June 2026 – Living Beyond the Numbers

How Practice, Patience, and Planning Shape a Meaningful Financial Life with Matt Sivertsen (Ep. 20)

By Living Beyond the Numbers | June 18, 2026

What does it mean to grow with a firm and a family over 22 years?

In this heart-centered conversation, host Jude Boudreaux, CFP®, and co-host Caleb Arringdale, EA, sit down with senior planner and shareholder Matt Sivertsen, CFP®, CeFT®, to explore a personal journey that began with music and evolved into a vocation of mentorship, leadership, and financial guidance.

From $8-an-hour beginnings to becoming Director of Financial Planning at The Planning Center, Matt shares how the mindset of a musician—practice, performance, and mastery—shaped his approach to client relationships and team mentorship. He reflects on lessons learned from firm founder Marty Kurtz, how financial values get passed through generations, and the importance of slowing down to teach what really matters.

Here’s what you can expect from this release:

Why musicians often make resilient, reflective planners, and how that shows up in meetings
What healthy mentorship looks like inside a financial firm, and why most companies get it wrong
How to talk to your kids about money, privilege, and the value of “skin in the game”
Ways families are approaching college costs, and how values shape those decisions
And more!

Connect with Jude Boudreaux CFP®:

Connect with Caleb Arringdale:

Connect with Matt Sivertsen:

About our Guest:

Matt Sivertsen is passionate about helping clients understand the complex world of finance, and giving them the knowledge and tools to better understand their financial lives. Among his long-term goals as a financial planner is to be a catalyst for creating conversations about money for multiple generations of families. One of his biggest accomplishments has been pioneering a net worth and income compensation model that better aligns their fee with how they work with their clients. The model works well across various income and asset levels enabling them to serve people of all ages and generations, achieves a totally conflict free situation and can potentially reduce management fees to deliver greater value for their clients. The highlight of his career has been appearing in a feature article about retainer models on the cover of Financial Planner Magazine with his Moline partners.

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How Genuine Service Builds Trust with Jenessa Ritchie & Krystal Gilliam (Ep. 19)

By Living Beyond the Numbers | June 2, 2026

What does it really look like to serve clients with empathy, attention, and heart?

In this episode of Living Beyond the Numbers, hosts Jude Boudreaux and Caleb Arringdale sit down with two of the warmest voices at The Planning Center, Jenessa Ritchie and Krystal Gilliam, client service associates from the Quad Cities and Anchorage offices. Together, they pull back the curtain on what it takes to deliver meaningful service that goes far beyond transactions, discussing the human side of financial planning and how listening, care, and follow-through create trust that lasts for generations.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How Jenessa and Krystal support clients through life changes, loss, and everyday needs
The difference between transactional and relational service and why it matters
Why technology struggles are normal (and how The Planning Center helps clients through them)
How simple gestures like remembering a birthday or a favorite song build deep client connection
And more!

Connect with Jude Boudreaux CFP®:

Connect with Caleb Arringdale:

Connect with Jenessa Ritchie:

Connect with Krystal Gilliam:

About our Guests:

Jenessa Ritchie is a Client Service Associate at The Planning Center’s Quad Cities office in Moline. At the heart of financial planning is trust, and Jenessa takes great pride in fostering meaningful connections with clients. Her goal is to provide a welcoming experience, guiding individuals and families through the technology and logistics of their financial journey while helping them feel confident and supported every step of the way.

Krystal Gilliam serves as a Client Service Associate at The Planning Center’s Anchorage office in Alaska. Krystal believes that excellent service starts with genuine care and clear communication. Her role allows her to support clients with everything from scheduling to navigating account technology—always with a focus on helping them feel heard, valued, and taken care of.

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