Tag: Retirement Planning
Finding Your New Normal: Planning Through Life’s Biggest Transitions with Michelle Malton (Ep. 7)

Finding Your New Normal: Planning Through Life’s Biggest Transitions with Michelle Malton (Ep. 7)

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Some seasons of life arrive suddenly, others build slowly. Either way, change can feel chaotic.

In this conversation, The Planning Center partner Michelle Maton CFP®, EA, CeFT joins Jude Boudreaux and Caleb Arringdale to share how she helps clients move from uncertainty to a grounded “new normal.” You’ll hear why big decisions can wait, how a decision-free zone brings breathing room, and what it really takes to navigate transitions like divorce, widowhood, sudden wealth, and retirement. Expect practical language you can use, gentle structure for hard days, and honest stories from the work of walking with clients through change.

What to expect:

  • The four stages of transition and why “passage” takes time
  • Creating a decision-free zone that protects you from regret
  • Retirement identity, cash-flow rhythms, and mini-experiments
  • The role of values in rebuilding what comes next
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Jude Boudreaux CFP®: 

Connect with Caleb Arringdale:

Connect with Michelle Maton:

About our Guest: 

Michelle Maton, CFP®, EA, CeFT®, is a Senior Financial Planner at The Planning Center. Her most important responsibility as a partner is to help our clients achieve their financial goals. On any given day, you will find Michelle focusing on financial planning, tax strategies and reviews, and transition planning, which helps clients for the inevitable ups and downs in life, for better or worse. In addition, Michelle works with the rest of our team to create more efficient client service systems and processes.

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From History to Legacy: How The Planning Center Builds for the Future with Eric Kies (Ep. 6)

From History to Legacy: How The Planning Center Builds for the Future with Eric Kies (Ep. 6)

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When a firm chooses people over ego, everything changes.

In this conversation, CEO Eric Kies joins Jude Boudreaux and Caleb Arringdale to share how The Planning Center shifted from individual silos to an ensemble practice where clients are served by a team, not a single advisor. They talk candidly about investing in “soft” skills like communication, coaching, and retreats, why that’s actually the hard work, and how a 50-year vision creates stability for families across generations. You’ll hear stories about building systems, giving up control, and the human moments that money can’t solve, but great planning can hold.

What to expect:

  • Ensemble vs. siloed practices in plain language
  • The 50-year sustainability mindset
  • Why culture work beats quick wins
  • AI as a tool, not a substitute for real connection
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Jude Boudreaux CFP®: 

Connect with Caleb Arringdale:

Connect with Eric Kies:

About our Guest: 

As the president of The Planning Center, Eric Kies is responsible for the daily management of the firm. Eric’s long-term goal for the firm is to continue building a team of talented financial planners and staff who are ready to serve successive generations of families. He wants our firm and its lead planners to be a resource in the community that people can turn to and trust for solutions to their problems. In Eric’s work with clients, his focus is on working with business owners and executives with complex planning needs and goals, such as those with significant or irregular incomes.

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