Your Amazon Benefits & Career: Financial Planning for Employees and Executives

Do you work at Amazon? Get the resources you need and expert insights from financial professionals who specialize in helping Amazon employees make the most of their compensation package and benefits.

Whether you’re a new Amazon employee or you’ve moved up the ranks into a management or executive leadership role over a multi-year career, it’s important to make smart money moves with your income and employee benefits. For example:

✅ Do you know the right moves to make to get the greatest value from the Amazon benefits available to you?

✅If you’re thinking about leaving Amazon for another job or planning to retire from the company in a few years, are you taking the right steps today to ensure you will receive all of the compensation and benefits that you’ve earned?

Get the Most Value from Your Amazon Benefits and Compensation Package

Throughout the year, Amazon provides its employees and executives with updates about their benefits, ranging from health insurance and health savings plans to retirement plans like 401(k), deferred compensation plans, and stock options. While the company offers many useful resources and access to knowledgeable staff who can assist with questions, you’ll also find financial professionals not affiliated with Amazon who specialize in helping Amazon employees make the most of their income and benefits.

Whether you work at Amazon’s headquarters in Seattle, Washington, another office location around the country, or remotely from home, you may have questions about your compensation package and benefits that are better suited for a financial professional who can offer unbiased advice and guidance.

For example, sensitive topics like discussing the steps you should take before quitting your job at Amazon to work elsewhere, protecting yourself in advance of a corporate layoff, or deciding when you should plan to retire are all conversations that may be more comfortable with a trusted financial advisor.

💡 In the Q&A below, you’ll gain insights from financial advisors who work with Amazon employees to help them make smart decisions to get the most value from their compensation and benefits, reduce their money stress, and prepare for a comfortable retirement.

🙋‍♀️ Do you have questions not yet answered? Use the form below to submit questions anonymously and watch this article for updates with answers to your questions. You can also reach out to the financial advisors below to set up an introductory call or contact them with your questions by email.

💸 Smart Money Insights for Amazon Employees & Executives

This page is organized into sections to help you quickly find the information you need and get answers to your questions:

1. Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Amazon Employees & Executives
2. Get Answers to Your Questions About Your Amazon Benefits and Career
3. Quick Facts & Resources for Amazon Employees
4. Browse Related Articles

Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Amazon Employees & Executives

Answers to Employee Questions with Jonathan Owens, CFP®, CEPA®, AIF®, AEP®

Jonathan Owens is a financial advisor based in Spokane, Washington, who specializes in offering financial planning services to Amazon employees. Jonathan helps his clients get the most value from their Amazon benefits and compensation package so they can enjoy life and feel confident about their financial future.

Q: As a financial advisor with experience helping Amazon employees save for their retirement, how do you help them make the most of their employee benefits?

Jonathan: I help Amazon employees maximize their benefits by providing personalized guidance on various aspects. It’s important that they optimize retirement plans like 401(k)s, managing stock options and RSUs, and making the most of health savings accounts (HSAs). We can ensure they have appropriate life and disability coverage, encourage utilization of employee assistance programs (EAPs), and support education and training through tuition reimbursement. Additionally, I can help them with tax planning and financial planning to achieve goals such as home buying, saving for college, or early retirement.

Q: When you first speak with an Amazon employee, what questions do you like to ask to better understand their unique circumstances and determine how you can best help them achieve their goals?

Jonathan: Can you describe your current role and tenure at Amazon? What does your compensation package include (salary, bonuses, stock options, RSUs)? Are you aware of the tax implications of your benefits and compensation, and do you have a strategy for managing them? What are your short-term and long-term financial goals?

Q: Is there a particular benefit available to Amazon employees you feel isn’t as well utilized or understood by employees as it should be?

Jonathan: I find that HSAs are the least utilized benefit. These accounts have a triple tax benefit and can be used like an IRA after age 65 or tax-free for Long-Term Care expenses. WA Cares only covers Washington residents up to $35,000, so this can be a very attractive way to fund potential care.

Q: Beyond Amazon employee benefits for retirement savings, are there other types of benefits offered by the company that you find valuable to discuss with your clients (e.g., stock, education savings, health savings)?

Jonathan: RSUs are a fantastic benefit that can help you pay off your home early, fund your children’s college, and more. Creating a tax plan and budget is imperative to ensure these dollars go the farthest.

Q: For Amazon employees thinking about leaving the company to accept a job elsewhere, what actions do you recommend they take before resigning and shortly thereafter?

Jonathan: Make sure you reflect on why you’re leaving the company so you don’t repeat it with your next employer.

Q: For Amazon employees approaching retirement age, how do you recommend they prepare to make the transition from living off their salary to relying upon other sources of income?

Jonathan: As you approach retirement, you’ll want to make sure you de-risk your investments. If most of your nest egg is tied up in Amazon stock, you may be subject to a wild market rollercoaster. Make sure you diversify your stock exposure as well as add bonds and/or cash to your retirement income strategy.

Q: For Amazon employees who have managed their finances on their own to this point, what would you suggest they consider to help them decide if they should begin working with a financial advisor at this stage in their lives?

Jonathan: If you’ve been doing this yourself all this time and your spouse is not on board, you may be leaving them with a mess. It’s important that they are brought up to speed or to hire a professional that they like and trust that could step in should you prematurely pass away or become incapacitated.

Q: What are some of the unique financial planning challenges you commonly see among your clients who are Amazon employees and how do you help them overcome these obstacles?

Jonathan: Transitioning from the accumulation phase to the retirement phase. What worked while building wealth does always work while living off of it.

Q: What questions do you recommend Amazon employees ask financial advisors they’re considering hiring to help them decide if they’re a good fit?

Jonathan: Are you a fiduciary? How much time do you have left in your career? What’s your succession plan?

Q: Is there anything that comes up frequently in your initial meeting with Amazon employees that surprises you?

Jonathan: How many people that don’t utilize the HSA.

Q: For highly compensated Amazon employees and executives, are there any special benefits you believe it’s important to take into consideration when preparing their financial plan?

Jonathan: Tax planning with their RSU’s.

Q: Is there a particularly memorable experience or a moment you recall with a client who worked at Amazon when you realized they have unique opportunities and circumstances when it comes to their financial planning needs?

Jonathan: I find that those with more in RSUs than their 401k don’t realize how they’re over-exposed to concentration risk. Having most of your eggs in one basket can expose you to significant short-term risk. As you may recall, Amazon stock fell almost 50% in 2022. Diversification is important, especially as you approach retirement age

Get to Know Jonathan Owens, Financial Advisor for Amazon Employees:

View Jonathan’s profile page on Wealthtender or visit his website to learn more.

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