Jacksonville Startup Attorneys & Lawyers

Preferred Equity: What is it?

Preferred equity is a general term used to describe any class of securities (stock, limited liability units, limited partnership interests) that has higher priority for distributions of a company’s cash flow or profits than common equity. Typically, all cash flow/profits remaining after required payments to a company's lenders are distributed to the preferred equity investors until they receive the full amount of a previously agreed upon return, commonly stated as a fixed percentage annual rate.<

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Updated October 28, 2020:

Non-qualified stock options give you an alternative way of compensating employees. They also give employees a sense of ownership that builds loyalty and encourages them to work harder.

Non-Qualified Stock Options: What Are They?

A non-qualified stock option gives employees the right to purchase company stock at a predetermined price. There are several key elements to a stock option.

• Grant date: The date when the employee r

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Updated November 5, 2020:

What Is a Drag Along Right?

A drag-along right, drag along provision, or bring along right, is a right that gives majority investors the ability to sell a company to a third-party without consent from minority shareholders. This helps protect the majority and eliminate the minority. However, minority shareholders still receive an equal sales price, terms, and conditions as the majority. In a sale, the drag along agrees to sell the entirety of the stock they own. In a structured merger, the minority shareholder agrees to vote in favor of the merger.

Drag along rights are often written in a term sheet, which outlines the terms by which a venture capitalist or investor invests in a company. In addition to investors, a drag-along right can also be included in an option agre

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In financial terms, pro-rata rights allow an investor to maintain their portion of ownership in a company when the company takes on new investors.

Company Valuation and Pro-Rata Rights

It is important to understand the role that the valuation of your business has on pro-rata rights for other investors. This is important because the angel or venture capital investor dilutes the shares of other owners. Other owners in early-stage businesses are typically the owner (or owners) and friends and family members. Initially your company may look like this:

• Owners/Founders - 50 percent equity each
• Friend and family investors – each owner/founder surrenders 5 percent and 10 percent is given to friends and family (founders/co-owners now have 45 percent each)

At this point, you will typically have registered your company with stock to ensure you can actually issue stock to family or fr

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What is Phantom Stock?

Phantom shares (phantom stock agreements) are an employee benefit where selected employees receive the benefits of stock ownership without receiving actual stock from the company. While not stock in the company, phantom stock is worth money just like real stock— its value rises and falls with the company's actual stock (or what the company is valued at, if it's not a publicly traded company). Employees are paid out profits at the end of a pre-determined length of time.

Also known as ghost shares, shadow stock, simulated stock, or phantom shares, phantom stock is often provided as a bonus for employees’ hard work and longevity. One form of phantom stock is Stock Appreciation Rights.

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