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

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

Whether you’re a new Leidos 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 Leidos benefits available to you?

✅If you’re thinking about leaving Leidos 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 Leidos Benefits and Compensation Package

Throughout the year, Leidos provides its employees and executives with updates about their benefits ranging from health insurance and health savings plans to retirement plans like a 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 Leidos who specialize in helping Leidos employees make the most of their income and benefits.

Whether you work in the Leidos headquarters in Reston, Virginia, another office location around the country, or remotely from home, you may have questions about your compensation package and benefits 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 Leidos 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 Leidos 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 Leidos 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 Leidos Employees & Executives
2. Get Answers to Your Questions About Your Leidos Benefits and Career
3. Browse Related Articles

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

Answers to Employee Questions with Martin Smith, CRPC®, AIFA®

Martin Smith is a financial advisor based in Peachtree City, Georgia, who specializes in offering financial planning services to Leidos employees. Martin helps his clients get the most value from their Leidos benefits and compensation package so they can enjoy life and feel confident about their financial future.

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

Martin: Leidos offers a competitive benefits package, but many employees don’t always recognize how to align those benefits with their long-term goals. My role is to act as a bridge between the benefit options Leidos provides and the employee’s personal financial objectives. I help employees optimize their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) or 401(k) contributions, especially when there’s a company match at stake, ensuring they don’t leave free money on the table. We also review how employer-provided insurance, stock purchase plans, and health savings accounts can be integrated into a broader wealth strategy. The goal is to maximize every dollar Leidos makes available while reducing inefficiencies and preparing for a secure retirement.

Q: When you first speak with a Leidos 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?

Martin: I begin by asking questions that uncover their priorities and values, not just their numbers. For example:

• What does retirement mean to you?
• What are your short-term and long-term financial goals?
• How comfortable do you feel managing your own investments?
• Do you anticipate major life changes (college tuition, relocation, elder care responsibilities)?
• What level of risk are you truly comfortable with?

These questions open the door to conversations that are about more than money—they’re about lifestyle, family, and legacy. Once I understand the “why” behind their goals, we can design a plan that uses Leidos’ benefits as tools to support their vision.

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

Martin: Yes—Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Many employees don’t realize HSAs can serve as a powerful retirement savings vehicle. Contributions are tax-deductible, earnings grow tax-deferred, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free. For employees in higher tax brackets, HSAs can be one of the most tax-advantaged accounts available. Yet too often, they’re treated only as a short-term medical savings bucket rather than as part of a long-term wealth strategy. In addition, more employees should consider the long-term tax savings that they can achieve by contributing to the “Roth” portion of their 401(K) Plan.

Q: Beyond Leidos employee benefits for retirement savings, are there other types of benefits offered by the company that you find valuable to discuss with your clients?

Martin: Absolutely. Leidos’ Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) can be a valuable wealth-building tool if used strategically. I also encourage employees with families to think about education savings options, such as 529 plans, especially since some company benefits can complement those efforts. And as mentioned earlier, HSAs are often overlooked but can become a cornerstone for managing future healthcare costs in retirement. Aligning these benefits with a comprehensive financial plan ensures employees make the most of every advantage available.

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

Martin: Before resigning, employees should:

1. Review the vesting schedule for employer retirement contributions. Leaving too early may mean forfeiting part of the match.
2. Consider how stock options or ESPP shares will be affected.
3. Assess the portability of insurance benefits.

Shortly after resigning, I recommend consolidating retirement accounts where appropriate, evaluating the new employer’s benefits, and ensuring there’s no gap in healthcare coverage. These are transitional moments when mistakes can be costly, but with careful planning, employees can avoid unnecessary financial setbacks.

Q: For Leidos 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?

Martin: I help employees design an income distribution strategy that balances predictability with growth. This includes assessing Social Security timing strategies, pension options (if applicable), and sustainable withdrawal rates from retirement accounts. We also model healthcare costs, inflation, and tax implications. Importantly, I encourage a “practice retirement” phase—living on their projected retirement budget a year or two before leaving the workforce. This gives employees confidence and reduces anxiety about whether their plan will hold up in real life.

Q: For Leidos 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?

Martin: I often tell employees: you don’t hire an advisor because you can’t manage your finances—you hire one because your financial life has grown more complex. If you’re managing significant assets, approaching retirement, or juggling multiple accounts (retirement, stock, HSA, etc.), the cost of making a mistake can outweigh the perceived savings of going it alone. A good advisor provides not just investment management, but also tax, estate, and retirement planning that tie everything together.

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

Martin: A common challenge is managing concentrated stock exposure through the ESPP. Holding too much employer stock can create unnecessary risk. I help employees build diversification strategies while still taking advantage of purchase discounts. Another challenge is optimizing retirement contributions around vesting schedules and maximizing tax efficiency—something that becomes particularly important for highly compensated employees.

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

Martin: I recommend asking:

• How do you get paid? (to understand conflicts of interest)
• What experience do you have working with clients like me?
• How will you integrate my Leidos benefits into my financial plan?
• What’s your process for helping clients transition into retirement?

The right advisor should demonstrate both technical expertise and an ability to align with your personal goals.

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

Martin: I’m often surprised by how many employees underestimate the long-term value of their benefits package. Many don’t fully understand the match structure in their retirement accounts, the potential of their ESPP, or the tax advantages of HSAs. Once employees see how these pieces work together, the reaction is usually one of relief—they realize they have more resources at their disposal than they initially thought.

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

Martin: Yes. Nonqualified deferred compensation plans can be particularly important for executives, as they allow for tax deferral on income that may otherwise push them into higher tax brackets. Additionally, equity compensation, stock options, and supplemental insurance benefits require a more nuanced strategy to manage liquidity, taxes, and concentration risk. These are areas where tailored advice can make a substantial difference in long-term wealth preservation.

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

Martin: One memorable moment was with a client who had accumulated a significant amount of company stock through the ESPP. They had never thought about the risk of being overexposed to a single employer. By developing a systematic diversification strategy, we were able to reduce their risk while still allowing them to benefit from the company’s growth. That experience underscored for me that Leidos employees often have unique opportunities—but they also need a thoughtful plan to avoid pitfalls.

Get to Know Martin Smith, Financial Advisor for Leidos Employees:

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

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