zoë hartsfield 🌊

Airtop

Brand Consultant

the little ghost

influencer marketing, brand consulting + ghostwriting services

Owner

Slate

Content Creation and Brand Strategy partner for Slate.

Brand Strategist

Warmly,

Maximize the ROI of marketing.

Automate conversion of high-intent target accounts that visit your website. Ensure that no lead falls through the cracks.

DM me for an intro to their team:)

Strategic Advisor

Apollo.io

My job title is weird this is the stuff I own:

- Apollo's Youtube channel (content strategy, creation, editing, project management + analytics reporting)
- Executive Evangelism (Executive Brands)
- Employee Evangelism (Employee Advocacy)
- Influencer Collabs (Youtube, LinkedIn + MasterClass talent sourcing)
- Content Host (Youtube, LinkedIn, Webinars)

Sr. Manager, Product Evangelism + Video Content Strategy (Youtube)

My job is to bring you the most actionable tactical sales tips over Linkedin, Youtube, Instagram & Webinars. 

If you can’t walk away knowing how to make more money, I’m not very good at that job

Sales Trainer in Residence

Pioneering a new B2B Influencer marketing program for GTM pros.

Sr. Manager, Influencer Marketing + Evangelism

Building a world class b2b influencer marketing program. 

Creating sales + marketing content to help our users get the MOST out of our product.

Influencer relationship management.

Content creation. 

Public speaking.

Copywriting.

Sr. Manager, Evangelism, Executive Presence + Community

Stealth Startup

up the content, community & demand gen functions.
Q1 & Q2 OKRs + Wins:
- 4x inbound traffic
- organized and generated Sales Collateral Library
- guested on 15 podcast + webinars to evangelize the brand
- onboarded tools: HockeyStack, Warmly, Demandwell
- Stood up content calendar
- Stood up product release marketing with CS
- Trained the GTM team on social selling
- Created Community Driven Pipeline Playbook
- Launched Events marketing program hosting in-person and virtual events
- Stood up partnerships program
- Stood up first-ever referral motion (generating 15% of pipeline after 2 months)
- leveraging my personal brand to generate new business opportunities
- Set up GA4 + marketing attribution model
- Generated 50% of pipeline from inbound, content + community
- Generated 39% closed-won revenue from inbound, content + community
- did all of this without ads^ 😏

Head of Marketing & Evangelism

Spekit 🐙

New biz is the name of the game.

Growth Marketing
Demand Generation
Community
Paid Ads
Pipeline Generation & Acceleration

Demand Generation (Growth Marketing) Manager

- generated first ever community influenced pipeline (30+ meetings in 60 days) to help the team hit pipeline goals in Q1
- grew social media (LinkedIn & IG) presence by 50% in first 90 days
- successfully executed series B social blitz and PR announcement first week on the job
- manage customer advocacy campaigns and initiatives
-grew social media following by 105% in 5 months
-increased G2 reviews by 30% in Q2 (took on 2 new leader badges as a result)
-Building our Marketing Advisory Council

More to come:)

Community Manager

Dooly

Sourced and onboarded 10 net new partners in first 90 days. 

Built out tracking/project management flow to store partner data and comms.

Ground up - built and scaled referral program for PLG product motion. Referrals convert at 7x the rate of those who find our site organically. Driving new users and revenue through the referral program.

Community/Partner Manager

BombBomb

-grew social media presence by 25% in first 3 months
-increased avg webinar registration (260%) and attendance (80%)
-guest on podcasts, webinars and LinkedIn Live to further brand awareness and train on video communication best practices
-explore new channels to bring education around video, BombBomb and Human-Centered Communication
-collaborate with content and design team to promote and create engagement around events, webinars and product launches 
-train and equip staff to engage on social platforms and enhance their personal brand
-write, host and Youtube/short-form podcast for the brand

Community Marketing Associate

-generated 3.1 mil in projected pipeline in 6 months
-87% hold rate
-set record for quickest outbound SAO after start date for the team
-writing sales copy & sequencing that incorporates personal video to start conversations and turn prospects into customers
-social media strategy, content creation, demand generation sequencing, data analytics

Business Development Representative- Mid Market

-Leveraged personal relationships to bring on new business
-Top Performer (4/6 months excluding ramp-up)
-Converted leads higher than expectations consistently throughout tenure
-onboarded and trained new reps
-highest hold rate on the team during tenure

***Clearly got bored of not working after one semester and found a new job 3 months later. continued to work full-time and attend college full-time.

BombBomb is helping teams rehumanize their communication by enabling people with easy to use video and tracking for email, text and social. Whether you need better touches with your clients, clearer communication between your remote teammates, or higher conversion rates, video is proven to help. Let us show you how!

Sales Development Representative

T. Rowe Price

Promoted to Specialist shortly after completing licensing. 
Trained and coached new reps. 
Worked 45 hrs + per week while doing school full time.
Had lowest errors on the team.
Was involved in leadership training and development.

***Left to focus on school full-time in the Spring Semester.

Financial Service Specialist

Asked to join team full time before completion of internship. 
Had highest interview score of incoming hire class.
Passed all licensing exams on the first try.

