This course will be LIVE on: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EST.

Attend the upcoming LIVE WEBINAR without the need to take the online quiz to receive CE! If you miss the webinar you will be able to take the online recorded course 10-14 days after the live event to receive 1 hr CFP®, CRC®, and other Continuing Education Credit when you pass the online quiz. 

Employees increasingly receive a significant portion of compensation in the form of nonqualified stock options, particularly in public companies (situation). 

Many do not understand how NQSOs work, when income is triggered, how basis is established, or how exercise timing and methods affect taxes and portfolio risk (problem).

This leads to avoidable tax exposure, poor diversification, cash-flow strain, and missed opportunities to align equity compensation with long-term financial goals (implication). This webinar explains NQSO mechanics, taxation, exercise methods, timing strategies, and tax management techniques so participants can make informed, repeatable decisions and integrate stock options into broader financial planning (need).

In "Introduction to Nonqualified Stock Options (NQSOs)" by Daniel Johnson, you will:

1. Identify the tax consequences and holding period rules at grant, vesting, exercise, and final sale for NQSOs;
2. Differentiate among exercise methods including cash, cashless, sell-to-cover, and stock-for-stock exchanges, and evaluate their tradeoffs;
3. Analyze exercise timing strategies based on in-the-money value, time value, career stage, and portfolio concentration;
4. Apply valuation concepts such as intrinsic value and time value when assessing whether to exercise or defer;
5. Implement withholding and estimated tax strategies to reduce underpayment risk and manage Medicare surtaxes and state taxation. .

Your presenter is Daniel Johnson,CFP®, EA, AEP®.

Dan is an experienced financial professional based in Chicago, IL. He currently serves as an Advanced Planning Advisor at Focus Partners, a nationwide registered investment advisory firm. In this role, he provides specialized consulting for advisors handling complex financial planning, tax, and estate cases, develops advanced planning resources, and delivers firmwide training presentations to enhance advisor capabilities.

In addition to his consulting role, Dan is the founder of Principles Financial Consulting, LLC, where he offers specialized consulting to private advisors and develops educational webinars and content for financial education providers. He also serves as a part-time instructor at UCLA Extension, teaching tax, retirement, and estate planning courses to professionals pursuing CPA, IRS EA, and CFP certifications.

Previously, Dan was Director of Training and Development at Cerity Partners, a nationwide RIA with approximately $120B in AUM, where he led the firm’s internal training initiatives and established consistent standards across regional offices. Earlier, he was Program Director at the College for Financial Planning, where he created and directed the SE-AWMA graduate program, generating $500K+ in revenue with a 90%+ graduation rate and securing major corporate clients including US Bank, Bank of America, Vanguard, Charles Schwab, LPL Financial, Merrill Lynch, and Wells Fargo.

At Kaplan Professional, Dan developed online training programs, CE webinars, and educational materials for financial professionals seeking to obtain or maintain federal and state licenses, certifications, and designations, including FINRA registered representatives, state insurance agents, and NASBA CPAs/EAs.

Dan began his career as a financial advisor in the Twin Cities, providing guidance to a diverse clientele of individuals, families, business owners, and executives nationwide. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, graduate degrees from the College for Financial Planning and Warwick University, and professional designations including CFP®, IRS Enrolled Agent, and Accredited Estate Planner (AEP).

Moderator: Betty Meredith, CFA, CFP®, CRC®, Int’l Retirement Resource Center

1 hr CFP®, CRC®, and other CE Credit Reporting

We will report your CFP® and/or CRC® credit (no additional reporting fee) checkout.  After purchase you will receive an email with a token. Please redeem token to take this course. You will receive another email explaining where to enter your CFP® and/or CRC® IDs  You are responsible for reporting all other certifications for CE credit. 

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