Are you Negotiating Well Enough to Protect Your Future?

I specialize in working with senior executive women with complex compensation packages. And what I’ve observed over the years is that if they don’t tread carefully when negotiating a new role, they may leave crucial benefits on the table. The combination of an executive coach and financial planner can help you navigate the complexities of your next compensation package.

In this current economic environment, it is critical for Black women to protect themselves financially. Being paid what you’re worth and achieving the best compensation commensurate to your expertise is “The Power Move.”  In recent years, Black women have been inordinately penalized by national economic policies. From April 2025 to April 2026, the number of unemployed Black women grew from 581,000 to 718,000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics), resulting in an unemployment rate of 6.5%.

Sadly, “Black women lost more than three times as many jobs as all women in professional and service occupations between February and December 2025,” according to the  Institute for Women’s Policy Research.  Now is the time to leverage your value and worth to negotiate your strongest compensation package.

“Executive women are often the backbone of organizational success. Their compensation should honor both the strategy they deliver and the barriers they’ve overcome.”  ~Zaneilia Harris, CFP®

Compensation at the senior level is comprised of some combination of the following:

Salary, bonuses, and profit sharing: Bonuses are awarded when you perform above performance metrics, while profit sharing is given when the company exceeds profit margins and shares a portion of the profits with employees at the end of the fiscal year.

• Equity (stock options): Companies reward employees with equity through stock-based compensation plans that grant the right to own or acquire company shares over time.
• Qualified and non-qualified deferred compensation: Qualified deferred compensation, such as 401(k) plans, follows governmental rules and offer tax advantages. Non-qualified deferred compensation does not need to follow such rules and is designed with special perks for top executives.
• Paid time off and sabbaticals
• Expanded insurance offerings such as permanent life and executive long-term care and disability insurance.
• Financial and executive advisory services to use for wealth management, executive presence and stress and wellness programs
• Executive level training and conference reimbursements
• Company car or car services

In the past, I helped an executive-level client who had been offered a new position. In our discussions, we arrived at the new salary, restrictive stock units for meeting divisional performance metrics, as well as both the signing and ongoing performance bonus structures she should negotiate. In addition, she negotiated her paid time off and a budget line item that secured her continued professional development.  These benefits influenced and increased her workplace wealth and personal net worth.

Being aware of – and carefully evaluating – all these options is a major part of your wealth strategy.  Having access to all these benefits builds workplace wealth and can completely change the impact you have within your family and community.

Stock options vs RSUs

Schedule an exploratory call at www.hhwealth.com. We’ll talk about your goals, your vision, and how I can help you navigate the complexities of your next compensation package. 

Click here to start the conversation with Harris & Harris Wealth Management.