Financial Services Representative

Receiving, sorting and processing client requests regarding their 401k's. Completing high volumes of work with accuracy and attention to detail. Submitting client requests, allocating funds, updating client information and supporting leadership with various processing projects.

Participant Transactions Processing Intern

good @ building pipeline | bad at most other things | currently building pipeline + evangelism at Apollo

I've generated over 100MM impressions for brands on social media in the past 24 months. Most coming from LinkedIn. Building world class employee, executive and influencer advocacy programs for B2B software companies. 

I'm a marketer by trade, but sales has my heart. Also passionate about helping younger professional level up in their careers (mostly by charing lessons I learned the hard way).

-------------------------------------------------------------

If you're a brand and want to collab on content, shoot me an email at zoe@zoehart.co

If you're a young professional looking for tips, hacks, and learnings to help you level up, hit the bell & follow me on IG (@zoepatience) and TikTok (@zoeeharttt).

If there are other ways you hope to work together, shoot me a DM- let's chat.

Standing up the content, community & demand gen functions at Swantide. 
Q1 & Q2 OKRs + Wins:
- 4x inbound traffic
- organized and generated Sales Collateral Library
- guested on 15 podcast + webinars to evangelize the brand
- onboarded tools: HockeyStack, Warmly, Demandwell
- Stood up content calendar
- Stood up product release marketing with CS
- Trained the GTM team on social selling
- Created Community Driven Pipeline Playbook
- Launched Events marketing program hosting in-person and virtual events
- Stood up partnerships program
- Stood up first-ever referral motion (generating 15% of pipeline after 2 months)
- leveraging my personal brand to generate new business opportunities
- Set up GA4 + marketing attribution model
- Generated 50% of pipeline from inbound, content + community
- Generated 39% closed-won revenue from inbound, content + community
- did all of this without ads^ 😏


We are making implementing and configuring salesforce 10x faster, 10x simpler at 1/5 the cost. It's so easy, I can set up your Salesforce instance. DM me if you're about to or just bought SFDC and need help with configuration & system management. We've got you covered 😎

zoë hartsfield

Update on the starbucks gift cards for flight attendants. 

1. United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliners have 10 flight attendants, not 8. 

2. They will come up and individually thank you, and your seat mates might ask “why are these flight attendants coming by every 15 minutes?” 

3. It feels nice to do nice things and I feel selfish and weird for admitting it but it brought me a lot of joy to bring them joy. 

4. A fourth point… 


Anyway, was nice to spread a little holiday cheer. 

Also Janice kept the mimosas flowing for me on flight number 2 so that was a dubbbbb. 


happy turkey day:)

running influencer marketing @ fullenrich | personal brand, social selling + executive ghostwriting for B2B SaaS/AI | ask me about your LinkedIn strategy

No alternative text description for this image

6 reasons i will NEVER go back in office: 

- working from anywhere has allowed me to be more present with my family (especially my grandparents who are older than time itself. the extra moments with them are priceless

- the amount of money i have saved on commuting is astronomical. gas, lunch at or near the office, happy hour drinks with coworkers each friday… literally thousands a year saved 

- i get to hang out with my dog all day. which is way better than him hanging out with someone else all day… or alone. you want my dog to be alone all day you psychopath!? 

- i’m more creative. something about being home, going on walks, working from coffee shops or airplanes or hospital rooms (remember the line about my grandparents being older than time?) knocks me out of my routine and allows me to think more creatively

- i’m actually way more productive at home. i’m a yapper, so being in office is great a few days a month but i also get so much less done when im there. i’d rather blitz a productive few hours in the morning and spins. few meetings in the afternoon than lose my day catching up with chad about his boys fishing trip last weekend. 

- my house has a fireplace. does the office have a fireplace? no? cool. case & point. 




remote work offers flexibility, productivity& cost savings to many people. it may not be for everyone- but neither is being in office 5 days a week. 


employees crave flexibility. that’s worth its weight in gold. 



ps this is day eleventythousand/100. literally less than 30 days left in this challenge and im hype:)

running influencer marketing @ fullenrich | personal brand, social selling + productivity | ask me about ghostwriting + founder brands

I just closed the largest ghostwriting contract of my life this week and it almost got pushed to 2026. This one question moved the deal up a whole quarter:

Me: “When do you need to start seeing that value from this initiative?” 

Them: “Well, ideally in January.” 

Me: “Okay, based on your brand today, we needed to start last month to have a chance at hitting that target. No worries though, we still have a good amount of runway to get things up and moving- I’d expect you to hit those goals Feb/March if we start next week.” 

Them: “Okay, let’s do it, can you send a contract today?” 



^ Christine Rogers at M3 Learning walked us through the idea of “uncovering urgency.”

No more trying to manufacture urgency that isn’t there- just thoughtful questions that get the prospect to reveal the urgency that already exists. 


This was one of the many tools she taught me in the past few months. 




I took the Proactive Selling Cohort training over the last 10 weeks and feel like I got a madterclass in sales. 

