Plain-English financial education, not another fintech app.
Waterfall Planning is an educational resource for working Americans trying to make sense of their employer-sponsored retirement plan, equity compensation, and broader financial picture. The goal is straightforward: less jargon, fewer dead-end calculators, and a clear path to a real conversation when you want one.
The principles behind every feature we build.
Education first
Every page on this site is built to teach, not to sell. The 401(k) plan directory, ESPP guides, and equity comp pages exist to help people understand what their employer actually offers, in plain language, without a pay wall or a contact form gate.
Credentials matter
Financial guidance should come from people who have done the work. Zac is a CFA charterholder and a CFP® professional. Those designations require exams, ethics commitments, and ongoing education. They are the floor, not the ceiling.
No pressure to engage
Most visitors read an article, look up their employer's plan, and move on. That is the point. The site is meant to be useful on its own. Scheduling a conversation is an option for people who want one, not a sales funnel.
Built by someone working in the industry.
I am Zac Murphy. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, worked my way through the University of Florida, and spent five years in institutional finance after graduating in 2019. Along the way I earned the CFA charter and became a CFP® professional.
I built Waterfall Planning because I kept seeing the same pattern. Working people had no straightforward place to learn how their 401(k), ESPP, or RSU grants actually worked. The information existed, but it was buried in plan documents, walled behind advisor sales funnels, or scattered across YouTube and TikTok without credentials or accountability.
This site is my attempt to fix that. The directory and guides pull from primary sources like SEC filings and DOL Form 5500 data. The articles cover frameworks I use in my own work. The call option exists because sometimes the best next step is just to talk to someone.
CFA charterholder and CFP® professional, a combination held by fewer than 3% of financial advisors in the United States.
Helps clients build wealth deliberately, through portfolios that match their goals, retirement that arrives on schedule, and tax strategy that keeps more of what they earn.
Schedule a CallCFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute. Zac Murphy, CFA, is a CFA® charterholder.
CFP® and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® are certification marks owned by Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.