You never see it coming.

One moment, you’re leading meetings, finalizing strategic plans, preparing for next quarter. The next, you’re sitting in a conference room—or worse, on a video call—hearing words you’ll never forget: “Your role has been eliminated.”

You wonder, “How could this happen to me?”

The first wave is disbelief. The shock is immediate. Then fear. Then the sinking realization: you now have to explain this to your spouse, face your children, and figure out what’s next in a world that suddenly feels unrecognizable.

Take a deep breath.

Job loss—especially at the executive level—can feel like the floor has disappeared beneath you. But it’s also a powerful opportunity to reset, regroup, and rebuild something stronger. With the right plan, this disruption can become a catalyst for transformation – a launchpad for something better.

This roadmap is here to guide you through that process—step by step.

From Free Fall to Flight Plan: An Analogy for the Journey Ahead

Losing a job—especially as an executive—can feel like being suddenly ejected from a jet mid-flight. One moment, you’re moving fast and in control. The next, you’re spiraling through the air with no map, no warning, and no sense of where you’ll land.

It’s disorienting. It’s overwhelming. But just as a pilot turns to their training and mission control during a crisis, you need the right support team to help you stabilize, regain altitude, and chart a new course.

That’s what smart financial planning does during a career transition. It brings structure to the chaos, replaces fear with strategy, and transforms uncertainty into clear next steps.

At Gatewood, we serve as your mission control. We guide you through the turbulence, help you evaluate your options, and design a flight plan for the future. Instead of just surviving the transition, you rise from it—with clarity, lift, and forward momentum.

Avoid Common Mistakes: Lessons From the Field

We’ve worked with many executives through transitions. Here are some of the most common (and costly) missteps we’ve seen:

• Exercising stock options without tax modeling – leading to large, unexpected tax bills.
• Missing plan deadlines – forfeiting non-qualified benefits or accelerated RSU payouts.
• Underestimating liquidity needs – forcing early withdrawals or high-interest borrowing.
• Failing to secure interim insurance – resulting in gaps in medical or life coverage.
• Accepting a new offer based on salary alone – overlooking equity, benefits, or tax structure.

Navigating job loss as an executive isn’t just about making a few quick decisions—it’s about managing a complex web of financial, professional, and personal changes, often under pressure.

The Four Phase Process

That’s why we break the process into four structured phases:

• Triage
• Exploration
• Evaluation
• Integration

Each step is designed to bring order to the chaos, helping you move from immediate uncertainty to long-term clarity. This isn’t just theory—it’s a practical framework that puts you back in control and positions you for what’s next.

This roadmap exists to help you avoid those traps—and make each decision with confidence.

Phase One: Financial Triage & Stabilization

This is your moment of pause—your chance to stabilize and breathe.

Emotions are high, and there are real financial decisions that must be made quickly and carefully. The goal here is control, clarity, and cash flow.

Gatewood’s Role:

Think of Gatewood as your Financial First Responder, bringing calm, clarity, and order when things feel uncertain. We then stay by your side, as your personal CFO, turning crisis into strategy.

We help you prioritize, analyze, and act with purpose—so you’re not making rushed or emotional decisions with long-term consequences. The key steps are as follow:

Evaluate Your Severance Package Thoroughly:

Unpacking your separation agreement helps you avoid missed opportunities and surprises: Is compensation a lump sum or salary continuation?

• What’s the timeline on COBRA, life, and disability insurance?
• Are bonuses, RSUs, or equity awards still payable or forfeited?
• What are your response deadlines—some are within 60–90 days?

Handle Your Retirement Accounts with Intention:

Avoid triggering taxes or penalties by proactively managing your retirement accounts:

• Explore 401(k) rollover options for greater control and investment flexibility.
• Strategically time non-qualified deferred comp distributions.
• Consolidate legacy IRAs or pensions for simplicity and oversight.