I wish I took this back when I was a rep, but now as a part time solopreneur, it’s helping me close more business than i ever pictured I could.  

If you’re: 
- an experience seller in need of a repeatable process
- a new seller in need of some guidance
- a founder or entrepreneur who needs help selling your services/product

I cannot recommend it enough.


So grateful to Christine & the whole M3 team for the course. Was career changing. 


(I’ll drop deets to sign up for their Jan cohort in the comments. I don’t get paid or anything for it, I just genuinely would recommend this training to ANY seller looking to level up.)

the biggest lie corporate america ever told:

hard work gets your promoted...... no, it doesn't. you know what does?


good work + visibility. 


visibility beats ability

visibility beats effort

visibility beats title

visibility can EVEN beat results



i learned this the hard way when my VP promoted a teammate over me. 

on paper i was:

- in the office earlier
- stayed later
- booked more demos
- had a higher conversion rate
- was 5% better than her in every KPI


but you know what she had?

- a great relationship with the VP
- a great relationship with the AEs
- a CLEAR conversation with leadership that THIS was her next step


my VP pulled me aside the day he promoted her. he knew I was crushed. 

Him: "Go ahead Zoe, ask me."

ME: "Why her and not me?"

Him: "You left it too close to call. Never leave it up to the Umpire. You should make yourself the obvious choice."




promotions are not about who works harder... they are about who works louder

- throw those wins in the group slack
- share templates that work with the team to share success
- write about your learnings on Linkedin + highlight the team in the process


visibility >>> ability

I've posted 547 LinkedIn last 2 years. (yes i counted them all like a psychopath). anyway... here are my completely unfiltered thoughts on LinkedIn content: 

- stop asking "thoughts?" at the end of every post... it's implied.
- carousels are NOT actually better than text posts
- commenting "great post" has added approximately zero value to anyone, ever
- if you're reposting the same motivational quote everyone else is using... maybe skip it
- personal stories beat business advice 99% of the time in reach
- tactical business advice beats personal stories 99% of the time as lead gen
- using "we" when you reallllly mean "I" makes you sound like you're hiding + like a douche
- polls are annoying
- your morning routine is not revolutionary content (and i don't believe you really wake up at 5a and cold plunge everyday)
- stop humble bragging about your "failures" that were actually huge Ws
- if you wouldn't say it in real life don't type it on LinkedIn


after spending too much time here, these are my unfiltered thoughts.

but I want to hear your unhinged takes on Linkedin.

not the safe ones everyone obviously agrees with... the ones that might get you some angry comments.



what drives you absolutely insane about LinkedIn content?

75/100

Reason 617272817 i love remote work: 

this is my view right now as i clear my inbox 



does your office have that, chad? 

#remotework #workfromanywhere

turns out my selfies are the thing people remember most about my posts.

soooo glad i put all that effort into learning to spell the word “strategic”. 😂


seems like folks looked at my rushed, poorly lit, slightly confused face and thought, “f*ck her points about social selling- let’s remake THIS.”

fine. i’ll lean in:)
but if i’m going to become a meme, at least let me provide a proper reference image.



here you have it Matt Firestone 
 
the most aggressively posed, try-hard, i-promise-i’m-not-hurt selfie i could produce. 

it’s giving “main character,” 
but also…”please don’t zoom in too close.”



my therapist says exposure builds character… 

90/100

#selfie #linkedin #socialselling

I haven’t worked in sales since 2020, but I sell almost everyday (just closed a $15k deal last night which puts me over my annual goal 🥲. I also demo a surprising amount for someone who:

- Doesn’t actually carry a real quota at her company
- Doesn’t sell a product/tool for her side hustle

The beauty of creating content around the problems we solve is…..

Prospects often come to you:)

It doesn’t always make sense for me to hop on a call with someone who wants to buy FullEnrich.

It doesn’t always make sense for me to send them to a sales rep either. 

So my new hack is AI-powered product demos for that awkward in-between step. 

I use Consensus to create a sort of “test drive” so when these one-off leads come in I can send them somewhere to check out the product without any pressure. 

Our tool has a pretty solid free option so the next step is usually them signing up for a free trial or pinging me for a proper intro to sales. 

I used to spend 2-3 hrs a week on calls answering product questions. Now I just send  Consensus demos, free trial links or “book a sales call” emails and let the sales team collect the bag. 

They recently launched their Consensus for Marketers product for interactive tours + personalized demos. It’s mobile friendly which is perfect for someone like me who spends half my life in the back of an uber. 


Consensus = faster sales cycles, less of my time demoing a product that honestly, people just want to get their hands on. Win win. 



Here’s a video of me sending one to someone while I was on the road. (Another great use case for on demand demos). 


#ConsensusPartner

In high school, my Trig teacher told me:
"You'll NEVER make it in the professional world if you don't learn to show your work."

Well, Mrs. Gordon... 

I am proud to say I have never needed to use Pythagorean Identities OR been asked to provide a Proof since college. 

Clients just care about results. 



