The vest hit. The plan didn’t.

It finally lands.

The quarterly vest. The number you’ve been watching on E*Trade for three months.

$180,000 hits your account. After the tax provision, if you’ve set it aside, maybe $95,000 is actually yours.

And then one of two things happens.

Either it absorbs into life. Renos. School fees. A holiday. A business class upgrade that felt reasonable at the time. By June, you’re not sure where it went.

Or you freeze. You don’t touch it. It sits in the offset. Doing something, but you’re not sure if it’s the right thing or just the safe thing.

I’ve watched both plays hundreds of times.

Different behaviours. Same outcome.

The vest didn’t move the needle on what actually matters.

Because RSU wealth isn’t built at vesting.

It’s built by what you do in the 30 days after.

That window is where I work.

Read more: RSU advice for tech executives, or grab the free RSU Playbook.