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CEREBRAS

Pre-IPO Planning

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CEREBRAS

Pre-IPO Planning

Your Cerebras equity could represent a significant financial opportunity.
Let's make sure you have a plan to make the most of it.

We work with Cerebras employees to build a personalized strategy around their stock options and equity — from managing tax considerations and diversifying a concentrated position, to integrating your equity into a broader financial plan. What that looks like depends on your situation.

What our conversations typically cover:

  • Your equity picture — what you hold, when it vests, and the key decisions ahead of you
  • Tax considerations — the potential implications of your equity type and how timing may matter
  • A path forward — what a strategy tailored to your goals and situation could look like

Every engagement is tailored
We'll discuss your situation in our first conversation and recommend an approach that fits — whether that's focused equity planning or a more comprehensive strategy.

Book a complementary strategy conversation

No cost · No obligation · Fiduciary advisor

$1B+

Assets under management*

300+

Clients served*

*As of 1/31/2026

WHY PLANNING NOW MATTERS

The financial decisions around a potential liquidity event are often more complex — and more time-sensitive — than employees expect.

Employees at pre-IPO companies are often sitting on meaningful equity compensation without a clear plan. The earlier a strategy is put in place, the more options are available — particularly around tax planning, which is heavily dependent on timing.

  • ISO & NSO holders: The timing of when you exercise options may have significant tax implications — including potential AMT considerations — that benefit from advance planning.
  • RSU holders: Vesting events can create concentrated positions and tax obligations that are easier to manage with a plan in place ahead of time.
  • Post-IPO lock-up periods typically restrict when shares can be sold. Having a diversification plan ready before expiration helps avoid reactive decisions.
  • Concentration risk is meaningful regardless of how confident you are in the company's prospects — and it's one of the most manageable risks with a plan.

What Happens Without A Plan

  • Unexpected tax events. Employees who exercise options without modeling potential implications may face surprises — even when the stock later declines.
  • Reactive selling. Liquidating without a schedule can result in poorly-timed decisions and unnecessary tax exposure.
  • Over-concentration. Single-stock concentration is one of the most common — and manageable — financial risks employees face at pre-IPO companies.
  • Missing the window. Once a liquidity event is imminent, the window for proactive strategies narrows significantly. The best moves are made early.
AREAS WE FOCUS ON

How we help Cerebras employees
think through their equity

Every client's situation is different. These are the areas our work typically
covers — the scope and depth depends on what's most relevant to you.

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Tailored to your situation. Some clients need focused guidance on option exercise strategy and diversification. Others benefit from a more comprehensive financial planning engagement. We'll discuss which approach fits best in our first conversation — there's no one-size-fits-all here.

Understanding the potential tax implications of your stock options or restricted stock is one of the most important — and complex — aspects of pre-IPO planning. We help you understand your situation and the considerations that may apply.

ISO • NSO • RSU
  • Potential AMT considerations and exercise timing (ISOs)
  • Ordinary income recognition at exercise (NSOs)
  • Vesting as a potential taxable event (RSUs)
  • Long-term vs. short-term capital gains considerations
OUR APPROACH

We start by understanding your situation — not by assuming what you need.

Pre-IPO equity planning isn't one-size-fits-all. Some employees need focused guidance on option exercise timing and diversification. Others have a more complex financial picture and benefit from a fully integrated planning engagement. We don't decide which fits until we understand where you are.

  • Pre-IPO Advisory

    Focused on option exercise strategy, investment planning around your equity, and building a thoughtful diversification plan. Designed for employees who want targeted guidance on their equity decisions.

  • Comprehensive Financial Planning

    A fully integrated financial plan that brings your equity, income, investments, retirement, and life goals into a single cohesive strategy. For clients who want a long-term advisory relationship.

We'll find the right fit together.

Our first conversation is a no-pressure discussion about your situation. By the end, we'll both have a clear sense of what kind of support makes sense — and whether MFA is the right team for you.

  • Tell us about your equity, vesting timeline, 
and any decisions you're currently facing
  • We'll share the general considerations that typically apply to your situation
  • We'll outline what an engagement could look like and answer any questions you have
  • No obligation — you decide if and how you'd like to move forward

Book a complementary strategy conversation

HOW IT WORKS

From first conversation
to a plan that fits

Here's what the path from initial call to ongoing partnership typically looks like.

  1. Complimentary introductory conversation (30 min)

    We learn about your equity, financial situation, and goals. We discuss which type of engagement — Pre-IPO Advisory or Comprehensive Financial Planning — is the better fit. No obligation, no pitch.

  2. Equity & financial review

    We take a deeper look at your grants, vesting schedule, income, and current financial picture to understand where the key opportunities and considerations are for your specific situation.

  3. Your personalized strategy delivered

    We deliver a plan tailored to your engagement type — focused equity planning or a full financial strategy — with specific, actionable recommendations built around your numbers and goals.

  4. Ongoing partnership

    We work with you as your situation evolves — through vesting events, a potential IPO, lock-up expiration, and beyond — adjusting your plan and coordinating with your other advisors as needed.

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The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Quote Icon Blue

The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Quote Icon Blue

The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Quote Icon Blue

The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Quote Icon Blue

The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Quote Icon Blue

The MFA team has shown remarkable understanding of our unique situation with genuine interest and support. Their personalized approach and attentive guidance have made all the difference in creating a strong foundation for our financial future.

Former Director of Strategy & Experience
mega cap technology company

Testimonials are by current clients of Morling Financial Advisors, LLC. MFA does not provide compensation in exchange
for testimonials. Individual experiences may vary and are not representative of all clients.

BOOK YOUR SESSION

Ready to build a strategy around your Cerebras equity?

Book a complimentary 30-minute conversation. We'll discuss your situation, walk through the considerations that may apply, and recommend an approach that fits — no cost, no obligation, no assumptions about what you need.

  • Discuss the types of equity you hold and the decisions 
you're facing
  • Understand the general tax considerations that may apply to your equity type
  • Learn what a strategy tailored to your situation could look like
  • Decide together whether — and how — we can help

We are a fiduciary: Morling Financial Advisors is a registered investment advisor obligated to act in your best interest — not to sell products or earn commissions.