For American Express employees
Six layers of compensation, arriving over decades. One agreement to address them all.
American Express compensation is more complex than it appears. Beyond salary and a bonus, you have RSUs vesting quarterly, long-term incentive awards with performance conditions, a cash balance pension, and possibly a deferred comp plan. Each piece arrives on a different timeline, and each may be treated differently in a prenup depending on when it was earned.
Your compensation timeline
When each piece of your comp actually arrives
The complexity of a prenup for a financial services professional is not just what you earn. It is when you receive it.
Base salary
SimpleFixed compensation paid biweekly. Straightforward to characterize: income earned during the marriage is income earned during the marriage.
Annual incentive award
ModerateA combination of cash and equity granted based on individual and company performance. At senior levels, the equity portion can equal or exceed the cash. The award reflects work from the prior year but is paid and granted in the following year.
Restricted stock units
ModerateRSUs typically vest quarterly over three years from the grant date. At any given time, you may hold overlapping grants from multiple annual incentive cycles, each on its own vesting schedule.
Long-term incentive awards
HigherFor directors and above, additional equity or performance share awards with multi-year vesting and performance conditions. These may be subject to forfeiture if you leave before the cliff.
Cash balance pension
HigherAmerican Express maintains a cash balance pension plan, which is increasingly uncommon among large financial services firms. Your pension benefit grows each year based on a pay credit and an interest credit, and the full value is only realized at retirement or separation.
Deferred compensation
HighestHighly compensated employees may elect to defer portions of their bonus into a nonqualified deferred compensation plan. These balances grow tax-deferred and are distributed on a schedule you selected at enrollment, often years or decades in the future.
The pension question
Most financial services firms no longer offer a pension. American Express does.
The cash balance pension plan at American Express is a defined benefit that grows each year you work there. Unlike an RSU that vests and becomes stock in your account, a pension benefit is a promise to pay you later, often decades later. The value attributable to years of service during a marriage may be treated differently than the value from years before. Rules differ by state, and your attorney can review how pension benefits are handled where you live.
Combined with RSUs, annual bonuses, and potentially a deferred comp plan, this creates a compensation picture where different pieces of the same year's pay arrive at different points over the next 30 years. A prenup can address all of these timelines in one framework.
How Neptune works
Built for people with complex compensation
Guided intake
Walk through each compensation layer (salary, bonus, RSUs, pension, deferred comp) at your own pace. Both partners complete the process independently.
Two independent attorneys
Each partner gets their own licensed attorney who can explain how overlapping compensation timelines intersect with your state's rules.
One agreement, all layers
Your attorney drafts a prenup that addresses every layer of compensation, including benefits that will not be realized for decades. Typically around 3 to 4 weeks.
$5,000 flat fee. $3,000 drafting + $2,000 reviewing attorney.
Questions about prenups and corporate compensation
How is a pension treated in a prenup?
A pension benefit that accrues during a marriage may be treated differently than one accrued before. Because the cash balance plan grows each year based on service, the portion attributable to years worked during the marriage can be distinguished from the portion earned before. Rules differ by state, and your attorney can review what applies where you live.
I have RSUs from multiple years vesting at the same time. How is that handled?
Each RSU grant has its own history: it was awarded in a specific year for work performed in the prior year, and it vests on its own schedule. A prenup can describe how each grant is characterized based on when the underlying work was performed, regardless of when the shares actually arrive in your brokerage account.
What about my deferred comp elections?
Deferred compensation adds a timing layer: you earned the money in one year, elected to defer it, and it will be paid in another year (possibly decades later). A prenup can address how deferred amounts are treated based on when the underlying income was earned versus when it is actually distributed.
My partner also works at a large company with RSUs. Does that change anything?
When both partners have equity compensation, the prenup can address both sides symmetrically. Each partner works with their own independent attorney to ensure both sets of RSUs, bonuses, and benefits are addressed fairly.
What does this cost?
Neptune charges a flat fee of $5,000 per couple, covering two independent attorneys (one for each partner). No payment is required to get started. Turnaround is typically around 3 to 4 weeks when both partners use Neptune attorneys. Rush pricing applies when the wedding is within 45 days.