Plain-English financial guides for technology employees.
Restricted stock units, 401(k) match formulas, ESPPs, deferred compensation, the AMT trap on ISOs — the things tech compensation packages quietly assume you already understand. We explain them in writing, without a sales pitch.
Guides by topic
Apple employee benefits: a comprehensive guide
RSUs, ESPP, 401(k), HSA, and the rest of the Apple benefits stack — broken down for engineers, designers, and operations staff.
Microsoft employee benefits, explained
How Microsoft’s on-hire stock award, annual stock award, ESPP, and 401(k) match fit together over a multi-year career.
Oracle employee benefits, explained
Oracle’s 401(k), stock plan, deferred compensation, and the levers most employees never use.
The comprehensive guide to your Amazon 401(k)
How Amazon’s 401(k) match, vesting, and after-tax contributions actually work — including the mega-backdoor opportunity.
Amazon RSU vesting schedule and taxes
The 5/15/40/40 schedule, why Year 3 is a tax cliff, and how Amazon RSUs are taxed at vest and at sale.
RSU taxes: a tech employee’s guide
How RSU income is taxed at vest, why under-withholding is the most common mistake, and what to do about it.
Specialized financial planning for high earners
The set of moves that get more useful the more you earn: backdoor Roths, deferred comp, donor-advised funds, asset location.
Equity fund vs. index fund: which is better?
The honest answer to a question that gets bad answers everywhere else, with the data behind it.
Notes for tech employees relocating to Sydney
What changes when you move from a US tech salary to an Australian one: super, RSUs, double taxation, and the things HR won’t tell you.
What this site is
Progress Wealth Management is a small, independent publication. We write long-form, plain-English explainers on the parts of financial life that technology employees disproportionately encounter — equity compensation, employer retirement plans, concentration risk in a single stock, and the planning decisions that follow from a few high-earning years.
We are not advisors. We do not sell products, manage assets, or accept advertising. Every page is an article: read it, understand the mechanics, and bring better questions to your CPA, your benefits team, or a fee-only advisor of your choice.