Stock Options & Equity Compensation Decisions:

Stock options can become worthless—or cost you more than you gain—if mismanaged:

• Review vesting schedules and expiration dates to avoid forfeiting unexercised stock options.
• Understand the tax treatment differences between ISOs and NSOs, including exposure to AMT and ordinary income tax.
• Model exercise strategies—including early exercise or deferral options—to optimize timing and minimize tax liability.

Cash Flow & Liquidity Management:

Make sure your financial runway is long enough to give you breathing room:

• Inventory current savings, cash reserves, and near-term liabilities.
• Adjust household budget realistically—avoid panic cuts.
• Reassess and align your investment allocation with your new risk profile.

Close the Insurance Gaps:

Losing employer coverage can leave you exposed:

• Compare COBRA, private marketplace, or spousal medical insurance coverage.
• Replace life and disability coverage if lost with employment.
• Consider supplemental coverage if you’re transitioning to self-employment or entrepreneurial efforts.

This phase is about building a financial runway. When done right, it gives you the time and space to thoughtfully plan your next chapter.

Gatewood helps you triage decisions, organize your financial picture, and build a plan that keeps your options open. You’ll walk away from Phase One with a roadmap, not just a list of to-dos.

Phase Two: Exploring What’s Next

Stabilized? Good. Now let’s look forward.

You may not know your next role yet—but that doesn’t mean you can’t plan. In fact, this is the perfect time to explore options and model scenarios that inform your future path.

Whether you plan to rejoin the corporate world, launch your own venture, or pursue consulting, each path requires its own set of decisions and financial assumptions.

What Path Are You Considering?

Each of the following directions carries distinct income variability, tax consequences, and risk dynamics. We help you pressure-test what each would mean for your financial future:

• Traditional Executive Role – Return to a leadership role within a company, often with relocation, equity, or bonus incentives to evaluate.
• Consulting or Contract Work – Offers flexibility and control, but requires planning for fluctuating income, estimated taxes, and benefit self-funding.
• Entrepreneurship or Business Ownership – May offer long-term upside, but involves upfront capital, startup costs, and delayed income potential.

Gatewood Helps You Model and Compare:

• Cash flow under each scenario, including personal runway needs and business funding
• Start-up cost assumptions, including legal setup, equipment, staffing, and marketing
• Self-employment tax implications and retirement plan options (e.g., SEP IRA, Solo 401(k))
• Investment portfolio adjustments to align with your new timeline, risk profile, and liquidity needs
• Tax Strategies for a Lower-Income Year
  • A year of reduced income—especially one following high-earning years—can open unique windows for tax planning. Gatewood helps you capitalize on these opportunities with the goal of long-term tax efficiency:
• Roth IRA Conversions
  • Move pre-tax assets into Roth accounts at lower marginal rates, creating future tax-free income.
• Capital Gain Realization
  • Harvest gains from taxable investments while you’re in a temporarily lower bracket.
• Tax-Loss Harvesting
  • Offset gains with losses to reduce current-year taxable income.
• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Contributions
  • Front-load charitable giving while reducing taxable income, especially helpful if severance or bonuses are pushing you into higher brackets.

You don’t need all the answers today. What you need is a partner who can help you navigate uncertainty with confidence— someone to help you weigh the tradeoffs, test your assumptions, and build optionality into your plan.

Gatewood’s Role:

We serve as your strategic thought partner, modeling what-if scenarios and helping you understand how today’s decisions shape your long-term success. You’ll leave Phase Two with a clear understanding of your options—and a plan that grows with your evolving vision.

Phase Three: Evaluating the Next Opportunity

The offers arrives. Now what?

When the right opportunity and new offer come in, it’s time to switch from stabilization to evaluation. This is more than a salary negotiation.

This phase is not just about understanding what’s being offered. It’s about how it fits into your broader financial, professional, and family life goals.

You’ve already created a baseline financial plan during your transition. Now, we integrate the new compensation and benefits package into that plan to evaluate its impact—and identify any gaps, risks, or opportunities.

