OUR SERVICES
Financial Planning for Oil & Gas Industry Professionals
Specialized guidance for ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell employees navigating company stock, pension elections, and a compensation structure that doesn't work like anyone else's.
What We Can Do For You
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- Manage concentration risk from employer stock
- Analyze Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) strategy for company stock
- Evaluate pension elections, lump sum vs. annuity
- Coordinate deferred compensation distribution timing
- Sequence retirement income across account types to manage your tax bill
- Advise on the timing of qualified and non-qualified benefit payments
If you work in the oil and gas industry, your financial picture looks different from most people's. Between company stock, deferred compensation, pension elections, and a compensation structure that seems to change every few years, the decisions in front of you carry real weight. As a fee-only, fiduciary firm based in The Woodlands, we've built specific expertise working with senior executives in the energy industry, including professionals at ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell managing qualified pension plans, qualified savings plans, non-qualified benefit payments, and restricted stock plans tied to their employer.
The Challenges Oil & Gas Professionals Face
Working for a major energy company comes with real financial advantages, and real complexity. A few of the situations we regularly help clients work through:
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- Concentrated company stock. When a large share of your retirement savings sits in one company's stock, a downturn in that stock, or in oil prices generally, can hit your net worth harder than it would someone with a more diversified portfolio.
- Layered compensation. Base pay, bonuses, deferred compensation, restricted stock, and stock options don't operate on the same schedule or the same tax rules, and coordinating them takes more than a spreadsheet.
- Pension decisions. Choosing between a lump sum and a monthly annuity is a one-time decision with long-term consequences, and it needs to be weighed against the rest of your retirement plan, not made in isolation.
- Retirement timing and sequencing. The order you draw from your 401(k), pension, deferred compensation, and Social Security can meaningfully change your tax bill in retirement.
- Company stock inside your retirement plan. Depending on how your shares got there, an NUA strategy may offer a more tax-efficient way to move them out of your plan than a standard rollover.
Planning by Employer
Every energy company structures compensation and benefits differently. We've spent time understanding how these three in particular put their plans together, so the guidance you get is specific to where you work, not generic advice.
ExxonMobil
If you're part of ExxonMobil's compensation and benefits program, coordinating your savings plan, pension, and any company stock takes a strategy built around how ExxonMobil structures things.
Chevron
Chevron employees often have a mix of retirement plan assets, deferred compensation, and stock-based pay to think through, especially heading into retirement.
Shell
Shell's benefits and retirement programs come with their own set of rules and deadlines, and getting the timing right matters.
Common Questions About Oil & Gas Financial Planning
What is Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA), and does it apply to me?
NUA is a tax strategy that can apply if you hold company stock inside your employer retirement plan. In the right situation, it can let you pay long-term capital gains rates on the stock's growth instead of ordinary income tax rates. Whether it makes sense for you depends on your specific holdings and timeline. See our full NUA page.
Should I take my pension as a lump sum or a monthly annuity?
There's no single right answer. It depends on your health, other income sources, how the rest of your portfolio is invested, and what you want retirement to look like. We walk through the numbers with you before you have to decide.
When should I start planning before I retire?
Earlier than most people think. Some of the decisions around stock options, deferred compensation, and pension elections have deadlines or windows that close once you leave the company, so a few years of lead time gives you far more flexibility.
Do you only work with ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell employees?
No. While we've built specific expertise around these three, we work with oil and gas professionals throughout Greater Houston, including those at other energy companies.
Important Disclosures
ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell are not a clients of Lloyds Intrepid Wealth Management, and this firm has no affiliation with or endorsement from ExxonMobil, Chevron, or Shell. Plan details, formulas, and benefits described here can and do change, so check your current Summary Plan Description or speak with your HR department before making any decisions based on this page.
Lloyds Intrepid Wealth Management is registered as an investment adviser in the State of Texas. That registration reflects a regulatory filing status, not a stamp of approval or a measure of skill from any securities regulator. Nothing on this page should be read as tax, legal, or accounting guidance, for that, talk to your own CPA or attorney. Any strategy mentioned here works differently depending on your specific situation, and shouldn't be treated as individualized advice until we've actually looked at your circumstances together. As with any investment approach, results from the past don't guarantee what happens next.
For additional information about Lloyds Intrepid Wealth Management, including fees and services, please request our Firm Disclosure Brochures as set forth on Form ADV Part 2A and 2B by contacting the firm directly.
A Compensation Package Built Around You, Not a Template
Your compensation package took years to build. Let's make sure your financial plan is built around it, not around a generic template.