Coordination Library

The move that started a year earlier.

"Should we move to a no-tax state?"The move is the easy part. The timing is worth six figures.

You take the job in Austin, or retire to Florida. The move looks like a lifestyle decision. It is also the largest tax decision of the decade, and almost all of its value lives in the sequence.

The ripple

A move is one decision. Its worth depends entirely on what happens before the truck arrives, and what waits until after.

A family decides to move Illinois → Texas
Residency has a start date, and that date is what the tax turns on
A business sale is already on the table this year
Sell after the move and the gain escapes the old state's 4.95%
Roth conversions get cheaper the moment residency flips
Illinois' $4M estate-tax exposure disappears at the border
The old state can still audit domicile, so the move must be documented
What you keep

One move. Six decisions that all turn on a single date.

Same move, two outcomes
Uncoordinated
  • The business is sold, and the RSUs vested, months before the move is final.
  • Roth conversions are done while still a high-tax-state resident.
  • Domicile is sloppy — two homes, no clear record — and the old state audits.
  • The estate plan and titling are never revisited for the new state.
Coordinated
  • Residency is established first; the sale and vesting wait until after.
  • Roth conversions are accelerated once the state rate drops to zero.
  • Domicile is documented deliberately, so the move survives a challenge.
  • The estate plan is refreshed for the new state's rules.

Same move. The difference is measured on the calendar.

In the room, before the moving truck: CPA, attorney, and the investment plan, with a documented residency date.

Financial decisions should not surprise one another.
More from the library: All coordination cases · The $600,000 conversation · Why family offices win
See the ripple on your own numbers.
The Tax Diagnostic starts with your state and bracket and shows what a coordinated approach could be worth for you, in about two minutes.
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Illustrative and educational — not investment, tax, or legal advice. This is a hypothetical scenario. Outcomes depend on your own facts and on current law; state residency and domicile rules, the timing of income events, and state estate exposure carry their own rules, trade-offs, and deadlines, and require individualized tax and legal advice. Driftwood coordinates with your CPA and attorney; it does not provide tax or legal advice. Driftwood Wealth is a registered investment adviser; Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS are available directly; the firm’s public record is at adviserinfo.sec.gov. Privacy Policy · Terms of Use.