Evaluating the Offer:

A job offer is more than just salary. We help you analyze:

• Base compensation, bonuses, and performance incentives
• Equity components – RSUs, stock options, and restricted stock
• 401(k) and retirement plan options, including employer match or deferred comp
• Executive benefit packages, such as SERPs, split-dollar life insurance, or fringe benefits
• Relocation packages – including potential tax treatment and reimbursement caps

Key Questions to Consider:

• How does this new package support or fall short of your long-term financial goals?
• What are the tax implications of signing bonuses, equity grants, or deferred comp?
• Is there opportunity for future growth, ownership, or strategic exit?

Gatewood’s Role:

We translate complex offer terms into clear financial implications. By layering the offer into your existing plan, we show you:

• How this offer affects your retirement trajectory
• Whether your liquidity needs are met
• What adjustments may be needed in your investment or tax strategy

Insurance & Risk Considerations:

Many executives overlook the insurance shifts that come with a new role or company. We help you evaluate:

• Medical insurance options – employer plan vs. private coverage
• Life and disability insurance – are your new policies sufficient for your needs?
• Long-term care or supplemental coverages – based on age, wealth, and family considerations

This is about more than accepting a job—it’s about aligning your next chapter with your life vision.

The right role should advance your career and your financial goals. We help make sure it does both.

Phase Four: Long-term Planning & Integration

This is where clarity becomes momentum.

Once you’ve accepted your next role, the real work begins – integrating your new financial life into a long-term strategy that supports your goals, protects your family, and grows your wealth intentionally.

This phase is about moving beyond the transition— it’s time to align every aspect of your financial life with your goals—across investments, tax strategy, risk management, and legacy planning.

Update Your Financial Plan:

Now that compensation is more predictable, we revisit your plan to ensure:

• Cash flow modeling reflects your new income and expenses
• Savings goals are recalibrated for retirement, education, or lifestyle needs
• Tax strategies are aligned with your updated income and equity
• Philanthropic goals are folded into the plan if applicable

Optimize Retirement & Investment Strategies:

Your investment plan must evolve with your life stage and risk profile. We help you:

• Consolidate retirement assets and align allocations with future cash needs
• Evaluate backdoor Roth IRA or mega backdoor 401(k) opportunities
• Coordinate non-qualified plan deferrals with expected distribution years
• Prepare exit strategies for any equity compensation you still hold

Estate, Risk & Legacy Planning:

With a new financial foundation, it’s time to reassess your long-term preservation and legacy goals:

• Review and update your estate documents
• Establish or revise trust structures if needed
• Ensure beneficiary designations match your wishes
• Consider asset preservation strategies for executive-level exposure

Ongoing Review and Accountability:

Life, tax laws, and the economy evolve. We provide:

• Annual reviews to monitor progress toward your goals
• Proactive communication around tax and legislative changes
• Strategic planning around career milestones, liquidity events, or business ventures

This is not the end of your transition—it’s the beginning of a new financial trajectory with clarity and intention.

Bringing It All Together

Losing a job at the executive level isn’t just a career event—it’s a life event. It can feel like free fall, like chaos. But with the right process, it becomes a chance to take stock, pivot wisely, and launch your next chapter from a position of strength.

These four phases—triage, exploration, evaluation, and integration—are designed to bring structure to what feels unstructured. To bring clarity to the chaos. To move you from reaction to strategy.

While this guide offers a framework, it’s not just about having a checklist—it’s about having a partner who helps you make the right decisions, at the right time, for the right reasons.

We’ve helped executives in this moment before. And we can help you, too.

Important Disclosures:

The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax or legal advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific situation with a qualified tax or legal advisor.

Traditional IRA account owners have considerations to make before performing a Roth IRA conversion. These primarily include income tax consequences on the converted amount in the year of conversion, withdrawal limitations from a Roth IRA, and income limitations for future contributions to a Roth IRA. In addition, if you are required to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) in the year you convert, you must do so before converting to a Roth IRA.

A plan participant leaving an employer typically has four options (and may engage in a combination of these options): 1. Leave the money in their former employer’s plan, if permitted; 2. Roll over the assets to their new employer’s plan, if one is available and rollovers are permitted; 3. Roll over to an IRA; or 4. Cash out the account value