About Christian Harris CFP®, CKA®

Fee-only
fiduciary
retirement-focused

Serving pre-retirees and retirees with comprehensive, values-informed financial planning designed around your life — not a generic template.

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Christian Harris, CFP®, CKA®, founder of Stillwater Financial Planning in Phoenix
Father and young son exploring nature together with a magnifying glass

THE JOURNEY TO STILLWATER How I Got Here

My story with financial planning started earlier than most - my dad is a financial advisor, and I grew up around the business. But like a lot of kids, I had dreams of setting my own course.

After college, I worked at a marketing agency, spent time overseas, and eventually served on staff with Young Life. Ministry taught me the value of walking with people through the ups and downs of life. I loved that work - and I started to realize I wanted to find a career where I could keep helping people in meaningful, practical ways.

That’s what led me to financial planning.

I went back to school, earned my MBA and became a CFP®. After working at a major investment firm, I joined a high-end private family office, where I got to work closely with attorneys, CPAs, and clients on everything from tax and estate planning to charitable giving.

Both experiences were valuable - but they also exposed two ends of a spectrum. One was too templated and sales-focused. The other was custom and thoughtful, but only accessible to a very small, very wealthy group.

I wanted to serve real people - families in transition, professionals navigating complexity, couples trying to be wise stewards of what they’ve built. So I started Stillwater Financial Planning.

WHAT MAKES STILLWATER DIFFERENT

There's no shortage of financial advisors. Here's why the distinction matters.

Most advisory relationships are built around a portfolio. At Stillwater, the portfolio is one part of a much larger picture.

From the first conversation, the focus is on your full financial life — your income, your taxes, your goals, your family, and yes, your investments — coordinated into a single plan by an advisor who knows you as a person, not an account number.

Fee-Only: Stillwater's only compensation comes from the clients it serves — never from product sales, referral fees, or commissions. That means every recommendation is made with one thing in mind: what's right for you.
Fiduciary: As a CFP® professional, Christian is held to a fiduciary standard — legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times. But at Stillwater, that's not just a legal obligation. It's the foundation the entire practice is built on.
Planning First: Investments follow the plan — not the other way around. Before any portfolio decisions are made, we build a comprehensive financial plan that addresses every area of your financial life and gives your investments a clear purpose and direction.
Relational Focus: Stillwater is intentionally boutique. That's not a limitation — it's a choice. Fewer clients means deeper relationships, more personalized attention, and an advisor who knows your full story when it matters most.

These aren't just operational choices. They reflect a deeper conviction that financial planning, done well, is about more than money — it's about helping people steward what they've been given with wisdom, generosity, and purpose.

designed for the years that matter most

The years leading into retirement are among the most consequential of your entire financial life.

Stillwater was built specifically for this season — not as a generalist practice that happens to serve retirees, but as a planning relationship designed around the decisions that define retirement. As a Certified Kingdom Advisor®, Christian also brings a values-informed perspective for clients who want their financial plan to reflect more than just their goals.

Retirement Income

Coordinating withdrawals, Social Security, and investments into a clear, sustainable income plan

Tax Strategy

Proactive planning across Roth conversions, withdrawals, and bracket management

Portfolio Design

An evidence-based approach built around your retirement plan and income needs

Charitable Giving

Giving generously and strategically to the people and causes that matter most

Estate & Legacy

Ensuring your wealth and values are reflected in a plan that takes care of those you love

This is the work Stillwater was built to do — and it starts with one simple question: what does a well-lived retirement look like for you?

The Stillwater story

My path into financial planning started earlier than most — my dad is a financial advisor, and I grew up around the business. But I had my own ideas about where life would take me.

Early in my career I spent several years on staff with Young Life — including time serving in Hong Kong. That season taught me something I've carried into every client relationship since — people don't just need answers. They need someone they can trust with the things that really matter.

That's what eventually led me back to financial planning.

I returned to the W. P. Carey School fo Business for my MBA and became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® — the standard credential for fiduciary financial planners and the foundation for the kind of comprehensive, planning-first work I felt called to do. I spent time at a large investment firm before joining a private family office, working alongside attorneys and CPAs on everything from tax strategy to charitable giving.

Both experiences were valuable — but they showed me two ends of a spectrum I wasn't satisfied with. One was efficient but impersonal. The other was deeply thoughtful, but only accessible to the very wealthy.

I wanted to build something different. So I founded Stillwater Financial Planning.

Next Steps

Let’s start with a Conversation

If anything here resonated with you — the way we work, the clients we serve, or the values that shape everything we do — I'd love to connect. The Discovery Call is simply a conversation. No pressure, no obligation, and no financial jargon. Just an honest discussion about where you are, what you're hoping retirement looks like, and whether Stillwater might be the right fit.

I started this practice because I believe people deserve a trusted guide for this season of life. If you're ready to take that first step, I'd be honored to be that person for you.

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The right relationship starts with the right conversation.