Hello,
For officers of the corporation, my employer has switched from annual awards of stock options to equity awards. Unfortunately, other than stating there will be a 3 year vesting lag for each equity award, any other information won't be provided until May. Can someone please elaborate on the fundamentals of an equity award or point me in the direction of a good informational resource?
Many thanks,
Sinclair

These equity awards (also called "stock units", as opposed to "stock options") seem to be increasingly popular, perhaps because of the cleaner accounting treatment. The process is: You get some stock. Unless it's in your 401k, you'll probably have to declare the market value when you receive the grant as income. Some of these plans specify you can receive stock or the cash equivalent, at the employer's option.

I'm no expert in these matters so others may be able to provide more color. Just reporting what I keep reading in 10-Ks.

Nick