SpaceX is public and your shares move every day. Your plan shouldn't.
Lockups are releasing in stages and the stock has swung between about $105 and $226 since June. I'm a queer financial planner who works on equity compensation. Together we'll replace the daily guessing with a clear plan, so your shares can fund the life you want at a pace you're comfortable with.
Public on Nasdaq (SPCX) since June 12, 2026 · staggered lockups · Updated October 2026
Book a free intro callWhat should SpaceX employees do as their lockup expires?
Map each staggered release date to a written selling plan before it arrives, set aside taxes beyond the default withholding, and decide how much SpaceX stock you're comfortable owning. The shares have swung widely since the June 2026 IPO, so a rules-based plan protects you from making big decisions on a volatile day.
What SpaceX employees are dealing with right now
If some of these sound familiar, you're not behind. Each one is a problem a clear plan is built to solve.
Watching your net worth swing every day
Since the June 2026 listing, SpaceX has traded between about $105 and $226. When most of your wealth is in one stock, checking the price can take over your day.
How we handle it: We write your selling plan in advance, so one trading day doesn't decide your future.
Release dates that keep arriving
With staggered lockups, every release is another decision: sell, hold, or something in between. Making that call from scratch each time is exhausting and leads to choices that don't add up.
How we handle it: We set your approach for every release date at once, and change it only when your life changes.
Trading rules you have to work around
If you're an insider, blackout windows can stop you from selling when you need the money.
How we handle it: Where it fits, we set up a 10b5-1 plan so sales happen on a schedule, even during blackout periods.
A tax picture that crosses state lines
Hawthorne, Starbase, McGregor, Redmond: many SpaceX careers move between states. California can tax equity you earned there even after you move to Texas or Washington.
How we handle it: We review your vesting history state by state, so you know what each one can tax before you sell.
Building a life far from queer community
Some SpaceX sites are a long way from the LGBTQ+ community many of us rely on. Many employees weigh long commutes, a second home in Austin or LA, or a move they've put off for years.
How we handle it: We price out each option, so where you live is a choice you make on purpose.
Deciding whether to stay
Once a big part of your equity can be sold, many people start to wonder about a different job, a long break, or starting something of their own.
How we handle it: We model what leaving would look like, so you can decide with real numbers instead of nerves.
What's happened at SpaceX so far
Jun 12, 2026
SpaceX began trading on Nasdaq as SPCX after pricing its IPO at $135 per share. (Wikipedia)
Since June 2026
Pre-IPO shares are subject to staggered lockups: about 366 days for insiders, with other pre-IPO holders released in stages starting October 9, 2026. (Segmara / Wikipedia)
Oct 2026
Since listing, the stock has traded between about $105 and $226. (The Motley Fool)
Your shares are now publicly priced and some are already available to sell. With releases happening in stages and a stock that moves a lot, it's easy to sell in a panic or hold on too long. A plan written before each release date helps prevent both.
Why it helps to work with someone who gets it
Most advisors who work with tech employees understand stock options. Fewer understand queer families, chosen family, and the legal gaps we still plan around. I'm part of this community, so you can tell me the whole story from the first meeting. That openness is where clarity comes from, because a plan is only as good as what it's built on.
You won't have to edit your story
With a new advisor, many queer people quietly decide how much to share: who your partner is, why you don't talk to a parent, why the standard estate plan doesn't fit. Here you can start with the real version. A plan built on the full picture is the only kind that holds up.
Your partner is a full partner, married or not
If you're not married, your partner has no automatic claim to your SpaceX equity, your 401(k), or your accounts. Beneficiary designations, a will, and, where it fits, a revocable trust make sure the person you chose actually inherits what you've built.
Chosen family counts
Maybe you help support a friend, a sibling or an elder in the community. Maybe the people you'd name in your will aren't the ones the law would pick. We plan for the family you actually have, including who makes medical and financial decisions if you can't.
Family building on your own timeline
Surrogacy, IVF and adoption can run well into six figures. A liquidity event is often when queer couples can finally say yes. We match share sales to family-building costs and check your employer's fertility and family benefits first.
The cost of living where you feel safe
Many of us pay more to live where we feel safe and seen: San Francisco, Seattle, New York, LA. Those cities come with high housing costs and state income taxes. Your equity plan has to fund the life you can actually live there, not a national-average budget.
