Serving Phoenix, Arizona
Financial Planner in Phoenix, AZ
Most of the retirement decisions that matter are tax decisions in disguise: which account you draw first, what you convert before RMDs start, when you claim Social Security. They are easier to get right with someone who can sit across a table from you.Office at 1300 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 230, in the Camelback Corridor
Schedule a Free Intro CallA Phoenix Planner, in Phoenix
Zachary Holly is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with over 15 years in practice, working from an office at 1300 E. Missouri Avenue in the Camelback Corridor. The work is retirement income planning: turning a set of accounts built over a working life into a paycheck that lasts, at the lowest tax cost the rules allow.
Phoenix is not one financial market. A Banner or Mayo clinician with a 403(b) and a 457(b), a City of Phoenix employee choosing a pension election, an Arcadia household whose house has quietly become half the balance sheet, and a business owner in the Warehouse District are four different planning problems. What they have in common is that nobody has put the whole picture on one page.
On This Page
What You'll Find Here
The questions Phoenix households ask before they pick up the phone, answered in the order they usually come up.
- Three situations this page is written for
- 5 planning considerations specific to Phoenix
- 8 mistakes worth avoiding, and why they happen
- Common questions, answered directly
- What the first conversation covers
Who This Is For
If One of These Is the Decision in Front of You
The Pension or 457(b) Holder
City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, a school district, a hospital system. You have a pension election to make, or a 457(b) sitting beside a 403(b), and the two plans have different withdrawal rules that almost nobody explains before you retire. The election is close to irreversible, so it is worth modelling against the rest of the plan first. Retirement income planning is where that work sits.
The Pre-Retiree, 5 to 10 Years Out
The accumulating worked. Drawing it down is a different discipline: which account funds which year, how much Roth conversion room opens once earned income stops, and what Social Security timing does to the bracket everything else is managed to. One strategy, mapped year by year rather than decided a year at a time.
The Business Owner
For most owners the exit is the retirement plan, which makes sale structure, tax treatment and income strategy one decision rather than three. Zach works on continuity and succession and on the plan the business itself sponsors, which is usually the piece that has been left on a default setting for a decade.
Phoenix-Specific
5 Things That Change the Math in Phoenix
Arizona tax law and the makeup of Phoenix employers put a few decisions on the table that would look different in another state.
1. Arizona Taxes Income at a Single Flat Rate
Arizona moved to a flat individual income tax rate of 2.5%, which is low and, more usefully, predictable: a Roth conversion does not push you into a higher state bracket the way it would in California or Colorado, because there is no higher state bracket. That makes the years between the last paycheck and the first RMD unusually valuable here, and it is the single most common piece of unclaimed ground Zach finds on a Phoenix balance sheet.
2. Arizona Does Not Tax Social Security Benefits
Benefits are exempt from Arizona income tax, though they are still taxable federally depending on your other income. The practical effect is that the claiming decision is a federal calculation here rather than a federal-plus-state one, and the provisional income thresholds that make benefits taxable at the federal level are what the timing analysis actually turns on.
3. People Arrive Here from California and Colorado
A move to Arizona is one of the more common reasons a household calls in the first place, and the year of the move is the year the planning matters most: part-year residency, where a deferred compensation payout is sourced, and how carefully a former state will look at a departure. Zach is licensed in Arizona, California and Colorado, which is what allows the conversation to continue across the move rather than restart after it.
4. Pensions and 457(b) Plans Are Common Here
Phoenix has a large public-sector and health-system workforce, and those plans behave differently from a private 401(k). A governmental 457(b) has no 10% early-withdrawal penalty once you separate from service, which can make it the right account to spend first. A pension election trades a larger monthly payment for a smaller one that continues to a spouse. Neither decision is reversible, and both are usually made on a form with a deadline.
5. The House Became a Larger Share of the Balance Sheet Than Planned
Phoenix home values rose sharply over the last decade, and a paid-off house in Arcadia, North Central or Willo can now be the largest single asset a household owns. It is also the one that cannot be sold in pieces to fund a bad year, and the carrying costs on it, insurance especially, have not stayed flat. The income plan should treat it as a store of value with a liquidity cost attached, not as a number in the net-worth total.
