Stock and equity only need to be disclosed if they are an Investigator's Significant Financial Interest or a University Employees Substantial Interest.
A Significant Financial Interest includes:
-
Any equity in a private company, regardless of value
-
Equity valued at $5,000 or more in a public company
However, income from investment vehicles such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, as long as the Investigator does not directly control the investment decisions made by the investment managers within these funds or accounts, do not require disclosure.
A Substantial Interest includes: The ownership of three percent or more of the shares of a corporation for profit, where the total annual income from dividends, including the value of stock dividends, from the corporation exceeds five percent of the total annual income of the employee.
Completing the Stock in External Entity Page in eDisclosure
On the Stock or Equity page in eDisclosure, there are two options for disclosing stock and equity:
- "Do you own stock / partnership shares in this organization?" should be used to disclose (1) stocks and shares that you own in a public entity and (2) partnership agreements/shares.
- "Do you own stock options or any other form of equity in this organization?" should be used to disclose (1) other ownership interests (e.g., equity in a private entity), (2) stock options, including Employee Stock Options ("ESOs"), and stock warrants.
Stock & Equity Definitions
- Equity is any stock or other ownership interest, or an entitlement to obtain any stock or ownership interests (e.g., stock options and warrants). The value of Equity is determined through reference to public prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value (e.g., assets - liabilities = value).
- “Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are SEC-registered investment companies that offer investors a way to pool their money in a fund that invests in stocks, bonds, or other assets. In return, investors receive an interest in the fund. Most ETFs are professionally managed by SEC-registered investment advisers. Some ETFs are passively-managed funds that seek to achieve the same return as a particular market index (often called index funds), while others are actively managed funds that buy or sell investments consistent with a stated investment objective. ETFs are not mutual funds.” (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/exchange-traded-fund-etf, last visited Oct. 27, 2022)
- “Options are contracts giving the purchaser the right – but not the obligation -- to buy or sell an underlying asset at a fixed price within a specific period of time. Stock options are traded on a number of exchanges.” (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/glossary/options, last visited Oct. 27, 2022)
- Partnership Shares is a partnership arrangement between two or more people to oversee business operations and share its profits and liabilities. (See generally https://www.irs.gov/businesses/partnerships, last visited Oct. 27, 2022)
- “Stocks are a type of security that gives stockholders a share of ownership in a company. Stocks also are called ‘equities.’” (https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/stocks, last visited Oct. 27, 2022)
- A Stock Warrant “is a contract that gives the holder the right to purchase from the issuer a certain number of additional shares of common stock in the future at a certain price, often a premium to the stock price at the time the warrant is issued.” (https://www.finra.org/investors/insights/spac-warrants-5-tips, last visited Oct. 27, 2022)