- Monday 26 January 2026
In recent months we took on a wonderful client called Lucy - another ‘Googler’ who was referred by a colleague.
From our initial consultation we learned she:
- Had c.€450K in GOOG stock, about €250k vested and the rest in RSUs
- Was maxing her company personal pension contributions (alongside the employer ones)
- Was a consistent saver, with relatively low debt and a long-term mindset
On the surface, you would imagine there was little need for Lucy to get Financial Advice, but there was one quiet issue building in the background. Google had become her portfolio and it was causing her some discomfort (for context – this is as the GOOG share price is hitting all-time highs!)
Through the course of our first meetings, we agreed:
- A single stock had grown into an outsized % (weighting) of her net worth.
- New GSU schedules kept adding to the same exposure every year.
- The monthly RSU vesting schedule meant her anxiety was increasing as the share values were crystallised regularly.
- Selling everything felt scary, but holding everything felt just as risky.
- She had no clear plan for how or when to diversify.
Instead of an all-or-nothing move, we took a more nuanced approach:
- Built a tranched selling plan to diversify over time – revenue rules mean that selling within 30 days of vesting is most tax efficient.
- Sold €50K of existing vested shares instead of fully exiting.
- Redirected future Vesting proceeds into diversified investments
- Brought the vested GOOG shares back to an Irish stockbroking platform for tax & estate planning simplification.
- Rebalanced her pension & savings with a greater emphasis away from US/Tech/Large-Cap stocks (i.e. a ‘gentle hedge’ against her GOOG stock)
Lucy is relieved and feels much more in control. She didn’t have to give up Google (she still works there!). She just stopped letting it run her entire financial life.
Diversifying doesn’t mean killing the golden goose - it means not betting your future on a single company. She has a plan that works whether Google keeps winning, or just has a normal decade.
If your net worth is quietly riding on one stock, it might be time for a second set of eyes.
