Life Money USA
Washington, DC

Equity Comp in Washington

Defense-contractor RSUs (Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop), DC/Northern VA tech (AWS HQ2, Microsoft federal).

Why Equity Comp planning is different in Washington

Washington is federal-government-anchored metro with the highest concentration of federal pension wealth and tsp balances. The combination of Federal government, defense contracting, biotech, consulting, trade associations. shapes how residents approach equity comp — including which tax levers apply, how state rules layer onto federal treatment, and where the highest-yield planning opportunities sit.

Washington at a glance

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Population
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Median household
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Home ownership
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Median home
Notable neighborhoods

Georgetown · Dupont Circle · Capitol Hill · Cleveland Park · Kalorama · Foxhall · Bethesda MD · Chevy Chase MD · McLean VA · Great Falls VA · Vienna VA · Arlington VA

Local landmarks

Capitol · White House · Pentagon · Smithsonian · Reagan National Airport · Dulles Tech Corridor

Local challenges this content addresses

  • Federal pension and TSP rollover planning for retiring civil servants
  • DC + MD + VA tri-state residency planning
  • Defense-contractor equity-comp
  • DC estate tax exemption $4M

What equity comp planning covers

  • RSU sell-at-vest vs. hold modeling with concentration-risk analysis
  • ISO/AMT exposure calculations and exercise-timing strategy
  • ESPP qualifying-disposition vs. ordinary-income tax-impact analysis
  • 83(b) election decision support for early-stage employees
  • 10b5-1 plan structure and trading-window guidance

Decision-stage resources

Model the numbers for your situation:

Washington starter kit

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Decision checklists, 2026 federal + District of Columbia state numbers, and our glossary. Free, one click.

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