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ShareholdingExplained
Stage 1 · Offered

Before you sign

Shares, options or growth shares? What you're really agreeing to, and what to ask before you sign.

The key points

  • Shares or options you get through work are employment-related securities. That label applies to employees, directors, NEDs and advisory board members alike.
  • An option is a right to buy shares later at a set price. A share is ownership now. They're taxed very differently.
  • Some deadlines start the day you get your shares, such as the 14-day window for a section 431 election.
  • The time to ask questions, or ask for a better structure, is before you sign, not after.
The full guide for this stage is being written. In the meantime, the tool below covers the same ground for your own situation.
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Education only. Real share structures vary: check your company's articles and your own agreements. Not tax, legal or investment advice.