ECS Capital Investments

10/16/2026

🎙️ Episode 25 is coming this Tuesday, October 20th!

This month on Insurance, Investments & All About Town, Eric Sporing and Tara Lavelle are talking about three things worth having on your radar as we head toward the end of the year: open enrollment, year-end financial planning, and a little local theatre!

Tara will break down open enrollment season, including what to review, what questions to ask, and why automatically choosing “same as last year” might deserve a little more thought.

Eric will walk through a year-end financial checklist and some of the things to review before December 31, including retirement contributions, tax planning, required minimum distributions, Social Security and Medicare, insurance, beneficiaries, estate documents, and your overall financial plan.

They’re also joined by Vickie Miller, president of Blue Springs City Theatre, as the organization celebrates 40 years of bringing live theatre to our community! Vickie shares more about what happens behind the scenes, ways to get involved onstage or off, The Penguin Project, what’s coming up next, and more.

🎧 Catch up on Episode 24: https://youtu.be/ZBMTJ8kX5pw
Available wherever you get your podcasts!

10/14/2026

🗓️Medicare Open Enrollment Begins October 15 🗓️

Whether it’s for yourself, a parent, or someone you care about, Medicare Open Enrollment is the window to review coverage and explore options for the upcoming year.

💡Remember, you can change your Medicare elections every year. If your needs have changed, it's worth reviewing to see if another option would be better. If you’re unsure where to start, now’s the time to ask questions and get the facts.

🗓️ Deadline: December 7 🗓️

🔍 Mark your calendar and double-check your current coverage before time runs out.

10/13/2026

Great networking and even better company today at the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce's Meet Me for Lunch event at Smalls Sliders! Always enjoy connecting with fellow local business professionals and supporting businesses in our community.

If you haven’t checked out Smalls Sliders yet, stop by and give them a try—great sliders! 🍔🍔

10/13/2026

“Don’t just renew, review.” 🎙️

Medicare’s annual enrollment period runs October 15 through December 7. Even if you’re happy with your current plan, it’s worth checking what’s changing for the year ahead.

In this clip, Tara Lavelle shares a few things to review, including your Annual Notice of Change, prescription coverage, and, for Medicare Advantage members, whether your doctors and preferred hospital are still in network. You may not need to change plans, but you’ll want to make sure your coverage still fits your needs. And as Tara reminds us, don’t wait until December 7th to get started!

For more information and Tara’s full Medicare enrollment checklist, watch her complete segment in the latest episode of Insurance, Investments & All About Town.

Watch Episode 24: https://youtu.be/ZBMTJ8kX5pw
Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

10/07/2026

ICYMI: We’ve added a new office number! 📞

You can now reach the ECS Capital Investments office at 816-393-0031 for scheduling appointments and general office assistance. Our new Office Assistant, Maddy, will be helping answer calls and looks forward to getting to know you!

Our existing phone number is still available for calls and texts. This office line is simply an additional way to reach us.

Save the new number to your contacts so it’s handy when you need us!

09/30/2026

What does it mean when investors are feeling “bearish”? 🐻

It means they expect stock prices to fall. In the AAII investor sentiment survey shown here, 48.1% of respondents were bearish, compared with 32.7% who were bullish, or expecting prices to rise. Another 19.2% were neutral.

That’s nearly half of those surveyed feeling pessimistic about the market. But investor sentiment measures how people feel, not what the market will actually do next.

With election headlines and interest rate discussions competing for attention, it’s helpful to keep that distinction in mind. A shift in confidence doesn’t automatically mean your own financial goals or circumstances have changed.

Questions about what the headlines mean for your financial plan? Let’s talk.

09/21/2026

🎙️ Episode 24 of Insurance, Investments & All About Town is now live, and we’re celebrating TWO YEARS of the podcast!

24 episodes, one each month, filled with conversations about planning ahead, understanding your insurance, and getting to know the people making a difference in our community.

This month, Eric Sporing and Tara Lavelle are covering retirement planning, upcoming annual enrollment, and planning for the pets we consider family.

📈 Health Savings Accounts & Retirement: Eric discusses health savings accounts (HSAs) and how they can fit into your retirement plan.

💡 Annual Enrollment: Tara talks about the upcoming annual enrollment period and preparing to review your insurance coverage for the year ahead.

🐾 Special Guest: Tiffany Obermeyer | Misty Jo Dogwatch: Tiffany joins the podcast to share how her organization helps families plan for their dogs’ futures when life changes unexpectedly. Through education, advocacy, foster support, and resources, especially for vulnerable senior dogs, her work centers on the belief that every dog deserves love, protection, and a plan.

Thank you to everyone who has watched, listened, shared an episode, or joined us as a guest over the past two years. We’ve loved sharing these conversations with you and look forward to many more!

🎧 Watch Episode 24 here:
https://youtu.be/ZBMTJ8kX5pw

Also streaming on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Insurance, Investments, and All About ...

09/18/2026

Meet the newest member of the ECS Capital Investments team, Maddy Barnard!

Maddy is joining us as our Office Assistant, helping with everything from answering phones and scheduling appointments to keeping our files organized. With over 10 years of customer relations experience and six years in accounts receivable, she brings a strong background in working with people and keeping things on track.

A little about Maddy outside the office: she loves baking, collects coffee mugs, and enjoys spending time with her son playing catch or a competitive game of Uno. She admits he usually wins! 😊

We’re excited to have her here. Please help us welcome Maddy to ECS!

09/15/2026

🎙️ 24 episodes. Two years. So many great conversations! This Sunday, September 20th, we’re celebrating two years of Insurance, Investments & All About Town with the release of Episode 24!

Thank you to everyone who has watched, listened, shared an episode, or joined us as a guest. We’ve loved bringing you these conversations each month and getting to know the people making a difference in our community.

This month, Eric and Tara are joined by Tiffany Obermeyer, founder and president of Misty Jo Dogwatch, an organization helping families plan for their dogs’ futures when life changes unexpectedly.

Tiffany will share how the organization provides education, advocacy, foster support, and resources, especially for vulnerable senior dogs. It’s a conversation about protecting the pets we consider family and making sure they have a plan, too.

Eric will also discuss health savings accounts (HSAs) and how they can fit into retirement planning, and Tara will talk about the upcoming annual enrollment period.

Stay tuned for our two-year anniversary episode, dropping September 20th!

🎧 Catch up on our latest episode: https://youtu.be/bnXADrhfXag
Available wherever you get your podcasts!

09/07/2026

Markets closed. BBQs open. But smart money never takes a day off.

What's your best "set it and forget it" financial strategy? Share below!