How Incentive Stock Options Can Make An Attractive Investment Even More So
Incentive stock options are unique in that they provide a comprehensive tax break on top of an already safe and highly attractive financial investment. To qualify, the options must meet some very stringent conditions, but if they do qualify the gains are taxed at a lower capital gains rate than the ordinary income rate which would otherwise apply. By offering this concession, the government is effectively helping to stabilize the job market which has become increasingly volatile. People are moving from job to job far more than in years gone by, and this does impose extra charges on the economy as a whole.
A stock options incentive is becoming essential in so many job markets where quality personnel are not easy to find. There is fierce competition for anyone who can significantly add to the bottom line of these businesses in highly competitive markets. Employers are constantly striving to come up with new ways to make their offer more attractive to potential workers, and the offering of stock options is one of the best ways of doing this.
One of the best features of the system from the employer point of view is that it is risk free. There is no initial charge to the company in issuing these options, and there never will be any charge unless they are exercised. Obviously, a potential stock holder is only going to exercise an option if the value of the stock has appreciated considerably over the option price. In this case, the company could say that they have taken a loss on the issue of the options, but that would really be false accounting.
In truth, the employees whose work has been responsible for the great rise in share price would almost certainly not have been there had there been no incentive stock offered. To make up for this, wages would have needed to have been higher, and that invariably involves a higher degree of risk. The stock options are ideal for a new company, because they can be offered without the need to raise extra finance at the time the business is starting up.
Incentive options are best approached as a long term investment. Instead of selling if the share price rises, set a stop loss and show more patience. If the price does fall away, you can still sell the shares when they hit the stop loss. If, on the other hand, they continue to rise, you can ride the wave and just move your stop loss point up behind the actual price. It is always best to trade a share according to sound principles, whether it was acquired through an option or not. When you sell, you will pay a lower tax rate on incentive stock options.
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