Fresno PD officers are under the Fresno Fire and Police Retirement System — a city-specific plan most financial advisors have never even heard of. We know it, we model it, and we built the platform around it.
No pitch, no pressure — just answers.
Readiness score built around your city pension system, pay structure, and career timeline.
When you sit down with a financial advisor and say "I'm with Fresno PD," most of them immediately start talking about CalPERS formulas, 3%@50, and PEPRA tiers.
They're wrong. Fresno PD isn't in CalPERS.
You're under the Fresno Fire and Police Retirement System — a pension plan run by the City of Fresno, with its own formula, its own rules, and its own retirement age structure. It's one of the most generous public safety pensions in California, and one of the least understood by the financial industry.
If your advisor doesn't know the difference between FPERS and CalPERS, they don't know enough to plan your retirement.
Avidity Journey was built for officers like you.
Most financial tools default to CalPERS. Fresno PD is FPERS. The formulas, rules, and contribution structures are entirely different — and wrong assumptions produce wrong retirement projections.
Tier I vs Tier II membership affects your calculation period, contribution rates, and long-term benefit. Most advisors can't tell you which tier you're in, let alone what it means for your plan.
Which pays count toward your FPERS pension? Overtime? Specialty assignments? POST incentive? Getting this wrong by even one category can shift your projected benefit by thousands per year — for life.
The math between retiring at 50 with 25 years versus 55 with 30 years isn't just different — it changes your healthcare bridge, withdrawal sequence, and Social Security strategy entirely.
A city-specific defined benefit plan administered by the City of Fresno's Retirement Office — separate from both CalPERS and the state retirement system.
| Tier I (Legacy Members) | Tier II (Newer Members) | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | 2.5% × Years × Final Comp | 2.5% × Years × Final Comp |
| Full Retirement Age | 50 | 50 |
| Maximum Benefit | 85% of final comp | 85% of final comp |
| Years to Hit Max | 34 years of service | 34 years of service |
| Final Comp Calculation | Based on top salary years (verify per MOU) | Based on top salary years (verify per MOU) |
| Tier Eligibility | Determined by hire date | Determined by hire date |
An officer retiring at age 50 with 25 years of service earns 62.5% of final compensation (25 × 2.5%). A guaranteed monthly benefit for life.
An officer with 34 years of service hits the 85% maximum cap — the ceiling of the plan. No additional pension credit beyond that point.
The delta between retiring at 25 years vs. 30 years isn't just 5 more years of work — it's a 12.5-percentage-point swing in lifetime income, plus the retirement years you give up. Our platform models both scenarios so you can see the real tradeoff.
Specific tier structures, final compensation calculation periods, and contribution rates are governed by the current City of Fresno Police MOU and the Fresno Fire and Police Retirement System plan documents. Tier eligibility is typically determined by hire date. Verify all figures against current plan documents before making retirement decisions.
Your total compensation includes several components most advisors overlook when projecting your retirement picture.
Fresno PD uses an 8-step salary scale. Your starting step and progression timing significantly affect your final comp calculation and long-term pension benefit.
Intermediate and Advanced POST certificates unlock percentage pay premiums. How these flow into pensionable compensation depends on your MOU terms and tier — getting this right matters for your lifetime benefit.
Overtime is generally excluded from pensionable comp, but certain premium pays may qualify. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood elements of Fresno PD compensation planning. We model your specific situation correctly.
Available through the City of Fresno. Contribution limits, employer match availability, and current rates are governed by the current MOU. We model your specific situation and build a withdrawal strategy around your early retirement age.
All specific pay percentages and amounts are subject to the current Fresno PD MOU. Your Avidity Journey module loads your actual numbers.
FPERS provides a guaranteed lifetime pension with full eligibility at age 50. That's a powerful foundation. But here's what it doesn't cover:
Retiring at 50 means 15 years of healthcare to fund before Medicare eligibility at 65. The City of Fresno provides retiree medical support under specific rules — and the gap is often larger than officers realize until they do the math.
FPERS includes cost-of-living adjustments, but they're capped. If inflation runs hot for several years, your purchasing power shrinks — and a 40-year retirement means that compounding works against you.
Even maxing out your pension, you're living on 85% of final comp — without the overtime, specialty pay, and shift differentials that inflated your take-home during your career. The lifestyle gap is real.
Survivor benefit elections are permanent. The math depends on your spouse's age, health, and other income sources. Making this election without full analysis is one of the most costly mistakes in retirement planning.
When you join Avidity Journey and identify as Fresno PD, you unlock a dedicated module with four tabs built for your world — feeding into the complete 11-module planning engine.
The 11-Module Avidity Journey Planning Engine
Full platform access with your Fresno PD-specific module. Self-directed financial planning at your pace.
Everything in Journey plus unlimited Zoom access to a fiduciary advisor who actually understands FPERS — not CalPERS.
We are legally required to act in your best interest. No commissions, no product sales, no pressure to move money from the plan you already have. If you've ever felt like an advisor was steering you toward a product instead of a plan, you already know why this matters.
We're not a Silicon Valley fintech. We're a Central Valley firm that understands Fresno County cost of living, the local housing market, and what it means to serve this community. Your situation isn't generic — and neither is our advice.
Most financial platforms either don't model Fresno Fire & Police at all, or default to CalPERS assumptions that produce wrong answers. We built the entire Fresno PD module around your actual pension system — because the difference isn't minor. It's the foundation of your retirement.
You've spent your career serving Fresno. Your financial future deserves the same care and the same discipline. Start with the free 20-minute pension review — no sales pitch, no pressure, just a real conversation about where you are and where you're heading.
Fiduciary. Fee-only. Built for the people who protect the Valley.