The intro call is free, takes 30 minutes, and ends with a clear read on whether this is work worth doing.
Schedule Your Free Intro CallWhat to Watch For
8 Mistakes Phoenix Pre-Retirees Make
None of these are exotic. They happen because the decision arrived on a form with a deadline, or because nobody was looking at the whole picture at once.
Taking the Single-Life Pension Because the Number Is Bigger
The single-life election pays more per month and stops when you do. Whether that is the right trade depends on the spouse’s own benefits, the age gap, health, and what the rest of the portfolio would have to absorb. It is a modelling question with a real answer, and it is being decided on the form for most people.
Assuming Low State Taxes Mean There Is No Tax Planning to Do
Arizona’s rate is low. The federal brackets are not, and RMDs, Social Security taxation and IRMAA surcharges on Medicare premiums are all federal. A flat state rate makes conversion planning more attractive here, not less necessary.
Letting the Gap Years Go Unused
The window between the last paycheck and the first required distribution is when taxable income is lowest and the household has the most control over it. It is also the only window that closes on a schedule set by law. Work that starts after RMDs begin is work that started too late.
Leaving a 401(k) at a Former Employer and Forgetting the Terms
Old plans carry old fund menus and old fee structures, and a household that has changed jobs four times often has four of them. Consolidating is not automatically right, and there are cases where the plan’s protections or its stable-value fund argue for staying. The mistake is not knowing which case you are in.
Claiming Social Security at 62 Because the Mortgage Is Paid
Not needing the income is a reason to look at the timing carefully, not a reason to ignore it. The claim interacts with conversion room, with a survivor’s benefit that may run for decades, and with the bracket the whole plan is managed to.
Ignoring Sequence-of-Returns Risk
The order returns arrive in matters more than the average, and it matters most in the first few years of drawdown. A sharp decline early can permanently impair a plan that would have survived the same decline later. Every plan here is stress-tested against 2000, 2008 and 2022 before anyone relies on it.
Underestimating Healthcare and Long-Term Care
Medicare covers less than most people assume, and long-term care in the Phoenix metro can run six figures a year. A plan that has no line for it is a plan with a large unfunded liability in it.
Keeping the Plan in Your Head
A surprising number of financially capable people have never written the plan down, which means it cannot be stress-tested, cannot be handed to a spouse, and changes shape every time the market moves. Every client here gets a written, scenario-tested plan.
Why It Matters
What the CFP® Mark Actually Certifies
Anyone in Phoenix can use the title "financial advisor". The CFP® certification is one of the few marks with requirements behind it: coursework, a six-hour exam, thousands of hours of real planning experience, and a fiduciary obligation to act in the client’s interest. Zach has held it for over a decade.
The focus is deliberately narrow. Retirement income is the discipline, and the things that complicate it, pension elections, conversion sequencing, concentrated positions and a move between states, are planned as one picture rather than four. More on what the certification requires.
CFP® Certification Requirements
- Approved college-level financial planning coursework
- Pass the comprehensive CFP® exam (6 hours)
- 6,000 hours of professional planning experience
- Signed ethics declaration & CFP Board standards
- 30 hours continuing education every 2 years
How We Work
How the Planning Work Actually Runs
Four steps, and a written plan at the end of it rather than a product recommendation.
Free Intro Call
30 minutes, no obligation. You describe the situation and what has brought the question up now. Zach gives you an honest read on whether this is work he should be doing.
Comprehensive Review
Everything on one page: retirement accounts, any pension or 457(b), taxable investments, the house, a business interest if there is one, and the beneficiary designations nobody has looked at since they were signed.
Your Written Plan
Which account funds which year, where the conversion room is and what it is worth at Arizona’s rate, when to claim, and how the whole thing holds up if the first three years go badly.
Ongoing Partnership
Tax law moves, plans change hands, and a health event rearranges everything at once. Zach reviews on a schedule and is reachable in between, which is when the decisions that matter usually come up.
Serving Phoenix and the Surrounding Communities
The office is at 1300 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 230, Phoenix, AZ 85014, off Central Avenue in the Camelback Corridor, with parking on site. It is a short drive from Arcadia, the Biltmore, North Central and Uptown, and about 20 minutes from Paradise Valley and Scottsdale. Clients who prefer to meet remotely do, including the ones who spend part of the year in California or Colorado.
