Make Sure the Money Gets Where You Want It to Go
Most people assume their will handles everything. It does not. Retirement accounts, life insurance, and annuities all pass to whoever is named on the beneficiary form, regardless of what the will says. We help retirees and pre-retirees in New Smyrna Beach align the financial side of their estate, the beneficiaries, the titling, and the wealth transfer strategies, so the money goes where they intend.
What Steven Does, And What He Does Not
Steven is not an attorney and does not draft wills, trusts, or powers of attorney. The legal documents are the attorney's job, and we work alongside Florida estate attorneys to make sure the financial side and the legal side match.
- Beneficiary review and coordination across all your accounts
- Account titling review (joint, individual, trust-owned, transfer on death)
- Roth conversions as a multi-generational wealth transfer strategy
- Life insurance as a legacy and estate liquidity tool
- Charitable strategies including Qualified Charitable Distributions and donor-advised funds
- Step-up basis planning for taxable accounts
- Avoiding probate where possible through beneficiary designations (financial accounts only; legal structures coordinated with your estate attorney)
- Tax-aware inheritance planning for your heirs
Tax-related strategies referenced above are general in nature and coordinated with your qualified tax professional. Neither Signal Advisors Wealth nor NSBRS provides tax or legal advice.
- Wills, trusts, healthcare directives, durable powers of attorney
- Medicaid planning strategies
- Specific charitable trust structures
If you do not have a Florida estate attorney, we can refer you to one we work with.
The Mistakes That Cost Families the Most
After 15 years of providing comprehensive retirement planning for families, the same handful of mistakes show up over and over:
Outdated beneficiary forms. Ex-spouses, deceased parents, or forgotten contingents still listed on retirement accounts. The form controls, not the will.
No contingent beneficiary listed. When the primary beneficiary predeceases you, the account falls into the estate and goes through probate.
The estate named as beneficiary. This is almost never the right answer for an IRA. It accelerates taxes and triggers probate.
Joint accounts that should not be joint. Adding an adult child to a bank account for convenience can create gift tax issues and expose the account to that child's creditors.
Trusts that own nothing. A revocable living trust only avoids probate for the assets actually titled to it. Many trusts sit empty while the assets they were meant to hold remain in the owner's individual name.
No plan for the surviving spouse's tax situation. Filing jointly to filing single is one of the largest tax cliffs in the code. The year a spouse passes is rarely the year a tax-aware withdrawal happens unless someone planned for it. The specifics of your situation should also be reviewed with a qualified tax professional.
A beneficiary and titling review takes about an hour. Errors in this area can have meaningful consequences for how assets are distributed, which is why it is worth reviewing before it matters.
What You Get
When you work with us on the financial side of estate and legacy planning, you walk away with:
- A written beneficiary audit of every retirement account, life insurance policy, and annuity contract
- A titling review of taxable accounts and real property
- A multi-generational tax view, including Roth conversion analysis with heirs in mind
- A charitable giving strategy, if charitable intent is part of your plan
- Coordination with your estate attorney so the legal documents and the financial accounts match
Who This Is For
This work tends to deliver the most value for households who are:
- Age 55 or older with meaningful retirement and taxable assets
- Married, and concerned about what happens when one spouse passes
- Holding $500,000 or more in retirement accounts
- Charitably inclined and looking to give more tax-efficiently
- Recent Florida transplants whose estate documents were drafted in another state
- Sandwich-generation adults helping parents organize their financial affairs
If that sounds like you, the next step is a 45-minute conversation. No charge, no pressure.
Why Steven
- RICP® (Retirement Income Certified Professional®)
- NSSA® (National Social Security Advisor)
- CLTC® (Certified in Long-Term Care)
- CF2® (Certified Financial Fiduciary)
- 15 years of practice, Comprehensive retirement planning for families
- Coordinates with Florida estate attorneys on the legal side
- Local office on North Orange Street, downtown New Smyrna Beach
How to Get Started
Call or book.
Pick up the phone at (386) 402-4626, or schedule online.
Bring your documents.
Most recent retirement account statements, life insurance summaries, annuity statements, and a copy of your current estate documents if you have them.
Discovery meeting (free).
We review what you have, what is named on each beneficiary line, and what your goals look like. About 45 minutes.
Coordinated strategy.
If we are a fit, we deliver a written beneficiary and legacy strategy and coordinate updates with your estate attorney.
