The NASPP Blog

Our popular “Meet the Speaker” series, featuring interviews with speakers at the 25th Annual NASPP Conference, is a great way to get to know our many distinguished speakers and find out a little more about their sessions in advance of the Conference.

For today’s “Meet the Speaker” interview, we feature an interview with Laurence Wagman of Golden Parachute Tax Solutions, who will lead the session “The 280G Enigma: How One Tiny Code Section Can Ruin an Otherwise Perfectly Constructed Pay Plan.”  Here is what Laurence had to say:

NASPP: Why do you feel strongly about your Section 280G?

Laurence: Having worked on hundreds of transactions, it amazes me on how little attention is paid to Section 280G when companies put together pay plans. What is more amazing is that just a little bit of tax planning upfront can often save both companies and executives significant tax penalties.

NASPP: What is one action should companies be taking now?

Laurence: Plan…Plan…Plan!!!

Make sure your company understands the impact Section 280G has on your company’s pay plan.  Recognizing these potential consequences early on allows a company to employ various planning techniques which may not be available once a transaction is announced.

NASPP: Is there a silver lining to 280G?

Laurence: We have seen a trend with more and more companies begin to do more planning without a transaction pending.

NASPP: What is your favorite memory from a past NASPP Conference?

Laurence: This is my 9th or 10th year coming to NASPP – There are so many great memories at the Conference.  It would be an understatement to not mention how much I love catching up with all the people I have met through the years.

My favorite moment was one of the panels I was on (I believe it was DC). We had a little extra time at the end of our panel discussion.  On a whim my co-panelist Shari Overstreet and I decided to do a mock-280G non-compete interview—it was a complete improvisation because Shari and I had no idea what we were going to ask/say.  At the end of the day she was interviewing a public company CEO who invented the drug that helped men understand woman better and was nominated for a Nobel Prize by Oprah Winfrey. The spontaneous humorous interview allowed for a number of laughs, kept our audience engaged and allowed us to illustrate some great technical points.  Probably not your typical NASPP panel—but based on the feedback we received it was a great panel.

Don’t miss Laurence’s session, “The 280G Enigma: How One Tiny Code Section Can Ruin an Otherwise Perfectly Constructed Pay Plan,” at the NASPP Conference!

About the NASPP Conference The 25th Annual NASPP Conference will be held from October 17-20 in Washington DC. This year’s program features close to 100 sessions on today’s most timely topics in stock and executive compensation; check out the full agenda and register today!