How to Build Your Micro Family Office with Equity Compensation

The systematic path from first RSU grant to Portfolio CEO

👋 Managing Tech Millions 📈 your go-to source for building wealth with tech equity and managing the money that comes with it.

Every Thursday, we'll deliver a concise and powerful lesson on building wealth working for equity compensation or on managing your seven and eight-figure portfolio.

Today, in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:

• 🎯 How to fund financial independence without sacrificing lifestyle today

• 💡 The four stages of portfolio growth from foundation to scaling

• 🛠️ Why separating salary, bonus, and equity builds wealth automatically and predictably

Hey Portfolio CEOs,

Most tech professionals treat RSUs like lottery tickets—random windfalls for lifestyle upgrades.

The financially free treat them as business capital—systematic investments that compound into empires.

Equity is the most powerful wealth-building tool, ever. We trade our time and talent for ownership shares in amazing companies. The question is: what do we do with that ownership?

Here’s the difference: One group walks from golden handcuffs straight into a gilded cage. The other uses the same equity to build a generational business.

Today I’m sharing the exact 3-Bucket Rule that transformed my equity compensation into an $8-figure Micro Family Office. More importantly, I’ll show you exactly what to do at each stage of your wealth journey.

This isn’t theory. It’s the system I used. It’s the system used by many of my clients. And it starts with a deceptively simple discipline.

Managing Tech Millions is a Weekly Podcast that gives you deep dive conversations into building and growing wealth with myself and other industry experts.

This week, I’m breaking down the 4 biggest mistakes new millionaires make—and how to avoid losing what took you years to build.

• Lifestyle Creep: Why buying houses and cars too early destroys long-term wealth

• Knee-Jerk Investing: How rushing into decisions creates hidden portfolio risks

• Tax First, Not Last: Why strategy must come before financial advice

• The Wrong Guides: How listening to unproven advisors can cost you millions

• Think Like a Builder: Because wealth created through equity or exits deserves to be managed like a business

The 3-Bucket Rule That Changes Everything

Before any complexity, master this foundation:

Bucket 1: Salary → Living expenses only
Bucket 2: Bonus → Guilt-free enjoyment
Bucket 3: Equity → Never touches lifestyle—this builds your Micro Family Office

This isn’t about deprivation. I live well on my salary. I enjoy my bonuses. But my equity? That’s building an empire that will pay me forever.

The magic isn’t in the buckets—it’s in the discipline of separation. When RSU money never mingles with spending money, wealth building becomes automatic.

---

Stage 1: Foundation ($0 - $1M)

Your first RSU grant

The Move:
Open a separate investment account TODAY. Call it your “Micro Family Office” account. Every RSU dollar goes here. Never to checking.

What you’re building:

• Separation between wealth and lifestyle

• Your first investment systems

• The discipline that enables everything else

The milestone:
When you hit $1M without touching a single RSU for lifestyle, you’ve proven you can run a Micro Family Office.

Reality check: Your colleagues are financing BMWs with their vests. You’re financing freedom.

---

Stage 2: Building ($1M - $3M)

Year 1 as Micro Family Office CEO

The 10-20-70 Evolution:
Your equity bucket now follows a system:

• 10% of vests: Reward yourself (you’ve earned it)

• 20% of vests: Cash reserves (opportunity fund)

• 70% of vests: Systematic diversification

What’s happening:

• Systems are in place and running

• Quarterly reviews become routine

• Tax strategy saves you $50K+ annually

• You’re thinking like a CEO, not an employee

The milestone:
Your Micro Family Office generates its first $100K in investment returns. You’re officially running a profitable business, not a savings account.

---

Stage 3: Operating ($3M - $8M)

Year 3 - Your MFO is a forever business

Your new reality:

• Holding 10% in company stock (calculated concentration)

• Portfolio diversified across 5+ asset classes

• Fresh RSU grants accelerate wealth, don’t maintain lifestyle

• Compound effect is undeniable

What’s different:
Your Micro Family Office is no longer a side project—it’s your primary business. Annual planning sessions. Quarterly reviews. Monthly monitoring. You spend more time on wealth operations than Netflix.

The milestone:
Portfolio income covers 50% of living expenses. Financial independence is visible on the horizon.

---

Stage 4: Scaling ($8M - $15M)

The Portfolio CEO emerges

Your sophisticated operation:

• Portfolio generating $200K-400K annually

• Tax strategies saving $200K+ per year

• New RSU grants are pure acceleration

• Work has become genuinely optional

The transformation:
You’re excited to be CEO of your own venture. The Micro Family Office isn’t managing money—it’s funding your mission and purpose. Every decision aligns with your legacy statement.

The milestone:
Portfolio income exceeds salary. You work because you want to, not because you have to.

Let me show you the 10-year trajectory:

Without the 3-Bucket Rule:

• RSUs fund lifestyle inflation

• Net worth swings with stock price

• Still dependent on W-2 at 50

• Micro Family Office never built

With the 3-Bucket Rule:

• Year 1: $200K invested

• Year 3: $1M working for you

• Year 5: $3M generating income

• Year 10: $8M+ Micro Family Office running itself

Same RSU grants. Different system. One builds dependence, the other builds dynasties.

Your Action Plan by Current Net Worth

Under $1M: Set up your Micro Family Office investment account this week. Route your next RSU vest there. Start the separation today.

$1M - $3M: Implement the 10-20-70 rule immediately. Schedule your first quarterly review. You’re now a CEO, act like it.

$3M - $8M: Focus on sophisticated diversification. Your Micro Family should run like clockwork. Time to optimize, not just accumulate.

$8M+: Congratulations. You’re ready to scale beyond wealth into impact.

The Bottom Line

The 3-Bucket Rule isn’t about sacrifice—it’s about building a business that funds your life forever.

Every RSU you invest today is $10 in five years, $20 in ten years. Every RSU you spend on lifestyle is gone forever.

Your colleagues will keep spending equity comp on cars while you build an empire. They’ll realize too late that they traded financial independence for lifestyle inflation.

Your next vest is coming. Will it fund your lifestyle or your Micro Family Office?

That decision, repeated quarterly for a decade, determines everything.

Here’s to building your Micro Family Office,

Christopher

---

Join me for The WealthOps Way—our free live masterclass designed to help you stop guessing and start running your wealth like a business.

You’ll go from scattered to strategic as you craft your own Portfolio Thesis—the foundation of everything that follows.

👉 In just two sessions, you’ll:

• Clarify your long-term vision

• Define your next best investment move

• Build the system that turns wealth into freedom

Spots are limited—and the clarity you’ll gain? Game-changing.

Let’s build your portfolio like it’s your next great company!

If you like the newsletter, support us by letting us know what you think (one click); please do that now!

PS...If you're enjoying Managing Tech Millions, please consider referring this edition to a friend.

And whenever you are ready, there three ways I can help you:

• Follow me on LinkedIn: Get more insights and real-time updates.

• Tune into the Podcast: Dive deeper into wealth strategies and interviews.

• Get in Touch: Ready for a bigger move? Let’s talk.

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making any decisions based on the information provided.