Learn about equity—from the beginning

Ownership in private companies is a powerful wealth-building opportunity. Learn how to navigate job offers, understand taxes, and plan for the future.

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THE EQUITY 101 COURSE

• [01 What is equity? \ 03:43
• [02 What’s a cap table? \ 04:59
• [03 Equity grants, explained \ 06:05
• [04 How vesting works \ 04:39
• [05 How exercising equity works \ 09:11
• [06 How to sell your shares \ 06:11
• [07 How are equity grants taxed? \ 08:14
• [08 Valuations, explained \ 10:30
• [09 Who can invest in startups? \ 11:02
• [10 How venture capital works \ 18:49

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What experts are saying

• Too many people in today’s workforce don’t understand the basics of equity, simply because they don’t have anywhere to turn to answer their questions. Carta’s Equity 101 is an empowering tool for those early or tenured in their careers alike to learn the basics and feel more confident managing it.
  - Anne-Laure Winkler, PhD
  Professor at Barunch College, CUNY

• Carta’s Equity 101 is a great program for anyone who is interested in learning about equity, an increasingly important and common form of compensation. The lessons are like I was having an informal conversation with my friends. Free, friendly, and informal education like this will certainly help narrow the gender gap in equity compensation and ultimately, the gender gap in wealth. I enthusiastically recommend free Carta’s Equity 101.
  - Takao Kato
  Professor of Economics, Colgate University

• Equity is one of the most powerful ways to generate wealth, but it’s a complicated topic with little to no educational resources out there. As a result, employees across the nation are missing out on opportunities for wealth-building that can impact their financial health and the financial health of generations after them. I’m excited to see Carta trying to change this. This is an essential step towards filling a financial education gap.
  - Joseph Blasi
  J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor and Director, Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, Rutgers University, Author of "The Citizen's Share"

• America needs more employee owners. Equity grants are one way to get there, but the current structure of equity compensation is highly skewed towards executives and managers, most of whom are white males. It is encouraging to see a program talk about how this concept can be made more universal.
  - Dr. Corey Rosen
  Founder, National Center for Employee Ownership

• Equity can transform your life financially, but it can also have a dramatic impact on how an employee views their role at a company. Equity means ownership and it may well give employees a sense of purpose, allow for deeper engagement, and create stronger corporate cultures. Equity 101 will most likely create more owners, and more engaged owners. I’m thrilled to see it launched.
  - Frank Shipper
  Professor at Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University

• The curriculum offered in Carta’s Equity 101 is so important, especially for students about to enter the workforce who may not fully understand equity and their options. Equity can dramatically impact a young professional’s quality of life, as long as they understand its value and how to use it.
  - Daphne Berry
  Professor at the Barney School of Business at University of Hartford

• Carta’s Equity 101 curriculum is a great resource for helping people learn the basics of equity — for free. Equity is an important way to build wealth. The more people who understand it, the better.
  - Felice Klein, PhD
  Professor at Boise State University, Co-author of "The Gender Equity Gap"

• Carta’s Equity 101 educational program is a valuable resource that successfully explains the complexities of equity-based compensation in an informative yet accessible way, including for those without prior knowledge. Equity-based compensation can have an outsized impact on wealth creation, and it’s important people have easy-to-understand information at their fingertips. I will use this program in my courses on economic sociology and the sociology of finance to introduce students to equity-based compensation and discuss its socioeconomic implications.
  - Angelina Grigoryeva
  Professor at the University of Toronto

• Carta’s Equity 101 is an accessible program that provides fundamental concepts about equity. In about an hour, users can learn basic terms and useful applications that are reinforced with realistic and compelling examples. I’m excited that this free curriculum will be readily available for people across industries and life stages so they can fully understand and maximize their equity options.
  - Jegoo Lee
  Professor, University of Rhode Island, College of Business

The Equity 101 glossary

From “accredited investor” to “vesting,” all the terms you need to know to make decisions about stock options, taxes, and building your wealth through equity.

Explore glossary

More questions answered

What are stock options?
Taxes on stocks: What you need to know
How to ask about equity with a job offer
How exercising stock options works

Get in touch with us at equity101@carta.com for questions about our course and partnership opportunities.