Financial planning for Google employees

What I’d do with Google stock and benefits

These five things cover most of what matters. Each one links to a guide with the details.

1. Know when your shares arrive and when you can sell them

New-hire GSUs vest over four years with no one-year cliff, and the schedule is front-loaded at 38%, 32%, 20%, and 10%, so your stock pay is a lot higher in the first two years than the last two. You can only sell during an open trading window, which starts two trading days after earnings and closes depending on your level. How GSU grants and vesting work has the full schedule, and the trading window guide has the dates.

2. Sell most of your GSUs as they vest

I think most people should sell most of their GSUs as they vest. They’ve already been taxed as wages, so selling right away costs almost nothing extra in tax, and holding them is the same as using a cash bonus to buy Alphabet stock. Selling Google stock covers how to set that up so it happens automatically.

3. Raise your tax withholding

Google withholds 22% for federal tax when your GSUs vest. If your salary and stock put you in the 32% or 35% bracket, that isn’t enough. On $150,000 of GSUs taxed at 35%, the shortfall is $19,500. Google lets you choose a higher withholding rate, which is the easiest fix. How Google RSUs are taxed walks through the numbers.

4. Get the full 401(k) match, then use the mega backdoor Roth

Google matches 50% of what you put into your 401(k), up to $12,250 in 2026, so I’d contribute the full $24,500 if you can. The plan also lets you add up to $35,250 more after-tax and convert it to Roth, but you have to switch the conversion on yourself in Vanguard. The Google 401(k) guide has the setup steps.

5. Plan ahead for a home, a move, or leaving

If you’re buying a home with Google stock, work backward from your closing date, because the shares have to vest and the trading window has to be open before you can sell. Buying a home with RSU income covers what lenders count. If you move out of California, the state still taxes part of the GSUs that vest afterward, which the guide to moving states explains. And if you’re leaving, you lose whatever hasn’t vested by your last day, so check your vest dates first. Leaving Google has a checklist.

Do you need a financial advisor?

You might not. If you’re selling your GSUs on a schedule, your withholding is set correctly, the Roth conversion is on, and you’re comfortable managing it yourself, you’re already doing most of what I’d suggest.

Google also gives you access to financial planning help through Goldman Sachs Ayco and Vanguard as part of your benefits, and I’d start there. It’s worth asking whether it covers your spouse and the accounts you have outside Google.

Where I think an advisor earns their fee is when several decisions land at once. Maybe you’re buying a house in the same year as a big vest, or you’re sitting on a seven-figure position with a very low cost basis, or you’re moving out of California, or your partner has equity at another company. That’s the kind of work I do.

If you do talk to advisors, including me, ask what you’ll pay in dollars per year and what you get for it. And if someone recommends direct indexing or a trust, ask them when they’d tell a client to just sell instead.

At Simple Money Advisors, my firm, we manage investments and do ongoing tax planning, and we work with your tax preparer and, when you need one, your attorney. We don’t prepare or file tax returns or draft trusts. Our disclosure brochure explains our services, fees, and conflicts.

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Google and Alphabet: company facts

Google LLC is your employer and the sponsor of the 401(k), and Alphabet Inc. is the public company whose stock you receive. The figures below come from Alphabet’s filings and are as of the dates shown.

From Alphabet’s 2025 annual report. The headcount is for all of Alphabet worldwide.