Baseball and Financial Life Planning: Get the Basics Right First
By Eric Kies CFP®, President, CCO, Sr Financial Planner The geese are flying north, the snow is melting, the days are getting longer and the temps are going up. And this means that baseball season is just around the corner. For the past few years, I’ve helped coach my son’s travel team. I was teaching […]
Does It Matter?
By Eric Kies, CFP® Will it matter five minutes after you’re gone? I was at a workshop at church a few weekends ago, and one of the breakout sessions was led by a life coach. As he worked through his presentation, he asked a question to help us get focused on the material he was […]
7 Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft
Special Equifax Security Alert Added Below Cybersecurity Part 3 – by Eric Kies I’m on my way home from visiting our Fresno office, and the plane touches down in Denver. Unfortunately, due to a late departure from Fresno, I’ve already missed my flight back to Moline. The only positive aspect of this lengthy layover is […]
The Infinite Game
My grandfather’s name was Gale. He was an interesting guy, one of those people who was wise beyond his years because he had lived through some hard times, observed life, and learned from his experiences. That wisdom inspired some of his beliefs and led to significant changes in our family’s lives for generations. My mother […]
Cybersecurity and You – Part 2
This is the second in a series of articles on staying safe online and best practices for securing your computer, your accounts, and the data you have stored in them. Computer security is a moving target. It takes awareness, continuous monitoring, and, frankly, a healthy dose of skepticism to shield yourself from hackers and other […]
Planning Center Reaches Out to New Generation
The Quad Cities Times interviewed Marty Kurtz, CEO and Eric Kies, President on the growth of The Planning Center and what it means for the next generation. The Planning Center, is reshaping the financial planning mold with its unique culture, expanded depth and expertise, and a new, younger generation of leadership and clientele. Today, conversations with clients […]
Cybersecurity and You
This is the first in a series of articles on the systems and processes The Planning Center (TPC) uses to protect the security of our client data and assets. You have a virus… …Well, actually it is your computer that is “sick.” An infection can happen innocently enough. You open an email from a […]
How to Keep Client Data Safe from Hackers
Financial Planning magazine and Eric Kies on cyber security and what The Planning Center is doing to keep you safe. Clients’ financial information is a valuable commodity that is vulnerable to cyber thieves, and the sheer number of threats makes it possible that an advisory firm could come under attack. Such incidents can damage an advisory […]
Playing Uphill
By Eric Kies Every year, my wife Laura and I try to run a half marathon in the spring and fall. In fact, running is how we met years ago. Now we have two young children, and we have reset our goals from pursuing personal best times to using our running to stay healthy and […]
Upgrade Your Practice and Stop Looking for a Silver Bullet
Eric Kies, CFP® interviewed on the importance of staying up on technology trends and implementing them for your business. Getting over the mental block toward adoption is part of the challenge in keeping your practice tech-savvy, says Eric Kies, chief compliance officer at Moline, Ill.-based The Planning Center. Read more on onwallstreet.
TPC In The News – 2015 Highlights
Here is an archive of our top media hits in 2015. November 2015: Networth and Income Based Retainers xyplanningnetwork.com – A podcast featuring Andrew Sivertsen, CFP® sharing with advisors about the structure and rational of NWI retainers. October 2015: FPA NexGen Finds Success in Boston, Looks Forward to Gathering fpa-be.org – Andrew Sivertsen, CFP® interviewed about the […]
3 Ways to Fix Your Investment Portfolio Before January
Eric Kies, CFP® explains essential things to do before year-end for retirement accounts. While it may feel like 2015 just arrived, that New Year’s baby is fast becoming a senior citizen. For investors, that means some year-end tasks remain on the to-do list. But that doesn’t necessarily mean placing your bets about which stocks or […]
