New Website Provides Comprehensive View of Phantom Stock

IRVINE, CA, May 02, 2012 (Press-News.org) A fresh online resource offering wide-ranging information about phantom stock for privately held companies was launched on April 9, 2012. The site also helps companies examine other potential value sharing arrangements to link long-term remuneration with the performance of the business. The just launched website is located at http://www.phantomstockonline.com and is sponsored by The VisionLink Advisory Group, a compensation design and consulting firm headquartered in Irvine, California.

"People have heard of phantom stock but they have a lot of unanswered questions," said Tom Miller, VisionLink's president and founder. "And there hasn't been a source out there that provides a comprehensive view of the topic—at least not the kind of basic information people are looking for. Since a great deal of our work is done in this arena, we thought, 'who better to develop such a resource?' So we built a website to meet the growing interest and need."

For years, private businesses large and small have looked for ways of sharing value with key employees without giving away actual stock. Interest has risen particularly in recent years as companies have sought ways to provide long-term incentives to employees that don't negatively impact the cash flow of the company. All of this has led to a building interest in "phantom" equity arrangements. According to Miller, that interest is playing itself out in a lot of activity on the internet.

"People have a range of questions about Phantom Stock," the compensation design firm leader offered. "What is it? How does it work? Who can participate? What are the tax implications? How do we value shares? Is it something we should consider at our stage? And so on. However, in their search for answers, most are coming up short. Our site addresses all those questions and more."

Miller went on to explain that the site includes tools for determining whether one's company is ready for a phantom stock plan, what kind of values might be generated in such a plan and how to compare other long-term value sharing arrangements that could be used as an alternative. The primary content of phantomstockonline.com includes the following:

The Knowledge Center — which is organized as a wiki and will answer virtually any question one would have about phantom stock.

Tools — that will help site visitors determine whether their company is a candidate for a phantom stock program and what other long-term value sharing arrangements they might consider before selecting a plan design.

Build a Plan — where business leaders can envision the potential financial value that would be generated through a phantom stock plan for participants in their companies and how that benefit compares with increasing shareholder value.

The Blog — that will keep visitors up to date on trends in long-term value sharing and how phantom stock is making a difference for companies across the country.

The site is free of advertising and is strictly educational in nature. In addition, it offers a means of contacting an "expert" if a visitor wishes to speak with someone about the questions they have.

VisionLink is a compensation consulting firm that helps growth-oriented companies create greater alignment between their business plans and their rewards programs—thereby creating a unified financial vision for growing their companies.