While showing your work helps you generate opportunities + establish credibility...

Outcomes get you paid. 



If she'd weighted homework as much as exams, maybe I would have done it sometimes. 🤷🏻‍♀️


Lazy people with efficiency kinks rule the world.

trying to channel my inner Lana Ivory 🦋 and snagged some starbucks gift cards for the flight crew. 

traveling this time of year is wild. you get a range of super cheerful folks and some of the grumpiest humans i’ve ever encountered. 

i feel grateful that airport & airline staff are working so i can go be with the people i love most over the holidays. 

loved Lana’s idea of going the flight crew a little gift as a “thanks for getting us there safely!” 

i’ll let ya know how it goes:) 


happy holidays yall!


wish i’d held these right side up 🫠

Me to my boss: "Did Finance look at my notes on the FY26 fiscal plan?
Him: "You didn't leave notes on the annual plan."
Me: "Exactly... so wtf is Brad from accounting doing in my copy doc?"


Why is this the most relatable image I've seen as a marketer ever?


AND why is it that eVeRyOnE thinks they're qualified to comment on (read: ruin) marketing?


I don't show up to your cubical and tell you how to do your spreadsheets, Karen! 



Marketing by committee is where good ideas go to die. 





Ps. This billboard from Clay was perfect. No notes. 



PPs. I shamelessly stole this graphic from the team at Draf because it literally made me want to cry. It's brilliant. Give your social media manager a raise.

I’m posting everyday for 100 days. After 71 of them, here are the 3 things that have made the MOST impact in the quality + performance of my content:

1. Consistency - which feels sort of meta.

Posting everyday for 100 days inherently bakes in a forced consistency but I have noticed a level of “anticipation” from my network. I will even get a “no post today?” from a connection if it’s late in the afternoon and my content hasn’t gone live.

Think of it like a TV series. People expect a new episode every Tuesday. They tune in at 7p on the dot.

Post at a similar time and similar frequency and your network will fall into that rhythm with you.


2. AI is GREAT for ideation 

100 days of posting is a recipe for “idk wtf to write about anymore.” So using AI to help you brainstorm hooks, and content ideas is a game changer. 

I personally use Stanley (Your Content Coach) which sends me a report every Sunday based on my top performing content from the week and breaks down “WHY” it worked or flopped which helps me think through my next batch of posts.


3. Speaking of batch of posts- I batch my content. 

I write most of it on Sundays after that Stanley email comes in.

I find that setting aside time to get into a creative flow is easier than waking up at 6a everyday and trying to be creative on demand.

I would HIGHLY recommend anyone getting into content creation or trying to double down on it in 2025 challenge themselves to posting 100 days in a row.

And if you need help staying consistent, understanding what your audience responds to and coming up with creative post ideas, I’d check out Stanley as your AI powered creative writing partner. 

Since I personally started using Stanley my average impressions are up 42% WoW. 

Try it here: https://lnkd.in/eHHzy8Gi)




Cheers to day 71/100. At the end of the challenge I’ll share my total growth stats. Stay tuned:)




PPS. I was supposed to post this on Friday but life... ya know. So the voice-over is all kinds of messed up BUT at least my vocal fry still makes everyone angry. 

#stanleypartner #contentassistant

I used to use flights to crush through emails and clear my inbox, but now idk what to do with myself… 

I literally hate email. Like I hate it. Like I avoid my inbox at all costs and handle it in big batches because reading and replying to emails is the bain of my existence. 

I’ve tried literally EVERY email assistant under the sun… but none of them could draft email replies in my tone or could capture the context of the previous emails in the thread. 

I’d spend more time editing AI generated drafts than I would have just writing the d:)mn email myself…

Until now.

Fyxer AI  just dropped Drafts 2.0 and it’s actually fire. 

It fixed the problem of context and tone in a way that I didn’t think these AI email assistants would be able to do for months. 

I can set my own "tone" guidelines and it uses my previous emails to write in a voice that sounds like me... ANNNND in the context of the conversation so it's tailored to the recipient as well. 


Now I ship out replies with minimal edits and clear out my inbox in literally half the time.

There’s one hour and 52 minutes left on this flight still.




Anyone got any podcast recs?

#FyxerPartner

After posting 77 days in a row I gotta say I wouldn’t recommend it. 

Excellent experiment. Learning a ton. But for 99% of people it doesn’t make any sense.

Linkedin has new(ish) analytics features! I’m going to teach you line by line what metrics are available to you and exactly what they MEAN for you, your brand and your business:

First the obvious ones:

Impressions 
This is every time someone scrolls past your post for half a second. It showed up in their feed. This signals “distribution” of your content.

Engagements (Likes etc)
This is people who went a step further to show some kind of support of your content.

Comments
This is where it gets interesting. Someone found what you said insightful (or infuriating) enough to let you know what they think.


Now we have the more nuanced metrics:

Members reached
This is actual individuals you reached.  

Profile Viewers
I'm always yapping about optimizing your profile as a landing page- this is why. When someone reads your content for the first time and it sparks curiosity they click your little headshot and go to your profile to check you out. Make sure they have something to look at. 

