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A comment on America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Miserable. Parent comment

Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by throwaway-1283 on Thursday February 21, 2019 @01:55PM (#19219530)
What you put on your tax return every year doesn't really reflect your actual wealth. Even in tech most people top out at ~$200k-$250k base salaries but you may vest and accumulate millions in stock RSUs that you don't sell in a given year.
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by ariwilson on Thursday February 21, 2019 @02:18PM (#19219719)
Stock RSU vests go on your tax returns.
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by throwaway-1283 on Thursday February 21, 2019 @02:24PM (#19219759)
Ah ok - I'm thinking private shares
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by arcticbull on Friday February 22, 2019 @12:03AM (#19223266)
Those do too. The only thing that doesn't is deferred compensation in the form of an ISO or NSO. The latter is recognized as ordinary income when exercised.
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by vasilipupkin on Thursday February 21, 2019 @04:05PM (#19220573)
My working explanation is that it's actually survey data. the richest people either don't answer the survey or understate their actual holdings when they do answer.
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by gthippo on Thursday February 21, 2019 @02:30PM (#19219800)
Don't RSUs show up on the W-2 as income though (even if you don't sell them)?
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Re:America’s Professional Elite: Wealthy, Successful and Mis... by arcticbull on Friday February 22, 2019 @12:04AM (#19223269)
They do; RSU vesting is a taxable event. It's counted as ordinary income based on the fair market value at the time it vests and taxes are due immediately. Companies tend to withhold a percentage of the shares and sell them to cover your tax burden.
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