Options Trading Tutorial

What is the best way to try to draw money out of my employee stock options?

I'm not sure if I should try to get a lawyer or not, but my immediate supervisor says I can't touch it until I'm 59 1/2 yrs old...I am currently laid off and I don't plan on going back to work for the same company,I don't know if I have a legal leg to stand on or not...I figure it's my money, why do I have to leave it with "their" company if I'm not going to be working there anymore.

Public Comments

1. If the stock options are part of an employer's retirement plan, you generally don't have much flexibility. You can't take the options out because options themselves probably have no value. You can't exercise the options because of THEIR rules. If the company is a public company or a major employer, sometimes private investors may be willing to "buy" the rights to the options at a discounted price. This is a private, non-marketable transaction. If the company is a local company, nobody will give you a cup of coffee for those types of securities.
2. How much did you pay for "your" stock options?