Followers Gained From This Post:
This is people who saw your content and decided to follow you SPECIFICALLY from the follow button on the post itself. *This doesn't count people who go to your profile and follow you from there. 

Reposts
Someone found your content valuable enough to share with THEIR audience. (Also signals to the algorithm, hey, this is super valuable!)

Saves
This is where we get into the true "dark social" of Linkedin. Hard to see or quantify but another signal that the post was valuable enough for someone to want to come back to it. 

Sends
Andddd another dark social signal. A share we cannot see! Someone in your audience wanted someone specific in their audience to see this. 

Button clicks (premium only)
If you have a custom button on your profile/under your headline + someone clicks it- CONGRATS! They saw enough value in whatever you wrote to explore whatever it is you take them to next. For me, it’s my newsletter. For you, it could be your website or demo form or a video of you making sourdough bread on Youtube… idk your life. 



I made a really detailed Tango because I was trying to walk someone thru this over Slack on a plane + found this walk thru to be way easier. And I saved it– so now you can have it. (peep it in the 📌 comment)


If you ever are in a bind or find yourself explaining/re-explaining complex topics or ideas that really do better with a visual aid, you should try tango (dot) ai.

Teach it once. Never explain it again:)

#TangoPartner

I’m trying to reconcile Linkedin’s own advice about posting timely, relevant and value add content with an emphasis on industry news and current events… 


and the fact that 80% of my feed today is posts from 2-3 weeks ago. 

those current events aren’t so current anymore

i receive more pressure from linkedin to wake up and 5a and start a franchise than i ever did to drink in high school…

Can't wait to find out about the Cloudflare outage in 2 weeks.

30 days left in the year. 

are you packing it in early and hoping for a better one next year or squeezing every ounce of life you can get out of 2025 still?

My answer in the comments:)

86/100

Financial planning and education (without the jargon) I Creating blueprints for high-earning sales executives and business owners

I left the financial industry because I saw a problem.

People wanted to work with a planner, but they ended up becoming a number on a spreadsheet.

I had to leave to start something new.

And now?

I'm a fee-only planner who helps salespeople & equity compensated employees under 45 give a purpose to their paycheck.

I left the large financial institutions to start my own independent company. I did it so people could pay for real planning and not just an agenda to sell a hidden product. 

As a true fiduciary, Pashman Financial, LLC was built on that promise by focusing on you and you only.

🔵 Why people hire me? 

Well, people have come to me with the following problems:

- They want peace of mind with their money
- Their old advisor barely communicates with them
- They want an answer tailored to them, not from Google
- They felt pressured to buy a product that wasn't a right fit
- They are great at making money but struggle to keep it
- They want a simple plan that's easy to understand
- They want someone to hold them accountable
- They want someone they can trust

🔵 What are my services?

I help identify your goals, craft a financial blueprint that lays out action items to hit them, and monitor your progress. 

💵 Cash Flow Management  
📈 Equity Compensation
🏡 Real Estate Planning
📊 Investment Planning
📍 Retirement Planning
🛡 Insurance Planning
📚 Education Planning
💲 Tax Management
💳 Debt Repayment
📃 Estate Planning

🔵 Who do I serve?

Age: Individuals and families between 30-50 years old
Target: Sales pros, tech employees, other millennial families
Location: Virtually anywhere in the U.S.

But I love working with people that are driven to make a change. So even if you don’t fit these criteria, feel free to reach out. Your personality is everything. 

🔵 Why I'm different?

1) My model is primarily a flat fee service. No time trap. 

2) I do not require you to hand over your investments nor require a minimum to work with. Managing your assets is optional and I'll still assist you if you do it yourself. My focus is ongoing financial planning. 

3) I focus on how to increase your cash flow, not just your assets. I work with you to ensure your systems are set and consistently educate you on how your finances work. I get paid to truly keep you accountable over time.

You can find my pricing in my "featured" section on the website. 

Stop delaying action. Shoot me a message to schedule a complimentary intro.

Max Pashman, CFP®

Renting is not a waste of money 
Renting is not a waste of money
Renting is not a waste of money
Renting is not a waste of money
Renting is not a waste of money

It isn’t always “throwing money away”.

In fact, it’s an option that offers flexibility.

It’s avoiding being locked into a mortgage you’re not financially or emotionally ready for.

People underestimate how costly the wrong home purchase can be.

Better to stretch on rent than get trapped by a mortgage you can’t afford.

Helping Founders and Executives Plan for Early Retirement and Exit

Most have no clue what a write-off does.

Here's a quick breakdown of what it is:

A write-off is merely a deduction.

So use the example:

→ You get a $20,000 expense to write off
 → If your income starts at $200,000?
 → It gets lowered to $180,000
 → So what does that mean?

Here's what it does not mean:

IT DOES NOT MEAN $20,000 LESS TAXES.

A deduction does one thing:
Reduces income taxable.

