holes” that come up in practice.
• Aric  repeatedly emphasized that taxation is central (while still “don’t let the tax tail wag the dog”) and that advisors need a solid baseline understanding of how each award type is taxed and how events change outcomes. 

4) Tools, templates, and Grantd platform mention

In Q&A about whether there would be spreadsheets/templates, Aric  said he uses examples but not a standalone spreadsheet template; he then mentioned a platform called Grantd that aims to help gather awards data, run tax modeling, and produce planning reports, and said the product was still being enhanced based on early user feedback.

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