Where to go next
Planning pages and articles for Phoenix
Every topic on this page has a page of its own. These are the ones Phoenix households ask about most.
- Retirement Income Planning in Phoenix That Turns Savings Into a Paycheck Retirement Planning
- Thoughtful Investment Management in Phoenix Built Around Your Real Plan Investment Management
- Protect What You've Built in Phoenix Without Guessing at the Risks Protection Planning
- Retirement Planning That Is Practical in Phoenix Before the Decisions Get Expensive Pre-Retirement Planning
- Continuity and Succession Planning in Phoenix for Owners Who Need a Real Transition Plan Succession Planning
- An Integrated Financial Strategy in Phoenix for People Tired of Fragmented Advice Integrated Planning
- Key Person Insurance in Phoenix for Businesses That Depend on a Few Critical People Business Protection
- Small Business Retirement Plans in Phoenix That Work for Owners and Teams Business Owner Planning
- Why Choose a Certified Financial Planner in Phoenix When the Decisions Matter More CFP® Standard
- Best Retirement Communities Near Phoenix for Active Adults Retirement Planning
- Should You Roll Over Your 401(k) Before or After Moving to Phoenix? Investment Management
- SEP IRA vs Solo 401(k): Which Is Better for Phoenix Business Owners? Business Owners
- Retirement Income Planning in Phoenix: What Pre-Retirees Need to Know Retirement Income Planning
- Financial Planner in Scottsdale, AZ Nearby area
- Financial Planner in North Scottsdale, AZ Nearby area
- Financial Planner in Paradise Valley, AZ Nearby area
- Financial Planner in Fountain Hills, AZ Nearby area
- Financial Planner in Chandler, AZ Nearby area
- Retirement and Investment Articles Articles and tools
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is your Phoenix office?
1300 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 230, Phoenix, AZ 85014. It is in the Camelback Corridor, just off Central Avenue, with parking on site. Meetings are by appointment, and virtual meetings are available for anyone who prefers them.
How much does a financial planner in Phoenix cost?
The practice is fee-based. The first 30-minute conversation costs nothing and exists to work out whether there is a fit. Ongoing planning fees scale with how complicated the picture is: a household with a pension election, a business interest and two states of residency is more work than one without. You will have the number before you commit to anything.
Are you a fiduciary?
The CFP® certification carries a fiduciary obligation to act in the client’s interest when providing financial advice. Zach has held the certification for over a decade. The specific services offered, and the capacity they are offered in, are set out in the Form ADV Part 2B linked in the footer of this page.
I already have a CPA. Do I need a planner too?
A CPA files the return that reports last year. Planning decides what next year’s return will say, which is a different job and one that has to happen before December. The two work well together, and Zach is usually the one coordinating between the CPA, the estate attorney and the accounts themselves.
Should I convert to a Roth before RMDs start?
Often, and Arizona’s flat 2.5% state rate makes the arithmetic more favourable here than in most states. Whether it is right for you depends on your current bracket against your projected bracket, whether the conversion pushes Medicare premiums into an IRMAA tier, and whether the money to pay the tax comes from outside the IRA. It is modelled before anything is converted.
I am moving to Phoenix from California. Can you help with the transition?
Yes, and the year of the move is the year it matters most. Zach is licensed in Arizona, California and Colorado, so the planning can carry across the move rather than restarting after it. Part-year residency, how deferred compensation is sourced, and the timing of a large realisation all belong in the same conversation.
What happens in the first meeting?
It is a conversation, not a pitch. Zach asks what the accounts look like now, whether there is a pension or 457(b) election coming, and what has put the question in front of you this year. If the work is a fit he explains what it involves. If it is not, he says so, and you have lost half an hour.
Ready to Talk Through Your Retirement Plan?
Schedule a free 30-minute intro call with Zachary Holly, CFP®. No commitment and no pitch, just a clear conversation about where you are and what has to be decided next.
Schedule Your Free Intro CallLicensed in Arizona, California & Colorado · 1300 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite 230, Phoenix, AZ 85014 · 602-954-8766