In this case, a single person in 2025:
(Using only federal taxes in this example)

→ The entire $20,000 is in the 32% bracket
 → The amount taxed? $6,400 federal
 → So with the taxes saved?
 → You netted - $13,600

So yes, you saved more in taxes.

But you still spent money in the end.

It's not a dollar-for-dollar save.

It's a reduction in income taxed.

Big difference!

Note: Post is purely educational and not financial or tax advice*

Max Pashman

pashman-financial-llc

schooloffinances

Reset Your Password | LinkedIn

li_at

JSESSIONID

Sales Navigator

Your employer offers you a $200,000 salary. 

But also offers a $200,000 bonus with it.

When you get the bonus, it's taxed just like your salary. 

Except it's withheld completely different from it. 

One question you should always ask:

What will you do with the bonus?

Option 1: Spend it
Option 2: Save it in cash
Option 3: Invest in your company's stock
Option 4: Invest it into your portfolio

No matter what happens, that bonus gets taxed when it vests. 

And if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not talking about a bonus.

Welcome to planning around Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) 101

People spend roughly $200 a plate for a Thanksgiving dinner. If they took that $100 and invested it in the market over 30 years you would have made nah I’m just kidding have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

90% of parents plan to invest for their kids, but are clueless where. 
 
Here are the full details of common accounts to consider:
 
#1 529 Plan 
 
Usually the first option people think of when planning for their kids. 
 
This is the traditional go-to if you know your kid is going to college. 
 
The reason being is that it provides tax advantages specifically for educational needs. 
 
Pros of 529: 
 
-Earnings are tax-free when used for qualified educational expenses 
-Can front load up to 5x normal contributions 
($19,000 X 5 = $95,000 per contributor) 
-May offer a state deduction depending on the state 
 
Cons of 529: 
 
-If not used for education, earnings are taxed + hit with a 10% tax penalty 
-Limited investments options available 
-Expense ratios could be high 
 
 
#2 UTMA / UGMA 
 
Don't think the funds will be used for college? 
 
One of the most popular alternatives is a UTMA / UGMA. 
 
It can be a good way to provide a nest egg for the future. 
 
Pros of UTMA/UGMA: 
 
-A vehicle that could be used to teach your kids about personal finance 
-Can be used for any purpose and not just their education 
-Exempted from paying a gift tax up to $19,000 / year 
 
Cons of UTMA/UGMA: 
 
-Hurts financial aid as a kids asset and is subject to kiddie taxes 
-Contributions are irrevocable (cannot be taken back) 
-Funds MUST be given to kids when they are 18-21 depending on the state 
 
#3 Custodial Roth IRA 
 
Who doesn’t love a Roth? 
 
Now you can provide one for your child. 
 
This is a unique way to build tax-free money that’s partially accessible penalty-free before retirement. 
 
(Partially is the key word here) 
 
Pros of Custodial Roth IRA: 
 
-Not included in the financial aid calculation 
-Access to contributions are penalty free 
-Earnings are penalty free and/or tax free if requirements are met 
 
Cons of Custodial IRA: 
 
-Restrictions on earnings withdrawals 
-Retirement is a very low priority for an 18 year 
-Full control is given to the child by 18/21 (like a UTMA / UGMA) 
- Child must also earn income to contribute
 
#4 Brokerage (Under Parent's Name)
 
While it doesn’t have many tax benefits, it offers flexibility. 
 
You may not know what to do with your kid's future, so this provides options open to you. 
 
This also gives you control over how to invest and when to gift. 
 
Pros of Brokerage: 
 
-Flexibility around managing and investing 
-No penalties for withdrawals 
-Capital gains tax treatment 
 
Cons of Brokerage: 
 
-No deductions 
-Dividends and trades are taxable in the year received & realized 
-Could be subject to kiddie tax if funds gifted before their adulthood 
 
What works for you will depend on your situation. 

Choose the accounts that fit for your kids! 

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

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Talks about #money, #wealth, #investing, #personalfinance, and #financialplanning

"Let's circle back after the holidays"

1st Follow Up: I meant after Christmas

Next Follow Up: Sorry I really meant after Valentines Day

Next Follow Up: Yeah I meant my CPA's tax holiday season

Next Follow Up: Oh whoops I'm on Holiday for the entire summer

Next Follow Up: Scary the year went by! Speaking of which, I meant after Halloween

Next Follow Up: Who are you? Oh yeah. Let's circle back after the holidays.

Major changes are coming to your finances in 2026. 

Here's everything you need to know:

Every year, the IRS adjusts contribution limits to keep pace with inflation, but 2026 is shaping up to bring some of the most notable increases in recent memory. If you're planning ahead for retirement, these updates matter.

→ Workplace Retirement Plans (401(k), 403(b), 457)

2025: $23,500
2026: $24,500

Catch-Up (50+): increasing from $7,500 to $8,000 (up to $11,250 depending on income)

→ Traditional & Roth IRA

2025: $7,000
2026: $7,500

Catch-Up (50+): increasing from $1,000 to $1,100

→ SIMPLE IRA

2025: $16,500
2026: $17,000

Catch-Up: increasing from $3,500 to $4,000 (up to $5,250 depending on income)

→ Health Savings Account (HSA)

2025:
• Individual: $4,300
• Family: $8,550

2026:
• Individual: $4,400
• Family: $8,750

Catch-Up (55+): remains $1,000

→ What this means for you

Higher contribution limits create more room to lower taxable income, increase long-term investment potential, and accelerate progress toward retirement. 