Health care that fits your life
If you or your partner are planning gender-affirming care, we budget for coverage gaps, out-of-network care and recovery time, and look at how changing jobs after a liquidity event could affect your coverage.
Where a clear plan can take you
- 01
Clarity
We bring every grant, account and goal into one picture, including your partner's. You'll know what you own, what it's worth after tax, and what it can pay for.
- 02
A written plan
We agree on rules for how much to sell, when, and why. Taxes are set aside before they're due, so nothing catches you off guard.
- 03
Freedom
Your SpaceX equity can start funding the life you want, and big decisions get easier because the hard thinking is already done.
What freedom could look like for you
A home that's yours
Buy in the neighborhood where you feel at home, with a down payment from a sale you planned, not one you rushed.
A family, when you're ready
Pay for IVF, surrogacy or adoption without draining your emergency fund or putting off the decision another year.
Staying at SpaceX because you want to
Know your number, so your job is something you choose. A sabbatical, a new role or your own company becomes a real option.
Taking care of your people
Support a partner, chosen family and the causes you care about, on terms you set and can keep up.
The details we'll work through together
A plan for each release date
We list every lockup release that applies to you and decide in advance what you'll sell at each one. If you're an insider, we can set up a 10b5-1 plan so sales happen on schedule, even during blackout windows.
The withholding gap
RSUs and tender proceeds are usually withheld at the 22% federal supplemental rate (37% above $1 million). If you're in the 32%, 35% or 37% bracket — plus California's 13.3% top rate or New York's — that gap can become a five- or six-figure April surprise. We set aside the difference the week the shares settle.
Cost basis and holding periods
Shares you've held for more than a year qualify for long-term capital gains rates. Recently vested shares don't. We look at your actual cost basis lot by lot so each sale uses the lowest-tax shares first.
Where you live affects your tax bill
Texas and Washington have no state income tax. California does, and it can tax equity earned while you worked there even after you move. If you've worked in Hawthorne and Starbase, your tax picture may involve more than one state.
Too much of one company
When one stock is most of your net worth, a single bad quarter can change your plans. We build a written, rules-based selling plan — how much, when, and why — so you're not making the call on a stressful trading day. We stay neutral on the company and keep the plan focused on your goals.
Giving with appreciated shares
Donating low-basis shares to a donor-advised fund in a high-income year lets you deduct the market value and skip the capital gains. Starting in 2026, the OBBBA adds a 0.5%-of-AGI floor on itemized charitable gifts and caps the deduction's value at 35% for top-bracket filers, so timing and bunching gifts matters more than before.
Where SpaceX teams live
Los Angeles · Hawthorne
SpaceX's long-time Hawthorne campus means many employees live across the South Bay and LA, including West Hollywood, Silver Lake and Long Beach.
Texas · Starbase, Bastrop & McGregor
SpaceX's Texas sites keep growing. Many LGBTQ+ employees choose Austin for community, even when they work farther away.
Seattle area
Starlink engineering is based in Redmond, so many employees live in Seattle neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Ballard.
Every meeting is virtual, so you can work with me wherever your team sends you.
A planner who understands your life and your equity
I'm Taylor, Founder & Financial Planner at Aequitas Financial. I'm a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and I work with queer professionals whose net worth is tied up in company equity.
Aequitas is fee-only, and I act as a fiduciary. I don't earn commissions, I'm not paid by your employer, and I don't sell insurance or products. You can ask me anything, and I'll give you a straight answer, including when the answer is "I'd wait" or "that's a question for your attorney."
My goal is that you leave every meeting clearer than you came in: you'll know what we're doing, why, and what comes next.
I coordinate with your CPA and estate attorney. I'm not a CPA, so tax filing stays with your tax professional; my job is to plan ahead so their work has fewer surprises.
Questions from SpaceX employees
Keep reading: equity compensation for LGBTQ+ professionals, ISOs and the AMT, concentrated stock strategies, and other company pages: Anthropic, OpenAI, Databricks, Anduril, Stripe.
Aequitas Financial is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or compensated by SpaceX. Company news above is drawn from the public sources linked and is current as of October 2026. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security.
This page is part of our wider guide to LGBTQ+ financial planning — how fee-only, fiduciary planning works for queer households, and which topic to start with.