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Quick Start

Get up and running with Kelso in just a few minutes.

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Step 1: Create Your Account

1

Sign Up

Visit villagelabs.com/kelso and create your account
2

Verify Email

Check your email and verify your account
3

Choose Plan

Select the plan that fits your needs

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Step 2: Set Up Your ESOP

1

Basic Information

Enter your ESOP’s basic details:
  • Company name
  • Plan year
  • Number of participants
  • Current share price
2

Plan Rules

Configure your plan rules:
  • Vesting schedule
  • Allocation formula
  • Eligibility requirements
  • Distribution rules
3

Import Data (Optional)

Import participant and historical data:
  • Upload census data
  • Import valuations
  • Load contribution history

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Step 3: Ask Your First Question

Now you’re ready to start using Kelso!

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Example Questions to Try

Forecasting: 
What will our repurchase obligations be over the next 5 years?
Plan Design: 
What would happen if we changed our vesting to 6 years instead of 4?
Scenario Analysis: 
How does 15% annual growth impact our ESOP over 10 years?
Compliance: 
Are we at risk of failing the coverage test this year?

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Step 4: Create Your First Scenario

1

Open Scenario Builder

Click “New Scenario” in the dashboard
2

Set Parameters

Adjust the assumptions you want to test:
  • Growth rates
  • Turnover rates
  • Contribution amounts
  • Valuation multiples
3

Run Analysis

Click “Analyze” to see results
4

Review Results

Examine the forecast outputs:
  • Obligations by year
  • Cash flow impact
  • Participant accounts
  • Key metrics
5

Save & Share

Save the scenario and share with your team

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Common First Tasks

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Forecast Repurchase Obligations

Goal: Understand your future cash needs
  1. Go to “Repurchase Forecasting”
  2. Review default assumptions
  3. Adjust as needed for your situation
  4. Run 10-year forecast
  5. Export results

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Compare Plan Design Options

Goal: Evaluate a proposed plan change
  1. Create “Current Plan” scenario
  2. Create “Proposed Plan” scenario
  3. Adjust plan rules in proposed version
  4. Run side-by-side comparison
  5. Review participant impact

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Stress Test Your ESOP

Goal: See how your ESOP handles adverse conditions
  1. Create base case scenario
  2. Create stress scenarios:
    • Low growth
    • High turnover
    • Valuation decline
  3. Compare outcomes
  4. Identify vulnerabilities
  5. Plan mitigations

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Tips for Success

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Start Simple

Don’t try to perfect all your assumptions on day one. Start with rough estimates and refine over time as you learn.

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Ask Follow-Up Questions

Kelso maintains context, so you can ask follow-up questions:
  • “What about if growth is only 5%?”
  • “Show me the impact by participant age group”
  • “How sensitive is that to the turnover assumption?”

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Save Important Scenarios

Save scenarios you’ll want to reference later:
  • Annual planning scenarios
  • Board presentation analyses
  • Different strategic options
  • Stress tests

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Use the Templates

Kelso includes templates for common analyses:
  • Annual repurchase forecast
  • Plan design comparison
  • Acquisition modeling
  • Downsizing impact

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Get Help When Needed

Don’t hesitate to reach out:
  • In-app chat support
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Video tutorials in help center
  • Schedule 1-on-1 training

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Next Steps

Explore Features

Learn about all of Kelso’s capabilities

Plan Design Guide

See how to use Kelso for plan design

Best Practices

Learn from experienced users

Schedule Training

Book a personalized training session

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Need Help?

Contact Support

Our team is here to help you succeed with Kelso