Even incremental annual increases compound significantly over time.

If you want 2026 to be a year where you maximize your financial opportunities, start planning now.

If you need help building a contribution strategy that aligns with your goals, reach out and let’s talk.

Your friend sells iPhones for $1,000.

You decide to buy an iPhone from your friend.

Your friend says to you:

"Hey you're my friend so I'll give you a 15% discount and let you buy it for $850."

You buy the iPhone for $850.

Because of the high demand for these iPhones, this iPhone has the potential to increase its value or lower it.

And people right now are willing to buy them for $1,000.

You have two choices:

Option 1) Hold on the iPhone and see it's value go up or down

Option 2) Sell it immediately and pocket that $150 profit

All of which depends on a couple of factors:

- Your financial situation
- Your desired exposure
- Your risk appetite
- Blackout periods

And if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not talking about iPhones.

Welcome to Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPP) 101.

If I were a DIY investor, these are the platforms I'd be using:

- Banking: Chase
- Investing Platform: Fidelity / Vanguard
- HYSA: Betterment / Wealthfront / Marcus
- Bill Management: Rocket Money
- CC Comparison: Points Guy
- Tracking Progress: Monarch
- Estate Planning: Trust&Will.com
- Life Insurance: Ladder Life
- Donations: Daffy.org
- Budgeting: YNAB

None of these companies paid me to write this. 

I genuinely like the areas that help DIY investors here. 

One area I did not include: retirement software. 

I personally believe that without the right expertise, this is the hardest to execute on your own.

Despite all the things you can do on your own, I think getting a second set of eyes for areas like retirement planning, equity compensation, tax planning, and exit planning needs the expertise of an advisor.

Which tools do you use?

Today: Shirt worth $100

Black Friday next week: “50% OFF! Now $100!”

 What a steal.

52% of families are unprepared for an unplanned expense. 
 
Here's how you can better prepare for it:

Create a safety net in your plan.

AKA an emergency fund. 
 
Doing so for three reasons:
 
-> Access to short-term funds 
-> Avoid tapping into long-term funds 
-> To prevent you from taking on more debt 
 
The chart you see is one that I put together. 
 
I love to incorporate multiple variables to identify the right number. 
 
These are just some examples. 
 
And just my personal take on what I've seen. 
 
You may only need 3 months, but you want 12 months for peace of mind. 
 
The point is that while the 3-6 month rule is a good benchmark, it's also flexible. 
 
Choose the amount that fits your profile. 
 
It's an insurance policy for your goals.

Don't go into a food coma with your money. 
 
Here's what most miss about finances: 
 
It's not about the fancy stuff. 
 
Investing is awesome. 
So are the investments. 
And so are the vehicles. 
 
But individually, they mean nothing. 
 
The combination of them does. 
 
Things that should be considered: 
 
- Why you have them? 
- How do they work with one another? 
- What role they play with your goals? 
- Where does you money work?] 
- When do you need it? 
 
By having the right plan, you can put a purpose to your paycheck. 
 
You wouldn't wing a Thanksgiving dinner. 
 
Neither should you with your finances.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You have Chat GPT for find your answers.
You have Perplexity to find your answers.
You have Gemini to find you answers. 

Yet, you haven't made changes.

Or worse, left wondering what you need to change now. 

Things like:

- Set up automated investing systems
- Build a savings plan for your next home
- Make a debt payoff plan you can stick to
- Build a real equity plan (RSUs, ISOs, ESPPs)
- Create a tax plan for bonuses and RSU vests
- Build a simple spending plan that actually works
- Optimize your account order (taxable, 401k, Roth, HSA)
- Review insurance needs without selling you insurance
- Optimize self-employed taxes and retirement plans
- Run long-term projections for major decisions
- Turn vague financial goals into real numbers
- Review your full financial picture for gaps
- Set up a smart charitable giving strategy
- Create an early retirement roadmap

In other, words you haven't taken action... yet.

We're entering an interesting era of paralysis by analysis. 

We're getting more well informed about our finances thanks to AI.

But the lack of action continues to remain with humans. 

Let's make 2026 our goal to it implement together.

It takes a human to know a human after all.

When you need help, DM me.

SpaceX is rumored to IPO at a $1.5 trillion valuation.

While great for employees, it could also be a tax nightmare. 

Take Timmy, for example.

He got 10,000 ISOs back when the company was tiny.

Strike price? 10 cents a share.

Meaning he could buy everything for just $1,000
(10,000 × $0.10)

Fast forward.

SpaceX becomes one of the most valuable private companies in the world.
The latest 409A valuation hits $200/share.

So on paper?

Timmy’s options are worth $2 million.
($200 × 10,000)

He hasn’t exercised yet.

