EO Advantage Learning Programs

Employee Stock Ownership Plans

Build confidence advising on ESOPs by understanding their structure, tax benefits, legal requirements, and governance considerations

FACULTY: Stacey Smith

$59

1 hour CPE
Course is not yet rated
Flexible schedule

Any time, self-paced

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Build toward your CEOA designation

Understanding the most common path to EO

ESOPs are the most widely recognized employee ownership structure—and also the most complex. In this Certified Employee Ownership Advisor course, you’ll learn to navigate their tax benefits, governance requirements, and financing structures, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor for succession-ready businesses.

With ESOPs, the stakes are high: get it right, and owners realize liquidity, employees gain ownership, and companies unlock new growth. This course equips you to analyze whether an ESOP is the right fit and to anticipate the legal and financial hurdles in the process.

 

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Comprehend the structure, purpose, and key features of ESOPs
  • Evaluate the tax advantages and legal considerations associated with ESOPs
  • Analyze the governance and key operational details of ESOPs

Faculty

Our faculty aren’t just educators—they’re leaders in the field, bringing decades of hands-on experience to help advisors translate knowledge into impact.

Stacey Smith
Stacey Smith
Senior Vice President, Head of Programs

Stacey has spent most of her career helping businesses examine their impact and aligning it with their values. She started as a CPA with Arthur Andersen, then moved into strategy and organizational development. Seeking to devote her financial expertise to social and environmental issues, she was an early mover in the field of sustainability and corporate responsibility in the US. She joined Business for Social Responsibility in 2001 to build their business consulting practice and spent the next decade guiding Fortune 500 companies to address their negative impacts. Recently, Stacey began consulting to nonprofits and foundations to strengthen their strategy, management, and governance practices. Through her work with the Public Equity Group and her own independent practice, she explored the structural barriers to wealth and other drivers of generational poverty. At Project Equity she is helping grow our team of professionals to accelerate the adoption of employee ownership as a key to building wealth and high-quality careers in communities. In addition to having been a licensed CPA, Stacey has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Vermont and has done coursework in International Business Studies at the University of Copenhagen. When she is not working, you can find her hiking the Bay Area hills, indulging in the restaurant scene, and playing with her family.

Continuing education

Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive 1 hour CPE.
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Project Equity is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors.  State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit.  Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its web site: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Exit Planning Institute logo

Employee Stock Ownership Plans has been approved for 1 hour(s) of continuing education (CE) credits by the Exit Planning Institute (EPI).

CFP Board

Employee Stock Ownership Plans has been accepted by the Certified Financial Planner Board for continuing education credit. Upon successful completion of the program, 1 CE credit(s) will be granted by CFP Board.

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