About

About Me

Don Dirren is an experienced financial advisor with over 37 years of experience. Licensed as a financial advisor in Arizona, he brings knowledge and expertise in retirement planning, helping his clients manage their wealth, protect it, and leave behind a financial legacy they can be proud of. Dirren is the owner and operator of two independent brokerage firms and is one of the top Safe Money Specialists with Bergen Financial Group.

Dirren is passionate about educating clients on concepts and principles of financial planning. He enjoys helping people understand wealth management with examples based on real-world scenarios, bringing clarity and inspiring confidence. A resident of Phoenix, AZ, Dirren is an alumnus of Arizona State University and is engaged with the local community as a leader in financial planning, retirement planning, life insurance, tax strategies, and social security planning.

Core Skills and Knowledge Areas

Don Dirren leverages the following core skills and knowledge areas in his work as a licensed financial advisor and strategist, including client strategy, customer service, estate planning and preservation, financial planning, fixed annuities, guaranteed lifetime income, individual retirement accounts, life insurance, long-term care, marketing, retirement planning, rollovers, sales, small business operations, strategic planning, term life insurance, and 401k accounts.

Dirren has either published content online or been featured as a subject matter expert on the following financial planning topics:

Avoiding Financial Loss in Retirement

Life Insurance Products for Senior Citizens

Long-term Care Considerations with Life Insurance

Minimizing Social Security Taxes

Tax Planning for Retirement

Top 5 Tips for Retirement Planning

Dirren recognizes that the buy-and-hold investment strategy is attractive to many because of its simplicity and relatively low effort. The idea that buying and holding a diverse stock portfolio will pay off is popular and has been so for a long time. Dirren would recommend considering the following when crafting an investment strategy, especially with an experienced, licensed financial advisor:

Risk management: Buy-and-hold approaches don’t account for risk, which isn’t always justified by a proportionate reward. Sometimes buying and holding isn’t the best use of your money, especially during certain market conditions.

Price fluctuations: Changes in stock value should influence whether it makes sense to buy, hold, or sell.

Stock longevity: Stocks come and go, so does it make sense to hold on to certain stocks indefinitely? There’s an ideal time to hold onto any stock based on performance and transactional fees. Buying and holding ignore this.

A less passive approach is preferable when it comes to investment. Life is constantly shifting, as do people. Financial markets are also dynamic, so it's essential to work with an experienced financial planning professional such as Don Dirren.

More Than Dollars and Cents

Donald Dirren is enthusiastic about helping clients prepare for retirement. This involves analyzing each person’s timeframe and considering how the retirement years will be spent. While it’s crucial to build retirement savings that account for changes in the cost of living and healthcare, Dirren believes there’s more to these golden years than just money. Retiring on your own terms also extends to the quality of life. Dirren suggests these considerations for the retirement phase:

Relocation: Lower costs of living and a more agreeable climate are two conditions that can enhance your quality of life.

Downsizing: Simplifying and downsizing help savings go further.

Travel: The retirement phase is an excellent opportunity to see the world and participate in new experiences.

Hobbies: Focusing on your hobbies and picking up new ones helps retirees deal with their free time. That said, some hobbies may also lead to additional income.

Dirren takes a comprehensive retirement approach, which explains his other areas of interest.

Other Passions and Interests

Besides financial planning, Don Dirren loves golfing, hiking, and traveling. He is incredibly passionate about scuba diving in the Florida Keys, making recommendations about some of the best dive spots for novices:

Looe Key Reef – Snorkel and dive among eagle rays and other aquatic creatures at this reef, including beautiful coral formations and depths to accommodate diving at various skill levels.

French Reef – Located near Key Largo, this dive site is widely regarded for its caves, which are accessible to the most novice of scuba divers.

Neptune Memorial Reef – This artificial reef features structures and sculptures inspired by Atlantis.

Christ of the Abyss – Located at Pennekamp Park, this 10-ton statue can be observed by divers along with several species of fish and other marine animals.

Besides scuba diving, Don Dirren is an avid sports fan. He is a longtime supporter of the football and basketball teams at his alma mater, Arizona State University. Dirren also roots for local professional sports teams, including the Arizona Cardinals (NFL), the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), the Arizona Rattlers (Indoor Football League), and the Phoenix Suns (NBA).