Then, like many employees do, he accepts another job.

And suddenly, the countdown starts.

Most companies give you 90 days after leaving to exercise ISOs before they turn into NSOs.

So Timmy rushes.

He exercises everything in December 2025.

Pays the $1,000 strike price.
No regular tax due at exercise.
He now owns the shares.

Feels amazing.

Until tax season.

Timmy discovers he owes over $500,000 in AMT.

Because AMT treats the bargain he got:

($200 FMV – $0.10 strike) × 10,000 = $1.999 million as income for AMT purposes.

Here’s where SpaceX employees could run into the same problem:

Even if SpaceX IPOs in 2026?

You still can’t sell right away.

Because:

- Newly public companies have insider lockup/blackout periods
- Employees often can’t sell for 6 months or more after IPO
- Pre-IPO shares may have transfer restrictions
- Early investors usually get liquidity before employees

So imagine Timmy:

- He exercised in December to beat termination deadlines.
- He triggered a huge AMT bill on paper gains.
- The IPO happens in 2026, great!
- But he’s still locked up and cannot sell.

Meaning:

The AMT bill is due in April 2026

The shares still aren’t liquid.

He might not be able to sell until late 2026 or even 2027.

This turns from a dream to a nightmare.

This exact sequence has happened before at other rocket-ship startups.

Let’s pause:

Timmy is not a real person.
(This is a hypothetical scenario after all)

But problems like this?
Not made up either.

And it’s preventable.

Here’s what Timmy could have done:

- Run an AMT forecast before exercising
- Exercise earlier when the valuation was far lower
- Exercise gradually instead of all at once
- Plan for liquidity timing around IPO + blackout periods
- Keep cash on hand for any AMT exposure
- Or choose not to exercise at all

And one more nuance:

Even if you owe AMT, you may recover some through the AMT credit, but only if the stock eventually sells for a gain.

If the price drops before he can sell?

The AMT is gone forever.

That’s why ISO planning matters.

Equity can be life-changing.

Or financially devastating.

The difference isn’t the IPO.

It’s the strategy leading up to it.

So if you’re at SpaceX, or any pre-IPO company, run the numbers before exercising.

Don’t end up like Timmy.

Dear LinkedIn,

Show everyone's impression count. 

Sincerely, 
Literally Everyone

64% of adults fear outliving their money more than death.

But most haven't heard the 4% Rule. Here's how it works:

It was a rule created to help retirees determine the amount they can take out.

It was intended to give people a guideline on what to aim for. 

The rule is pretty straightforward. 

In the first year, take out 4% of the portfolio. 

Then adjust that dollar amount for inflation annually after. 

It was originally tested with a couple of parameters:

- For a 65 year old (25-30 year retirement)
- Allocation with 50% stocks / 50% bonds
- Tested in a worst-case scenario

Using historical data, the rule was determined to give retirees a safe number to stick with. 

Is it completely flawless?

Not entirely. 

Many things can have an impact like:

- Inflation
- Economy moving forward
- Your unexpected variables to your situation

This is why the 4% rule is more of a reference than a final say. 

But it is a great guideline for a quick calculation to see your number. 

In reality, you will need a financial planner to help you out here. 

You need to evaluate variables such as:

- The timing of your retirement
- How long your retirement will be
- How your portfolio will be allocated 
- What other sources of income do you have
- What is the economy in your first year 
- What other goals will impact it
- And much, much more

When you need a quick number, you can use this freely.

But when you need the answer to work for you?

Seek a consultation from a financial planner. 

We're here to help when you're ready!


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If you sell your RSUs, this one mistake can cost you thousands.

Before you sell, always check your cost basis. For example:

You receive company stock at vest
→ Share price at vest: $40

Later, you sell
→ Share price at sale: $100

What should happen:

Cost basis = $40
Sale price = $100
Taxable gain = $60

But what I’ve seen happen way too often:

Cost basis shows $0

So the IRS thinks:

Sale price = $100
Taxable gain = $100

That means:

You’re paying taxes on gains you never actually made

Higher capital gains = Higher tax bill!

The good news:

This is usually a reporting issue.

It can often be corrected before (or even after) the sale.

But only if you catch it.

Before selling any RSUs, ESPP, or stock awards:

- Check the cost basis
- Confirm it matches the vest price
- Fix errors before you hit sell

Because paying extra taxes for no reason is a mistake you don’t need to make.

Educational only. Not tax advice.

I've fallen off the wagon a bit on LinkedIn.

Less time on here. Less engaging.

Ironically, my impressions have never been better.

But the truth is that I need time to cool down a bit. 

Some people love to flex how often they show up on here or how much they engage. 

When you are a solo business owner, your time just needs to be recharged. 

It's just my simple way of not making my way to a burnout. 

Regardless, I can't wait to go back on full go in a couple of weeks. 

I've never been more optimistic about what LinkedIn can provide in 2026 and beyond. 

Let's keep it going folks!

taplio

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Max Pashman, CFP®

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The Battle

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Max Pashman, CFP®

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