Moving to Austin, building in Austin, and planning what comes next.
Families and companies continue to arrive in Central Texas from New York, California and abroad. A move like that touches nearly everything: the property left behind, the estate plan, the business, the insurance and the family. ARH Global Advisors helps coordinate it as one decision rather than a dozen separate ones.
A move to Texas is not just a change of address.
Relocating a family or a company to Austin can change how income is taxed, how property is owned between spouses, how an estate is administered and how a business is registered and insured. Many of those changes are favorable. Some create gaps if nobody is watching for them.
The founder of ARH Global Advisors studied economics and law at the University of Texas at Austin, and our Austin work connects clients' Texas plans to the property, businesses and advisers they already have in New York and California.
No state personal income tax
Texas does not impose a personal income tax, which is a major reason for relocations. The state a family is leaving may still examine whether residency truly changed, particularly for high earners and business owners.
Community property
Texas is a community property state. Couples arriving from common-law states such as New York may need their estate plans, account titling and insurance ownership reviewed by Texas counsel.
Homestead rules
Texas offers homestead property tax exemptions and strong protections for a primary residence, with filing requirements and limits that newcomers should understand.
Estate administration
Texas law permits independent administration of estates, which can make settlement more streamlined than in some other states. The will and the family's circumstances determine what applies.
Business registration and expansion
Companies expanding into Texas generally need to register to do business in the state, address franchise tax, and adapt operations, contracts and insurance to a new market.
A fast-changing market
Rapid growth has made Austin real estate, labor and commercial markets dynamic. Decisions benefit from current local information and the right local professionals.
How we help in Austin
Relocation strategy
A coordinated plan for families moving to Austin, including what to do with the home and property they leave behind.
- Sale, lease or retention strategy for New York and California property
- Timing the move alongside property, business and tax considerations identified by the family's CPA
- Review of estate documents and titling with Texas counsel
- Introduction to appropriately licensed Texas real estate professionals for local purchases
New York real estate broker — Keller Williams NYC, License #10301223455. California real estate agent — Balboa Real Estate – Kreative Luxe, DRE #02153277.
Business expansion and market entry
Strategy and coordination for companies opening or moving operations in Austin.
- Market entry planning across New York, Los Angeles and Austin
- Operational structure and advisor coordination
- Real estate needs for offices and operations, coordinated with local professionals
- Key-person and continuation coverage for the expanded business
Family enterprise
Governance and succession support for families who own and run businesses together.
- Ownership, leadership and family-role transition planning
- Buy-sell agreements, funding and periodic review
- Family governance: decision rights, reporting and next-generation preparation
- Coordination with corporate and estate counsel and CPAs
Insurance
Life insurance placement and review for Texas families and business owners.
- Life insurance for estate liquidity and income protection
- Key-person and business continuation coverage
- Policy review after a move: ownership, beneficiaries and community property
- Buy-sell funding for partners and family owners
Licensed life insurance agent in New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas.
Business consulting
Hourly or fixed-fee consulting, agreed in writing, for owners and families who need a strategic partner rather than a transaction.
- Owner succession planning
- Operational structure advisory
- Coordination of attorneys, CPAs, insurance and financial advisers
- Decision framing for major business and family transitions
Five decisions every family moving to Austin should make on purpose.
Most relocation mistakes are not dramatic. They are small gaps between the moving truck and the paperwork that surface years later, often at a sale, a death or a tax audit.
Decide what happens to the property you leave
Sell before the move, sell after, keep it as a rental or keep it as a second home. Each choice has tax, carrying-cost, insurance and estate consequences, and some may affect how a former state views your residency. We can represent sales of New York and California property directly and model the alternatives with your CPA.
Establish Texas residency deliberately
Where you live, vote, register vehicles, keep your primary home, spend your time and hold your professional ties all matter. Your tax advisers can explain what documentation to keep.
Update the estate plan for Texas
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and beneficiary designations drafted elsewhere may still be valid but may not work as intended under Texas community property and probate rules. Texas counsel should review them.
Re-underwrite your insurance
Homeowners, auto, umbrella and life insurance should be reviewed for the new state, new property and any change in how assets are owned between spouses.
Move the business intentionally
If the business moves or expands too, entity registration, payroll, contracts, key-person coverage and the owner's succession plan should move with it.
When the family and the business share a balance sheet.
Many families who come to Austin do so because of a business: a company that is growing, relocating, or being built from scratch. Over time the business, the real estate it uses, the insurance that protects it and the family that owns it become one interconnected structure.
We help families put governance around that structure: who makes which decisions, how owners are informed, how a buy-sell agreement is funded, how the next generation is prepared and how the business fits within the estate plan.
The objective is a business that can outlast any one person, and a family that can make decisions about it together.
14205 N Mo Pac Expy, Suite 570
Austin, TX 78728
North Austin, on the MoPac corridor.
Alejandro R. Hernandez III
Founder & CEO. J.D. and B.A. in Economics, The University of Texas at Austin. Serves clients in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Austin, in English and Spanish, and handles every engagement personally.
+1 646 290 7380
[email protected]
Licensed life insurance agent in New York, California, Connecticut, New Jersey and Texas.
ARH Global Advisors does not hold a Texas real estate license. Texas real estate transactions are referred to or conducted by appropriately licensed Texas real estate professionals. Real estate services for property in New York and California are provided under the licenses noted.
Insights for Austin clients
Discuss a move, an expansion or a family business
If you are relocating to Austin, expanding a company into Texas or planning for a family enterprise, we can begin with a complimentary 30-minute conversation.
Important Disclosures
This page is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal, tax, accounting, investment or insurance advice. Laws, taxes and procedures vary by jurisdiction and change over time.
ARH Global Advisors LLC is not a law firm. Its advisory or consulting services do not constitute legal advice, legal representation or create an attorney-client relationship. Clients should rely upon qualified counsel for legal advice.
ARH Global Advisors LLC does not provide tax or accounting advice. Tax matters should be reviewed with a qualified CPA, tax attorney or other appropriately licensed tax professional.
References to "fiduciary" considerations or fiduciary-focused services describe an advisory and coordination framework and should not be interpreted, by themselves, as a representation that ARH Global Advisors LLC is acting as an investment adviser, ERISA fiduciary, trustee, executor or other legally appointed fiduciary. Investment advisory services are not provided unless and until offered through an appropriately registered investment adviser pursuant to applicable agreements and disclosures.
Real estate brokerage activities and insurance transactions, where applicable, are conducted through appropriately licensed individuals and entities and are subject to separate agreements, disclosures and compensation arrangements. Market analyses and broker opinions are not substitutes for an appraisal when a formal appraisal is required.
ARH Global Advisors LLC does not hold a Texas real estate license and does not represent parties in Texas real estate transactions; such transactions are handled by appropriately licensed Texas real estate professionals. References to Texas income tax, community property, homestead, probate and business registration rules are general in nature; clients should consult qualified Texas counsel and tax professionals regarding their circumstances, and advisers in their former state regarding residency questions.
Services vary according to jurisdiction, property, engagement and applicable licensing requirements.