For tech workers who just got the email

You have 30 days to make 10 decisions that will shape the next decade of your net worth.

A free playbook for laid-off tech workers — severance negotiation, RSU acceleration, 409A deferred comp, QSBS/AMT sequencing, and the health-insurance math most advisors get wrong. Written by a former Coinbase engineering manager and CFP® who has been through this.

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Written by a CFP® Former Coinbase EM Doctorate in Computer Science Fee-based fiduciary

The layoff email arrives. You have 24 hours to sign the separation agreement, 60 days to decide on COBRA, and a severance check that's going to land in the worst possible tax bracket if you don't think about it.

Meanwhile every finfluencer on LinkedIn is telling you to "invest your severance" — which is usually the least important thing you can do with it. The expensive decisions are about timing: when your RSUs vest vs when California's residency clock starts, whether your ISOs should be exercised before the 90-day clock expires, whether the company's QSBS 5-year hold still works if you leave at year 3.

I'm Dr. Adam Link. I was an engineering leader at Coinbase through the IPO — three company exits across my tech career. Now I'm a CFP®. I built this checklist because it should already exist for anyone in the 30-day window after a layoff. It doesn't. Here's mine.

What's inside the playbook

Chapter 01

Don't Sign the Agreement Yet

The four clauses in the separation agreement that are almost always negotiable. What to ask for before you sign (vesting acceleration, equity clawback language, non-compete carve-outs, benefits extension).

Chapter 02

RSU & ISO Timing in the 30-Day Window

The 90-day ISO exercise clock, RSU vesting cliffs, and how the sequence of sell-then-move vs move-then-sell changes the California tax picture materially.

Chapter 03

Severance Tax Bracket Strategy

Lump sum vs continued payroll, elective 401(k) top-up against severance, HSA last-chance contributions, and why January beats December when the company lets you choose.

Chapter 04

QSBS & the 5-Year Hold Question

If you hold QSBS-qualifying stock and leave the company before year 5, the exclusion is usually still available under §1202(h) tacking. What triggers it and what kills it.

Chapter 05

Health Insurance: COBRA vs Marketplace

COBRA is almost always the wrong answer. A plain-English walkthrough of marketplace subsidies, the 60-day special enrollment window, and the income-estimation trick nobody mentions.

Chapter 06

The 30-60-90 Day Checklist

One page. Every deadline between your separation date and year-end. ISO exercise windows, COBRA enrollment, estimated tax payments, Roth conversion opportunity. Print it.

Dr. Adam Link, CFP®

Former Coinbase EM · Doctorate in Computer Science · Fee-based

I was an engineering leader at Coinbase through the IPO — three company exits across my tech career. Bachelor's in Finance, Master's in Cybersecurity, Doctorate in Computer Science, and a CFP®. I built this checklist because it should already exist for anyone in the 30-day window after a layoff. Advisory is fee-based — no commissions on investment advice.

Common questions

What happens after I enter my email?

You'll get the PDF in your inbox within 60 seconds. That's it. Unsubscribe any time — no hoops.

Is it actually free? What's the catch?

Yes. The playbook is free and the 30-minute call is free. I get paid if you decide later to hire the advisory practice for ongoing planning — and only then. No trial, no upsell wall, no hidden anything.

I'm not in CA — is this still useful?

Most of the playbook is federal: severance negotiation, RSU and ISO timing, QSBS, COBRA vs marketplace, 401(k) rollover order. California-specific residency mechanics are called out as California-specific so you can skim or skip. The 30-day framework applies in any state.

Why should I trust you with this?

I'm a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with a Doctorate in Computer Science. Was an engineering leader at Coinbase through the IPO, so I've navigated the RSU + equity-timing + tax math myself. Advisory is fee-based through Portfolio Medics, a SEC-registered adviser — no commissions on investment advice. Regulatory detail is in the disclosures below.

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Disclosures

Dr. Adam Link provides advisory services as an Investment Adviser Representative of Portfolio Medics, LLC, a SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD# 145958). Fireweed Capital is a separate, licensed insurance agency. The two entities are not affiliated. This playbook is educational and does not constitute personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax and benefit rules change; figures reflect federal and state rules as of early 2026. Check the background of your financial professional on FINRA's BrokerCheck.