Skip to main content

Estate & Retirement Planning

Protect what you built. Plan what comes next.

Retirement projections, estate-tax analysis, beneficiary reviews, and coordination with your attorney and financial advisor. Planning you can actually act on.

(561) 278-1199

In short

Estate and retirement planning at KDM focuses on the tax side of these decisions: RMD planning, Roth conversion strategy, estate tax exposure, beneficiary designations, gifting strategy, and Florida residency optimization. We coordinate with your estate attorney and financial advisor — we don't sell insurance or investments.

Jump to section

Retirement planning

The retirement transition is the single highest-impact tax planning window of most people's lives. Decisions made in the 5-10 years before retirement echo for 30+ years after.

  • Retirement income projection — how much can you actually spend?
  • Social Security claiming strategy (62 vs. 67 vs. 70)
  • Withdrawal order: taxable → tax-deferred → Roth for most, inverted for some
  • Roth conversion windows (pre-RMD years)
  • Medicare enrollment + IRMAA planning
  • Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs
  • RMD planning starting at age 73 (current law)

Estate planning (tax side)

We're not estate attorneys — we don't draft wills or trusts. But we analyze the tax exposure of your estate plan and coordinate with your attorney on implementation. Key areas:

  • Federal estate tax exposure (2025: $13.99M federal exemption per individual)
  • Generation-skipping transfer (GST) tax planning
  • Portability election for surviving spouses
  • Gifting strategy (annual exclusion + lifetime exemption)
  • Grantor trusts + valuation discounts
  • Basis step-up vs. capital gains tradeoffs
  • Retirement account beneficiary designations
  • Life insurance positioning in estate plans

Florida residency advantage

Florida has no individual state income tax AND no state estate tax. For clients moving from high-tax, high-estate-tax states (NY, NJ, MA, CT), proper Florida domicile establishment can save substantial tax. Key documentation:

  • Florida driver's license + voter registration
  • Declaration of Domicile filed with Florida clerk
  • Primary-residence homestead exemption (Save Our Homes cap)
  • Most time spent in Florida (183+ days)
  • Professional/medical/social connections shifted to Florida
  • Severing prior-state ties (sell or lease prior residence)

Legacy planning for families with children

Most estate planning questions we get from younger families are simpler than they fear: how do we make sure our kids are taken care of?

  • 529 college savings plans — Florida prepaid + Bright Futures
  • Guardianship designations
  • Life insurance — amount, type, ownership
  • Retirement-account beneficiary designations (primary + contingent)
  • Irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs) for larger estates
  • UTMA/UGMA accounts vs. minor trusts

Scope

What's included — and what isn't.

No surprises mid-engagement. Here's exactly what's in the standard scope, and what we'd bill separately or refer out.

Included

  • Retirement-income projection: how much you can spend, sustainably
  • Social Security claiming-strategy analysis
  • Roth conversion windowing across pre-RMD years
  • RMD planning for age 73+ and Qualified Charitable Distributions
  • Estate tax exposure modeling for federal exemption planning
  • Beneficiary designation review across all retirement and life-insurance accounts
  • Florida domicile documentation (driver's license, voter, Declaration of Domicile, homestead)
  • Coordination meetings with your estate attorney and financial advisor

Not included

  • Drafting wills, trusts, or healthcare directives — handled by estate attorneys
  • Investment management or specific security selection — handled by financial advisors
  • Insurance product sales — we are not licensed brokers and do not sell policies
  • Probate court representation — handled by probate attorneys
  • Long-term-care or Medicaid planning litigation

The plan you don't implement is the plan that doesn't protect you. Most families we work with have a binder of beautifully drafted documents from twenty years ago — and beneficiary designations that never got updated. We start with what's broken right now.

— KDM Accounting

FAQ

Questions we hear about estate & retirement planning.

Do I need an estate plan if my estate is under the federal exemption?
Yes. Federal estate tax is only one reason to plan. The more important reasons: avoiding probate, naming guardians for minor children, directing healthcare decisions, minimizing family friction at death. Every adult with any assets or dependents should have at least a will, healthcare proxy, and durable power of attorney.
Do you draft wills and trusts?
No — that's legal work done by an estate attorney. We coordinate with your attorney and analyze the tax implications, but we don't draft documents. If you need an attorney referral, we work regularly with several in Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Related services

Often paired with estate & retirement planning.

Tax Planning

Year-round tax planning for individuals and business owners in South Florida. Strategies that actually reduce what you pay — legally.

Tax Preparation

Tax preparation for individuals and businesses in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Federal and state returns, IRS e-file, year-round support.

Small Business Accounting

Monthly bookkeeping, financial reporting, and CFO-level advisory for South Florida small businesses. Clean books, real insight.

Ready for a straight answer on your taxes?
Start with a free consultation.

Call, email, or book online. We respond within one business day — every time.

(561) 278-1199

KDM Accounting

Free Consultation

Tell us what you need. We'll call within one business day.

Prefer to call? (561) 278-1199

Call Now