Serving North Scottsdale, Arizona
You've built a business, a career, a portfolio. Now you need someone who can coordinate income, investments, taxes, and timing — so the transition from saving to spending happens on your terms.DC Ranch · Grayhawk · Silverleaf · Troon · Kierland
Schedule a Free Intro CallZachary Holly is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who has worked with North Scottsdale pre-retirees and business owners for over 15 years. His practice is built around a simple truth: the financial math is different here. Higher property values. More business owners and executives. Equity compensation. Multi-state tax exposure. The decisions you make about income, investments, and taxes will shape the next thirty years of your life.
Zach is one of the few CFPs in the area who treats business exit planning and retirement income planning as the same conversation — because for business owners, they are the same conversation. Whether you hold stock options, RSUs, a closely-held business, or concentrated real estate, Zach builds plans that coordinate every piece of the picture.
On This Page
This page answers the questions most North Scottsdale pre-retirees and business owners ask before they ever pick up the phone.
Who This Is For
You've spent 20 years building something. Now you're thinking about what's next — selling, transitioning, or scaling down. The business exit is your retirement plan. Zach has guided dozens of North Scottsdale business owners through this transition, treating business valuation, tax strategy, and retirement income as one integrated conversation.
You've done the saving. Now you need the income plan. Social Security timing, withdrawal sequencing, tax bracket management, healthcare cost projections — coordinated into one strategy that shows you exactly what retirement looks like, year by year, through every market condition.
Stock options. RSUs. Deferred compensation. You've accumulated wealth in forms that don't behave like a regular IRA. The tax implications of exercising, selling, or holding can swing your retirement by hundreds of thousands. Zach helps executives build plans that coordinate equity comp with the rest of the picture.
North Scottsdale-Specific
North Scottsdale is its own market. The financial planning conversations here involve complexity you won't find in most of the Valley.
North Scottsdale homeowners often hold 40–60% of their net worth in their primary residence. The median home value in 85255 (DC Ranch/Silverleaf) is over $1.2M. Zach integrates real estate strategy into the income, tax, and estate picture — not as a footnote, but as a central variable.
North Scottsdale has more business owners, C-suite executives, and equity-compensated professionals per capita than almost anywhere in the Valley. Stock options, RSUs, buy-sell agreements, and succession planning are the standard conversation — not edge cases.
Snowbirds aren't rare in North Scottsdale — they're the norm. Residency audits, state-by-state tax treatment of retirement income, and two-state coordination are routine. Zach serves AZ, CA, and CO residents for exactly this reason.
The DAF conversation in North Scottsdale isn't "should we give?" — it's "how do we structure it to minimize taxes and maximize impact?" Zach has guided clients through DAF setup, QCDs from IRAs, and charitable remainder trust planning.
Many North Scottsdale executives and business owners hold a single stock or business interest representing 30%+ of their net worth. Diversifying without triggering a tax event is a specialized planning problem Zach solves regularly.
North Scottsdale residents: the intro call is free, takes 30 minutes, and gives you a clear starting point.
Schedule Your Free Intro CallWhat to Watch For
After 15+ years of working with pre-retirees and retirees across Scottsdale, these are the mistakes Zach sees most often — and the ones that are entirely avoidable.
"Do I have enough?" is the question everyone asks. It's the wrong question. Retirement is thirty-plus years — each year has its own income need, its own tax profile, and its own market conditions. Zach builds year-by-year income projections that show you exactly what retirement looks like in 2028, 2035, and 2045.
The difference between claiming at 62 and waiting until 70 can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Most people don't run the analysis — they just claim when it feels right. Zach runs breakeven analyses, spousal coordination strategies, and tax-impact models for every client before they claim.
The order of market returns matters more than the average. A sharp decline in the first three years of retirement can permanently impair a plan. Zach stress-tests every plan against historical worst-case sequences — 2000, 2008, 2022 — so you know where you stand.
