The Planning Center, Inc.

10/21/2026

Concentration usually happens by accident. A stock you admired kept growing. Shares accumulated through years of employer compensation. A dividend holding you inherited and never wanted to sell. None of it felt like a decision, and then one company represents a large share of your net worth.

Many advisors watch closely once a single position passes 10% to 20% of investable assets. The reason to act is not pessimism about the company. It is that no business is immune to a setback, and recovery takes time most people do not have.

Jude Boudreaux covers gradual selling, stepped-up basis on inherited shares, and donating appreciated stock: https://bit.ly/3Vbz9WQ

A concentrated stock diversification strategy helps reduce single-stock risk while managing taxes and preserving long-term investment discipline.

10/19/2026

National Estate Planning Awareness Week runs October 19 through 25, and the timing is useful. Estate planning is the task that sits on the list longest, because nothing forces it, and no deadline ever arrives.

A few things are worth checking this week even if your documents feel current. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance override your will, and they are often years out of date. Account titling determines what passes through probate. Powers of attorney and healthcare directives matter long before anyone dies.

Small reviews, outsized consequences. We coordinate them with your attorney as part of your broader plan, rather than treating estate planning as a separate errand.

10/15/2026

Outliving your money is the fear most retirees name first. A fixed withdrawal rate does not really answer it, because markets do not move in a straight line, and neither do expenses.

A guardrails approach builds flexibility into the plan instead. In years when your portfolio grows, you may be able to take a little more. In years when it falls, you pull back. The point is not austerity. It is avoiding both overspending in weak markets and underspending in strong ones, which turns out to be the more common regret.

Matt Sivertsen explains how guardrails work and how to build a spending plan around them: https://bit.ly/473RFDl

A retirement income guardrails strategy helps retirees adjust spending during market volatility while protecting long-term income sustainability.

10/14/2026

Our own Jude Boudreaux, a member of CNBC's Financial Advisor Council, was recently featured on CNBC on a topic that rarely makes headlines: rebalancing.

With stocks hovering near all-time highs and bonds selling off, many portfolios have quietly drifted from their intended mix. Rebalancing brings that mix back to target, trimming what has grown and adding to what has lagged. As Jude put it, "It's a disciplined way to buy low and sell high."

The appeal is that it replaces prediction with process. You do not need to know what markets will do next. You only need to know what you decided your portfolio should look like, and the discipline to return to it.

Read the full article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/09/bond-selloff-stock-boom-rebalancing.html

10/13/2026

Medicare enrollment comes with a narrow window and lasting consequences. Your initial enrollment period runs from three months before your 65th birthday month to three months after, and missing it can mean higher premiums for the rest of your life. There is an exception for creditable employer coverage, which matters a great deal if you have a younger spouse on your plan.

Then there is income. Part B premiums in 2026 range from $202.90 to $689.90 a month depending on modified adjusted gross income, which means your withdrawal strategy directly affects what you pay for healthcare.

Jude Boudreaux walks through enrollment timing, what each part covers, and how income coordination fits the plan: https://bit.ly/4iCbs3Q

Medicare planning requires coordinating enrollment timing, income levels, and long-term healthcare costs. Learn how Medicare fits your retirement plan.

10/08/2026

🔦 Member Spotlight: The Planning Center, Inc.

For nearly 30 years, The Planning Center has helped individuals and families navigate life's biggest milestones with confidence. Founded in 1998, the fee-only fiduciary firm was built on the belief that people deserve a trusted place to talk about life and money without the pressure of product sales.

Today, The Planning Center provides financial planning, investment management and integrated tax services to clients in the Quad Cities and across the country. From preparing for retirement to navigating major life changes, their team focuses on helping people gain clarity and make informed decisions.

What sets The Planning Center apart is its commitment to independent advice, transparent flat-fee pricing and a people-first approach. While the firm has grown beyond the region, its roots remain firmly planted in the Quad Cities through community involvement, local leadership and support of organizations that strengthen our region.

Join us in celebrating this Chamber member and the work they're doing to help individuals and families plan confidently for the future. Learn more about The Planning Center and what to expect when working with their team: https://bit.ly/4AV2Zzr

09/30/2026

Uncertainty is a permanent feature of investing, and of life. Markets react to headlines, portfolios rise and fall, and even in calm years there is a moment that spikes your pulse. What separates confident investors from anxious ones is not knowing what happens next. It is having a way to think about not knowing.

That is the idea behind Stay Calm, the new book from David Booth, founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors. Join The Planning Center on Wednesday, October 7 at 1:15 PM CT for a live conversation with Booth about what five decades of research into how markets actually work can teach us about the cycles ahead. Andrew Sivertsen, CFP®, EA, CeFT®, who co-leads our investment committee, and H. Jude Boudreaux, CFP®, will talk with him about why uncertainty is something to plan for rather than predict around, how to separate what you can control from what you cannot, and why tuning out the noise is a skill rather than a personality trait. We will leave time for a live Q&A, so bring your questions.

Register here: https://bit.ly/4rLDHQk

Uncertainty is a permanent feature of investing, and of life. Markets react to headlines, portfolios rise and fall, and even in calm years there's a moment that spikes our pulse. What separates confident investors from anxious ones isn't knowing what happens next. It's having a way to think about no...

09/24/2026

How can retirees allow their savings and investments to provide a desirable level of income without worrying about market volatility or longevity risk? Senior Financial Planner Matthew Sivertsen explains. https://bit.ly/473RFDl

A retirement income guardrails strategy helps retirees adjust spending during market volatility while protecting long-term income sustainability.

09/23/2026

Our own Andrew Sivertsen recently joined Marcia Erikson on the Business Spotlight podcast to talk about what it takes to build a financial planning practice that lasts. A great deal of the conversation came back to people. Hiring carefully, investing in benefits, and building a culture worth staying for are not simply internal concerns. They are the reason a client can call five or ten years from now and reach someone who already knows their story. Continuity matters more in this work than it usually gets credit for, because good advice depends on context, and context takes years to accumulate. Andrew also covers technology, in-house tax planning, and what he has been reading lately, including a book on John Deere written by a friend that turned into a lesson on the history of our own community.

Watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/5PWZ36KvP5Y

09/22/2026

A comprehensive retirement plan involves consideration of the effects of timing, income, and healthcare costs. Medicare is a vital part of this planning. Our article has more. https://bit.ly/4iCbs3Q

Medicare planning requires coordinating enrollment timing, income levels, and long-term healthcare costs. Learn how Medicare fits your retirement plan.