Portfolio & Wealth
Growing wealth in retirement
without selling.
Most retirement planning assumes you’ll spend down your portfolio. But for retirees whose income already covers spending, the playbook changes entirely. This pillar covers the strategies, structures, and decisions that protect and grow wealth across two states — and across generations.
The conventional wisdom on retirement income was built for people who need to sell assets to fund their lifestyle. If that’s not your situation — if Social Security, pensions, or Required Minimum Distributions already cover your expenses — then you’re not planning a drawdown. You’re managing a legacy. That requires a different conversation.
In This Pillar
Articles & Guides
⭐ Cornerstone Article
How to Grow Wealth in Retirement Without Selling
If your income covers your spending, selling your portfolio may be the wrong default. A plain-language guide to stepped-up basis, dividend strategy, and the lifetime gifting decision — drawn from firsthand experience navigating these choices.
The Step-Up in Basis: The Most Valuable Provision Most Retirees Have Never Heard Of
A deeper look at IRC Section 1014 — what it does, what it doesn’t cover, and why it belongs at the center of your estate strategy.
Portfolio & WealthShould You Gift Money to Your Kids Now or Wait?
The tax math usually favors waiting for the step-up. But the non-financial case for lifetime giving is harder to dismiss than it looks.
Portfolio & WealthRMDs, Taxes, and the Ghost Expenses of Retirement
Required Minimum Distributions create taxable income whether you need it or not. Here’s how to think about them before they start arriving.
Key Concepts
Terms worth understanding
When inherited assets reset to fair market value at the date of death, eliminating any capital gains accumulated during the original owner’s lifetime. Governed by IRC Section 1014.
When you gift an appreciated asset during your lifetime, the recipient inherits your original cost basis — and the tax bill that goes with it. The opposite of the step-up.
In 2026, you can give up to $19,000 per recipient per year with no gift tax and no reporting requirement. Married couples can give $38,000 per recipient combined.
A portfolio held not for current income but for eventual transfer to heirs or causes. Requires a different management approach than a portfolio designed to fund retirement spending.
Free Resource
Start with the Transition Checklist
Before the portfolio strategy comes the foundation — domicile, residency, estate documents, and the logistics of dual-state life. The checklist covers all of it.
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