Medicare covers roughly 60–70% of retiree healthcare costs. The rest — premiums, deductibles, dental, vision, hearing, long-term care — comes out of your pocket. Zach builds realistic healthcare cost projections into every plan.
By the time RMDs kick in, it's usually too late. The window for Roth conversions, strategic IRA withdrawals, and tax-bracket management is between retirement and RMD age. Zach starts tax planning before retirement begins.
A surprising number of financially sophisticated North Scottsdale residents have never documented their retirement plan. Every Zach Holly client receives a written, scenario-tested plan — with nothing left to memory.
Your house is a spectacular asset. It's also 40–60% of your net worth — and entirely illiquid. Zach's plans account for real estate without depending on it as the sole retirement solution.
For business owners, the sale or transition of your business is your retirement plan. The timing, structure, and tax treatment flow directly into the retirement income calculation. Zach treats these as one integrated conversation.
Why It Matters
North Scottsdale has no shortage of people who call themselves financial advisors. The CFP® designation separates planners who have met a rigorous fiduciary standard from those who have not. Zach has held the CFP® designation for over a decade.
Beyond the credential, Zach brings a specific focus most advisors don't offer: retirement income as the primary discipline — integrated with business exit planning, concentrated position diversification, and multi-state tax coordination.
How We Work
No pressure. No jargon. Just a straightforward process designed to give you a clear picture of where you stand.
30 minutes, no obligation. You share where you are and what you're trying to figure out. Zach listens and gives you an honest read.
A full audit of your financial picture — business interests, equity comp, real estate, retirement accounts. This is where clarity begins.
A scenario-tested strategy mapping your income through retirement — including business exit timing, tax management, and multi-state coordination.
Life changes, markets change, tax laws change. Zach stays engaged with regular reviews and is available between meetings for major decisions.
Zachary Holly works with clients throughout North Scottsdale and the surrounding communities. His Phoenix office at 1300 E. Missouri Avenue is approximately 15–20 minutes from DC Ranch, making in-person meetings straightforward for North Scottsdale clients.
Common Questions
A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ has completed rigorous education, passed a comprehensive 6-hour exam, and accumulated thousands of hours of experience. CFPs are held to a fiduciary standard — legally required to act in your best interest, not just recommend "suitable" products. Zach has held the CFP® designation for over a decade.
Zach works on a fee-based model. The initial consultation is free — a 30-minute conversation to determine if there's a fit. Ongoing planning fees vary based on complexity. You'll know the cost before you commit to anything.
Yes. North Scottsdale (85255, 85266, 85262) has higher property values, more business owners, more equity-compensated executives, and more multi-state residents than South Scottsdale or central Phoenix. The planning conversations here require a different level of sophistication — particularly around real estate concentration, business exit planning, and tax coordination.
CPAs prepare your taxes. Estate attorneys draft your documents. Neither typically coordinates the full picture — how investment withdrawals affect taxes, how taxes affect estate planning, and how all three affect your retirement income. Zach serves as the quarterback, coordinating with your CPA and attorney so all the pieces work together.
The earlier, the better — but Zach's practice is particularly well-suited for people 5–15 years from retirement, or who have already retired and want to make sure their income strategy is built to last. If you're in that window, this is when the planning decisions have the most impact.
Yes. Zach serves clients across Arizona, California, and Colorado. Our office is in Phoenix, minutes from North Scottsdale. Virtual meetings are available for clients who prefer them.
The 30-minute introductory call is a conversation — not a sales pitch. Zach will ask about your situation, your goals, and what's prompting you to explore financial planning now. If there's a fit, he'll outline what working together looks like. If not, he'll tell you honestly. Zero pressure.
North Scottsdale residents: schedule a free 30-minute intro call with Zachary Holly, CFP®. No commitment, no pitch — just a clear conversation about where you are and where you want to go.
Schedule Your Free Intro CallLicensed in Arizona, California & Colorado · 1300 E. Missouri Ave, Suite 230, Phoenix, AZ 85014 · (602) 954-8766