Free guides · educational · not investment advice

Learn: Concentrated Stock Hedging

Plain-English guides on protective puts, collars, exchange funds, VPFs, and hedging costs, written for equity-comp holders and the RIAs who advise them.

Free tool
Concentration Stress Test

See what a 30%, 50%, or 70% drawdown would cost your specific position, live-priced.

Live index
Hedging Cost Index

Current annualized put-cost benchmarks across equity-comp stocks. See if now is cheap or expensive to hedge.

Free tool
Concentration Diagnostic

Map your real concentration exposure: beta, sector tilt, and historical crash modeling.

Guides

RIA workflow
Worked Example: One Concentrated Stock Client

Plain steps for an equity-comp client: name the risk in dollars, compare five paths, approve a hedge draft, and keep a CCO-ready file.

FAQ
RIA and CCO FAQ

What BallastX does and does not do, non-discretionary rules, ledger exports, pricing, and how to apply with CCO co-sign.

Start here
Concentrated Stock Position Strategy

A full map of every approach: sell and diversify, exchange funds, puts, collars, VPFs, charitable strategies, and the real cost of doing nothing.

Core concept
How to Protect Stock Gains Without Selling

Why people avoid selling (tax, conviction, lockup) and how puts and collars change the risk, cost and tax questions.

Comparison
Exchange Fund vs Protective Put

Fund-specific diversification and redemption terms versus time-limited put coverage. Compare costs, liquidity and remaining risks.

Comparison
VPF vs Collar vs Protective Put

Variable prepaid forwards, zero-cost collars, and outright puts: cost, upside retention, downside floor, constructive-sale risk, and complexity compared.

Cost guide
How Much Does It Cost to Hedge RSUs?

What drives put premiums: implied volatility, strike distance, tenor, and earnings. Illustrative ranges and where to find live benchmarks.

Timing
How to Hedge a Stock Before Earnings

Why IV rises into earnings and collapses after (IV crush), what a put through earnings costs, and the most efficient timing to buy protection.

Educational only, not investment advice. All guides on this site are for informational purposes only. Nothing here constitutes a recommendation to buy or sell any security, options contract, or financial instrument. Consult a qualified financial advisor and tax professional before making any investment or hedging decisions.

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