The Retirement Planning Center

The Retirement Planning Center is an independent, sole‑proprietorship advisory firm that provides ongoing portfolio management, written financial planning, one‑time and as‑needed consultations, and variable sub‑account management for annuity and variable life contracts. The firm primarily works with individual clients and commonly implements portfolios using mutual funds and variable annuity sub‑accounts.

Advisory services are tailored through interviews and questionnaires and emphasize long‑term strategic asset allocation, fundamental analysis and periodic monitoring, with managed accounts reviewed at least quarterly. Although the firm describes a discretionary program for exchanges among variable sub‑accounts, it reports that its client assets are managed predominantly on a non‑discretionary basis, meaning clients frequently approve or direct transaction implementation.

What distinguishes the firm from many peers is the advisor’s simultaneous role as a registered representative of a broker‑dealer and as a licensed insurance agent, and the resulting ability to implement recommendations on a commission basis or receive 12b‑1 trail fees. The brochure discloses steps intended to address these conflicts—such as discussing implementation options with clients and restricting management of contracts sold by the advisor for a period—while the firm remains small in both assets and client count compared with typical independent advisors.