--- title: EquityZen Blog - Private Market Insights | Shareholder Education (2) description: Shareholder Education | The EquityZen Blog is the hub for private market insights. Whether you want to buy or sell pre-IPO shares, EquityZen is the marketplace for accessing pre-IPO equity. Learn more at EquityZen.com. (2) --- [![EquityZen](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/equityzen-logo.svg "EquityZen")](https://equityzen.com/) - [Investments](https://equityzen.com/explore/) - [Explore](https://equityzen.com/explore-private-market/) - How it Works - [Investors](https://equityzen.com/investor/) - [Shareholders](https://equityzen.com/shareholder/) - [Institutions](https://equityzen.com/institutions/) - [Issuers](https://equityzen.com/issuers/) - [Financial Advisors](https://equityzen.com/financial-advisors/) - [Insights](https://blog.equityzen.com/) - [Login](https://equityzen.com/accounts/login/) - [Sign Up](https://equityzen.com/accounts/register/) [Back to insights](https://blog.equityzen.com) # Shareholder Education [Market Views](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/market-views) [In the News](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/in-the-news) [Investor Education](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/investor-education) [Investor Basics](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/investor-basics) [IPO News](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/ipo-news) [From Our Founders](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/from-our-founders) [Shareholder Education](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education) [Company News](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/company-news) [Video](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/video) [Podcasts](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/podcasts) [Getting Started](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/getting-started) [Product Updates](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/product-updates) [Investor Advanced](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/investor-advanced) [Financial Advisors](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/financial-advisors) [Awards](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/awards) [Monthly Movers](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/monthly-movers) ![The 7 Equity Documents You Should Always Have on File](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Top%20Equity%20Grant%20Documents%20-%20EquityZen.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=Top%20Equity%20Grant%20Documents%20-%20EquityZen.jpg) ##### The 7 Equity Documents You Should Always Have on File If you're looking to sell your shares, you must understand your shareholder documents like the optio... Shareholder Education 4 min read ![The Pros and Cons of Selling Pre-IPO Stock](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1084266350-1.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=shutterstock_1084266350-1.jpg) ##### The Pros and Cons of Selling Pre-IPO Stock Discover how EquityZen revolutionized access to private market investments over the past decade with... Shareholder Education 2 min read ![How Does Pre-IPO Selling Work?](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1257663727-1.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=shutterstock_1257663727-1.jpg) ##### How Does Pre-IPO Selling Work? Discover how EquityZen revolutionized access to private market investments over the past decade with... Shareholder Education 1 min read ![green image of computer chips](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/GettyImages-1322183738.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=GettyImages-1322183738.jpg) ##### Selling Shares on EquityZen: A Guide to Creating a Sales Inquiry While the secondary market used to be opaque and fractured, platforms like EquityZen have emerged to... Shareholder Education 8 min read ![The Importance of Knowing the Value of Your Private Company Shares as a Startup Employee](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock_1051141721.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=shutterstock_1051141721.jpg) ##### The Importance of Knowing the Value of Your Private Company Shares as a Startup Employee EquityZen's Equity Value Calculator helps startup employees own their future by arming them with acc... Shareholder Education 3 min read ![EquityZen's Shareholder playbook with man and woman reviewing paperwork](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EquityZen_Blog_Shareholder_Playbook.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=EquityZen_Blog_Shareholder_Playbook.jpg) ##### Shareholder's Playbook: What to Know About Selling Your Shares If you're looking to sell shares, you must understand the documents which outline the rights that th... Shareholder Education 6 min read ![EquityZen overview of option agreement with woman reviewing paperwork with laptop](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EquityZen_Blog_Option_Agreement.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=EquityZen_Blog_Option_Agreement.jpg) ##### What is an Option Agreement? The Stock Option Agreement can also be called the Stock Purchase Agreement. It may be included in yo... Shareholder Education 6 min read ![Green maze for EquityZen's blog on startup questions](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EquityZen_Blog_Startup%20Questions.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=EquityZen_Blog_Startup%20Questions.jpg) ##### The Answers to Your Startup Equity Questions Answers to questions about start up equity compensation, stock options, lay off considerations, stri... Shareholder Education 3 min read ![EquityZen guide to exercising options with out cash with beach view](https://blog.equityzen.com/hs-fs/hubfs/EquityZen_Blog_Exercising%20without%20Cash.jpg?width=812&height=446&name=EquityZen_Blog_Exercising%20without%20Cash.jpg) ##### How to Exercise Stock Options Without Cash: A Smoother Path to Liquidity Here we discuss two methods by which a vested option holder can exercise stock options without the n... Shareholder Education 5 min read [Prev](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education/page/1) [1](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education/page/1) [2](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education/page/2) [3](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education/page/3) [Next](https://blog.equityzen.com/tag/shareholder-education/page/3) #### The Potential to Shape the Future Join over 700,000 investors and shareholders accessing the private markets with EquityZen [![Get Started](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/20754585/b1b6ba1b-ed6d-4097-8816-bcd01b3b9828.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/20754585/b1b6ba1b-ed6d-4097-8816-bcd01b3b9828) #### Company - [About](https://equityzen.com/about/) - [Careers](https://equityzen.com/careers/) - [Press](https://equityzen.com/press/) #### Policies & Disclosures - [Disclosures](https://equityzen.com/disclosures/) - [Business Continuity Plan](https://equityzen.com/bcp/) - [Privacy Policy](https://equityzen.com/privacy/) - [Allocation Policy](https://equityzen.com/allocation-policy/) - [Form CRS](https://equityzen.com/form-crs/) #### Help - [Help Center](https://help.equityzen.com/en/) - [Getting Started](https://help.equityzen.com/en/collections/5549447-getting-started) - [Status Page](https://status.equityzen.com/) #### Connect - [![Facebook](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/facebook-1.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/EquityZen) - [![Instagram](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/instagram-1.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/equityzen_/) - [![Vector (8)](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/Vector%20(8).svg)](https://twitter.com/EquityZen) - [![Linked In](https://blog.equityzen.com/hubfs/linkedin-1.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/equityzen) Investment opportunities posted on this website are "private placements" of securities that are not publicly traded, are subject to holding period requirements, and are intended for investors who do not need a liquid investment. 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