Ares Management (ARES) RSU sell-vs-hold
Calculator · free · no signup · ARESSell at vest or hold? Compare after-tax payout from selling Ares Management RSUs at vest vs. holding through the LTCG cliff at 12 months.
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Your vest
Tax inputs
Hold strategy
Best after-tax payout — at year 1 yr
$47,709
Sell + invest wins by $4,981 over Hold 1 yr.
Estimates only. Not financial advice.
Heads-up: under-withholding. Your employer withholds federal tax at the IRS supplemental rate (22.0% on this vest, ≈ $17,600). Your marginal federal rate on this vest is 32.7%, owing $26,171. Expect to settle the $8,571 gap at tax time.
The hidden purchase
Tax was paid at vest either way. Holding is mathematically equivalent to taking $44,509 in after-tax cash and buying $44,509 of ARES today.
Most diversification frameworks would advise against a purchase that size in a single name; the right answer depends on your conviction in ARES. Holding past one year converts the gain to LTCG.
Sell + invest
Best payout| Vest value (shares × price) | $80,000 |
| Federal | |
| State | |
| Medicare | −$1,160 |
| Additional Medicare | −$720 |
| Market gain over 1 yr at 10.0% | $4,451 |
| Cap-gain tax on diversified gain — LTCG (federal + state + NIIT) | −$1,251 |
| Net at year 1 yr | $47,709 |
Sell every share at vest; invest the after-tax cash at the market return for 1 yr, then liquidate. Diversified — no single-stock concentration risk.
Hold 1 yr
| Vest value (shares × price) | $80,000 |
| Vest tax (federal + state + FICA) | |
| Net at year 1 yr | $42,728 |
Sold 444 shares to cover vest tax (net-settled); kept 556 shares 1 yr to qualify for long-term capital gains.
Social Security + Medicare are payroll taxes (collectively called FICA) — they apply because you're still employed at vest.
Both columns are stated in year-1 yr dollars. The sell side compounds at the market return; the hold side compounds at your single-stock expected return after a 20% volatility drag.
Estimates only. Assumes net-settled (sell-to-cover) vesting; double-trigger and pre-IPO RSUs are out of scope. Excludes multi-state moves, AMT interactions on other equity, and 83(b) elections. Not financial advice.
You evaluated one RSU vest. The beta plans every vest of every grant across years, with concentration and AMT in the loop.
Request beta access →Related calculators: RSU Lot Order Calculator · Stock Concentration Calculator
About Ares Management
Ares Management (ARES) is a public Fintech company, incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.
Last close: $117.55 per share (as of 2026-10-03).
Equity grants at Ares Management typically include restricted stock units (RSUs).
Ares Management Corporation is a global alternative investment manager operating in the credit, private equity and real estate markets. The company was founded in 1997, with additional offices across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Founded in 1997 by a group including Antony Ressler, the firm concentrates on credit, private equity, and real assets, with direct lending to mid-sized companies as the anchor business. Direct lending grew as banks retreated from leveraged loans after the financial crisis, and the firm underwrites and holds those loans in funds rather than distributing them. Management fees on long-dated committed capital produce revenue that is insensitive to any single year's markets. Credit quality across the loan book is the risk that matters. Headquarters are in Los Angeles.
Sources: sec.gov · en.wikipedia.org
Equity comp at Ares Management
- Ares's standard Restricted Unit Agreement (used consistently across S-8 and 10-K/10-Q exhibits from 2016 through 2023) states units do not accelerate and vest upon a Change in Control unless the Committee determines otherwise, i.e. no automatic single- or double-trigger acceleration tied to a change in control by default. Separately, awards do vest on qualifying terminations (without Cause, death, disability, or qualifying retirement) regardless of any change in control. As an alternative asset manager, some named executive officers and investment professionals also receive carried interest / profit-sharing awards alongside RSUs, with separate acceleration terms disclosed in the proxy's Compensation Discussion and Analysis.
- Early exercise is not allowed: you have to wait for shares to vest before you can buy them.
- RSUs use single-trigger vesting: shares become yours as each portion vests on schedule, and the value is taxed as ordinary income at that point. No IPO or acquisition is required.
- Vesting schedule: Varies by grant rather than a uniform 4-year/1-year-cliff: standard Restricted Unit agreements have used one-third per year starting on the 3rd anniversary (5-year tail), a single cliff on the 5th anniversary, one-quarter per year starting on the 1st or 2nd anniversary, or one-third per year starting on the 1st anniversary, generally subject to continued employment..
Sources: sec.gov · sec.gov · sec.gov · sec.gov
Researched 2026-08-20.
OptionsAhoy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Ares Management.
Ares Management (ARES) RSUs vest as ordinary income at the price on vest day. The decision is whether to sell at vest and reinvest, or hold the shares through the 12-month LTCG cliff. This calculator runs both paths through the same after-tax math so you can compare like-for-like.
Example: 500 Ares Management (ARES) RSUs vesting at $117.55 per share is $58,775 of ordinary income on vest day. After roughly 32% combined federal + state + FICA (~$18,808), the post-tax share value is ~$39,967. Holding 12 months for long-term capital-gains treatment then only matters for the price change between vest and sale; the ordinary income at vest is already locked in. The calculator runs both paths through the same after-tax math.
All Ares Management tools → · Use the generic RSU Sell-vs-Hold Calculator for any company. Diversifying multiple RSU lots? See the lot-by-lot sell order →
Ares Management equity questions
- Should I sell or hold my Ares Management RSUs at vest?
- Ares Management restricted stock units (RSUs) are taxed as ordinary income on their value at vest whether or not you sell. The only open decision is what to do with the shares afterward: sell at vest and reinvest, or hold past twelve months for long-term capital-gains treatment on any further gain. The calculator above runs both paths through the same after-tax math so you can compare them directly.
- Does Ares Management grant ISOs, NSOs, or RSUs?
- Equity compensation at Ares Management typically takes the form of restricted stock units (RSUs). Restricted stock units are taxed as ordinary income when they vest.
- Does Ares Management allow early exercise of stock options?
- No. Ares Management requires options to vest before you can exercise them, so the holding-period clock for long-term capital-gains treatment starts as each tranche vests and you exercise it.
- Do Ares Management RSUs use double-trigger vesting?
- No. Ares Management restricted stock units (RSUs) use single-trigger vesting: each tranche becomes yours as it vests on schedule, taxed as ordinary income at that point, with no liquidity event required.
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