No pressure to make changes on day one.
FAQ
Do you draft wills and trusts?
No. Steven is not an attorney. We coordinate with Florida estate attorneys for all legal document drafting and updates. If you do not have an attorney, we can refer you to one.
My will is up to date. Is that enough?
Not usually. Wills do not control retirement accounts, life insurance, or annuities. Those pass according to whoever is named on the beneficiary form. A beneficiary audit is separate from a will review and often identifies items worth a second look.
What is the surviving spouse tax cliff?
The year after a spouse passes, the surviving spouse typically files as a single taxpayer rather than jointly. Brackets compress, the standard deduction shrinks, and the same income suddenly carries a higher effective tax rate. Planning before this happens is significantly easier than planning after.
Should my trust be the beneficiary of my IRA?
It depends on the circumstances and requires careful analysis. Naming a trust as IRA beneficiary requires very specific drafting to preserve tax efficiency, and the rules changed substantially under the SECURE Act. This is a conversation that should happen between you, your attorney, and your advisor.
Can you help with charitable giving?
Yes. Qualified Charitable Distributions from IRAs, donor-advised funds, and charitable beneficiary designations are all common strategies we walk clients through. Specific charitable trust structures involve attorney coordination.
Are you a fiduciary?
Investment advisory services are offered by Signal Advisors Wealth, LLC (“Signal Wealth”), a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training.
Do you work with people who live outside New Smyrna Beach?
Yes. We regularly serve households in Edgewater, Port Orange, South Daytona, Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, DeLand, Deltona, Orange City, Palm Coast, Sanford, Titusville, Holly Hill, Lake Helen, Glencoe, and the rest of Volusia County.
Make sure the money actually gets where you want it to go.
Schedule a free 45-minute beneficiary and legacy review or call our New Smyrna Beach office.
Office: 112 N. Orange Street, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 5:00
Compliance Disclaimer
Estate planning coordination provided by Steven L. Rich is limited to the financial account side, including beneficiary designations, account titling, and wealth transfer strategies. Steven is not an attorney and does not draft or review legal documents. All legal document preparation should be handled by a qualified estate attorney.
Investment advisory services are offered by Signal Advisors Wealth, LLC ("Signal Wealth"), a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Registration with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Steven L. Rich is an Investment Adviser Representative of Signal Wealth. Insurance products and services are offered through New Smyrna Beach Retirement Solutions ("NSBRS"). Signal Wealth does not offer insurance products. NSBRS is not affiliated with Signal Wealth. Additionally, when NSBRS and/or its agents are recommending and/or selling insurance products they are not acting on behalf of Signal Wealth or in a fiduciary capacity, and instead are governed by the applicable insurance rules and regulations. For more information about Signal Wealth, or to receive a copy of our Form ADV or Form CRS, please click here. NSBRS is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or any governmental agency. NSBRS and its agents do not provide tax, legal, or Social Security advice. Clients are advised to consult their tax advisor or attorney regarding tax and legal matters and to contact the Social Security Administration at their local office or online at www.ssa.gov. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation or as investment, tax, or legal advice. None of the information contained herein shall constitute an offer to sell or solicit any offer to buy any security, investment advisory, or insurance product. Investment advisory services are provided in accordance with a fiduciary duty of care and loyalty that includes putting client interests first and disclosing conflicts. Insurance services are subject to a best interest standard, which requires recommendations to be in the client's best interest. Advisors may receive commissions and other compensation for the sale of insurance and annuity products. Annuity guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Any tax savings figures, projections, examples, or multi-year tax projections referenced are hypothetical and provided for illustrative purposes only. They are based on assumptions that may not reflect your individual circumstances, do not represent actual results, and are not a guarantee of future performance or outcomes. Individual results will vary. Strategies such as Roth conversions, capital gains harvesting, required minimum distribution planning, and charitable giving are not suitable for all individuals, involve trade-offs, and depend on your specific circumstances and current tax law, which is subject to change. There is no assurance that any strategy will reduce your overall tax liability. Neither Signal Wealth nor NSBRS provides tax or legal advice; consult your qualified tax professional or attorney regarding your situation.
Steven may refer clients to estate attorneys and may receive referral fees or other compensation in connection with those referrals. This arrangement represents a conflict of interest, as it may create a financial incentive to refer clients to particular attorneys. Clients are under no obligation to use any referred attorney and may seek legal assistance from any attorney of their choice