Do you work at Arizona Public Service?
Get expert insights from financial advisors who specialize in helping Arizona Public Service employees and executives make the most of their compensation package and benefits.
Looking for a financial advisor who specializes in working with Arizona Public Service employees? You’re in the right place. Below, you’ll find advisors who understand Arizona Public Service benefits and compensation — along with their answers to common financial questions from Arizona Public Service employees and executives.
Whether you recently joined Arizona Public Service or you’ve advanced into a management or executive leadership role over a multi-year career, making smart decisions about your income and Arizona Public Service benefits can have a lasting impact on your financial future. For example:
✅ Do you know the right moves to get the greatest value from the Arizona Public Service benefits available to you?
✅ If you’re thinking about leaving Arizona Public Service for another job or planning to retire in a few years, are you taking the right steps today to receive all the compensation and benefits you’ve earned?
Key Takeaways
The APS Defined Benefit Pension Is Often Misunderstood
A defined benefit pension pays a fixed monthly benefit for life based on salary and years of service, and APS bears the investment risk. Many employees don’t fully understand how it differs from, and should work alongside, the 401(k).
Turn the APS Pension, Savings, and Benefits into One Retirement Paycheck
The advisor below starts with the income floor your pension provides, identifies gaps, and turns savings into income while planning for taxes, healthcare, and flexibility.
Plan Beyond APS Benefits with 529s, Brokerage Accounts, and Long-Term Care
Education savings, taxable investment accounts, insurance, long-term care, and estate planning give APS employees a second path to retirement security alongside company benefits.
Why Arizona Public Service Employees Work with a Specialist Financial Advisor
Throughout the year, Arizona Public Service provides its employees and executives with updates about their benefits, ranging from health insurance and health savings accounts to retirement plans like a 401(k) and a defined benefit pension plan. While the company offers many useful resources and access to knowledgeable staff who can assist with questions, you’ll also find financial professionals not affiliated with Arizona Public Service who specialize in helping Arizona Public Service employees make the most of their income and benefits.
Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest electric utility and the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, is headquartered in downtown Phoenix, and it operates the Palo Verde Generating Station west of Phoenix, the nation’s largest nuclear power plant by net generation. Whether you work at headquarters, at a power plant or service center, another office, or remotely from home, you may have questions about your compensation package and benefits better suited for a financial professional who can offer unbiased advice and guidance.
Sensitive topics — like the steps you should take before quitting your job at Arizona Public Service to work elsewhere, protecting yourself in advance of a corporate layoff, or deciding when you should plan to retire — are all conversations that may be more comfortable with a trusted financial advisor.
Should You Hire an Arizona Public Service Specialist or a Local Financial Advisor?
You’ll likely find dozens of nearby financial advisors well-suited to help you reach your money goals with a personalized plan. But it can be harder to find a financial advisor who specializes in serving Arizona Public Service employees. Fortunately, many financial advisors offer virtual services, so you can meet online no matter where you (or they) live — which means you can hire a specialist financial advisor who lives hundreds of miles away if their knowledge and experience working with Arizona Public Service employees is the better fit for your unique needs.
💡 In the Q&A below, you’ll gain insights from financial advisors who work with Arizona Public Service employees to help them make smart decisions, get the most value from their compensation and benefits, reduce their money stress, and prepare for a comfortable retirement.
🙋♀️ Have a question not yet answered? Use the form below to submit your question. You can also contact financial advisors directly to set up an introductory call or contact them with your questions.
Q&A: Financial Planning Tips for Arizona Public Service Employees & Executives
In this section, you’ll learn how you can make the most of your Arizona Public Service employee benefits and gain valuable tips from financial advisors who specialize in working with Arizona Public Service employees and executives.
Financial Advisor Q&A · Arizona Public Service Employees
Karen Koenig
KK Financial Solutions · Surprise, AZ · Serves clients nationwide
Empowering women and divorced people to understand and grow their moneyKaren Koenig is a financial advisor based in Surprise, Arizona who specializes in offering financial planning services to Arizona Public Service Company employees. Karen helps her clients get the most value from their Arizona Public Service Company benefits and compensation package so they can enjoy life and feel confident about their financial future.
QIs there a particular benefit available to Arizona Public Service Company employees you feel isn’t as well utilized or understood by employees as it should be?
The defined benefit (DB) pension plan at APS is usually not well understood and/or the difference between it and the 401(k) plan, especially if the employer has both. A defined benefit (DB) plan is an employer-sponsored retirement plan that guarantees a fixed, monthly payout for life, based on a formula considering salary and years of service. Unlike 401(k) plans, the employer bears the investment risk, promising a specific benefit regardless of market performance.
QBeyond Arizona Public Service Company employee benefits for retirement savings, are there other types of benefits offered by the company that you find valuable to discuss with your clients?
I like to talk about several things beyond APS company benefits with my clients to include Education Planning (529 Plans), Taxable Brokerage / Non-Qualified Investment Accounts, Insurance as a Strategy (Not Just Protection), Long-Term Care & Healthcare Planning, Estate & Legacy Planning Integration, and Cash Flow & “Lifestyle Design” Planning. There are many things a person can do to plan for retirement beyond what a company provides for them, and this gives a two-pronged approach to retirement savings.
QFor Arizona Public Service Company employees approaching retirement age, how do you recommend they prepare to make the transition from living off their salary to relying upon other sources of income?
For employees at Arizona Public Service, retirement isn’t about replacing income from one source—it’s about turning multiple moving parts into one coordinated paycheck. In retirement you need to Understand Your “Income Floor”, Identify the Gaps, Turn Savings into Income (The Right Way), Plan for Taxes, Solve for Healthcare Early, and Build in Flexibility and Confidence. The key is: A pension + savings + benefits = A system working in your favor.
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About the Author
Brian Thorp
Founder & CEO, Wealthtender · Editor-in-Chief
Brian Thorp is the founder and CEO of Wealthtender and serves as Editor-in-Chief. With over 25 years in the financial services industry — including nearly 22 years at Invesco, where he led strategic partnerships with wealth management firms representing more than $100 billion in assets — Brian founded Wealthtender to help people find financial advisors they can trust and make more informed money decisions.
A member of the National Society of Compliance Professionals and its SEC Marketing Rule Working Group, Brian was recognized by WealthManagement.com as one of its “Ten to Watch in 2024” for his work reshaping how financial advisors market their services. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
Brian and his wife live in Austin, Texas.