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What is your top priority when it comes to protecting your family?

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Every person and family has a unique financial situation. Long-and short-term goals, available funds, current income and investments, and other factors all come into play. That's why we work with each individual client to identify where they want to go financially and how to reach that destination. Below are some of the common services we provide.

A Better Way to Money Starts Here

On Rules of Thumb

“One of the first things I like to emphasize about retirement planning is that rules of thumb might be useful for broad conversations, but they almost never apply directly to any one individual’s situation. For instance, someone might hear that they need to withdraw a specific percentage of their portfolio every year, or that they should allocate their investments in a particular way based on their age. While these guidelines can serve as a baseline, they fail to account for the complexities of your personal life—your expenses, goals, and the kind of lifestyle you want to lead.

Retirement planning is not one-size-fits-all because no two people have the same numbers or priorities. If we approach planning as though there is a universal formula, we risk missing the nuances that make your situation unique.”

Why Personalization is Essential

“Every individual’s financial situation and aspirations are different. That’s why I approach planning by starting with you—your expenses, your risks, and your emotional comfort with different financial tools. The goal is to create a dynamic plan that evolves with your life. Here’s how we personalize it:

  1. Expense Categories:
    • We look at your fixed expenses like property taxes, utilities, and groceries—things that must be covered regardless of what’s happening in the world.
    • Then we add discretionary expenses such as dining out or vacations, which you could adjust if needed.
    • Finally, we account for aspirational expenses, like funding a wedding, a major family trip, or charitable giving.
  2. Risk Management:
    • We layer your assets into high-risk, low-risk, and no-risk categories. The goal is to ensure your fixed expenses are always covered, even in a worst-case scenario, so you never feel forced to make decisions out of fear.
  3. Customizing the Plan:
    • We don’t rely solely on rules of thumb because the way you think about money at 50 is different from how you’ll think about it at 65, 75, or 85. Your retirement plan needs to grow and adapt with you.
    • For example, some clients prefer to have an annuity to guarantee part of their income, while others prefer to build a larger cash reserve. It’s not about one option being better—it’s about what makes you feel most secure.
  4. Avoiding Emotional Decisions:
    • A key part of the plan is putting you in a position where financial stress doesn’t lead to poor decisions. For instance, during market downturns, if you have a solid cash reserve or guaranteed income, you won’t feel the need to panic and sell investments at the wrong time.”

What Personalized Planning Achieves

“When your plan is built specifically for you, it allows you to:

  • Maintain confidence in your financial future, even when markets are unpredictable.
  • Focus on enjoying life, knowing your essential needs are covered.
  • Adapt to life’s changes without worrying about derailing your retirement.

Ultimately, my goal is to help you feel financially secure not just because things might go well, but because your plan is built to handle anything that might go wrong. It’s about creating a strategy that works for you—not for anyone else—and evolves as your life does."

This publication is not intended as legal or tax advice. Financial Representatives do not render tax advice. Consult with a tax professional for tax advice that is specific to your situation

Every event in life brings unique opportunities. We can help you be financially prepared to take advantage of them.

When you work with our team to develop a financial planning roadmap, we’ll apply time-tested strategies, providing expert advice and making recommendations based on where you are today and where you want to be in the future.

And along the way, you’ll have the knowledge and insight to make financial decisions that are right for you and your loved ones, so you can meet each of life’s milestones with confidence.

  • Create a Budget
    To reach any financial goal, you need to understand how much is coming in and how much is going out each month by establishing and spending within a budget.

  • Getting Your First Job
    Now that you have your first job, you no doubt have big dreams and lofty goals. You need to ensure you can achieve them. By taking the first step now, you’ll be setting yourself up for a lifetime of financial security.

  • Getting Married
    If you’re about to be married or are newly married, you probably have big hopes and dreams for your future together. Make sure you’re financially prepared – as a couple – to make your dreams a reality.

  • Buying a New Home
    Buying a new home can be one of life’s most gratifying accomplishments. As you prepare to take that big step, make sure you’re ready for the financial commitment. When you approach your decision with confidence, you’ll be free to enjoy this exciting time in your life.

  • Welcoming a Child or Grandchild
    Now more than ever, your goal is to protect the financial well-being of your family. As you welcome a new child or grandchild, evaluate your financial plan to ensure it’s designed to meet changing priorities as your family grows.

  • Funding a Child’s Education
    If one of your financial goals is to pay for a child’s education, the earlier you create a college savings plan, the better. Not only will you save more, you’ll have more time to ride the ups and downs of the financial markets if you choose to invest your savings.

  • Changing Jobs
    If you’re thinking about changing jobs – or are plunging into self-employment – make sure you are financially prepared to transition smoothly. A new position can be an exciting opportunity, but it may also add to the financial demands on you and your family.

  • Losing a Job
    Losing a job can take a toll on your ego. But it doesn’t have to take a toll on your financial security. There are steps you can take to lessen the impact of temporary unemployment and protect the financial well-being of yourself and your loved ones.

  • Living Comfortably in Retirement
    Now more than ever, planning for your retirement is critical. At Northwestern Mutual, our approach to retirement planning is designed to help you get to – and through – retirement with a greater level of financial confidence, so you can relax knowing you have a road map to achieve your goals.

  • Building Wealth
    At Northwestern Mutual, our financial planning process and investment advisory services are designed to help you zero in on what’s most important to you, prioritize your goals and develop strategies to bring your vision for the future to life.

  • Accident or Illness
    An accident or illness can change your life in an instant. Of course, most people don’t like to think about the potential ramifications of a disabling disease or traumatic event, but these incidents happen more often than you might think. That’s why protecting your ability to earn an income is important.

  • Divorce
    Divorce can be disruptive to you and your family. Eliminate some of the stress of reinventing your life by taking control of your financial planning.

  • Loss of a Loved One
    Of all the challenges in life, the loss of a loved one can be one of the most painful experiences you will encounter. By having a financial plan in place to manage the financial consequences of losing a loved one, you can focus on addressing the emotional challenges death may bring.

  • Estate Planning
    When you have an estate plan in place, your children or other loved ones won’t be burdened with making tough decisions on your behalf when they’re already dealing with your illness or death.

At the outset, your financial plan may not need to address all of these life events. But over time, as your circumstances and priorities change, we’ll work with you to adjust your plan accordingly.

Most people associate the phrase "estate planning" with having a will – a legal document that names your beneficiaries and spells out who gets what when you die. And while the transfer of your assets is an important part of estate planning, a will or a trust is just one aspect of a broader estate planning strategy to ensure your wishes are known, honored and carried out as efficiently as possible when you're no longer able to articulate them.

We work with a team of estate planning experts at Northwestern Mutual. Together, we can help you develop an estate planning strategy that may include the following:

  • A strategy to help reduce or eliminate gift/estate taxes for your heirs
  • A plan to protect your estate from mismanagement or from claims of creditors or ex-spouses
 

In addition to the expertise our team can offer, you'll want to work with an estate-planning attorney to establish:

  • Health care directives and a living will that specify the extent to which you want health care professionals to treat you if you become ill or incapacitated.
  • Powers of attorney that grant people you trust the legal authority to act on your behalf in case of sudden accident or illness.
  • A will or trust to ensure your assets are transferred according to your wishes. And Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company can serve as trustee, co-trustee or successor trustee in a wide range of situations.
  • The naming of a legal guardian for children under the age of 18.

Most people hope to enjoy a long and healthy life as long as it’s on their own terms, which likely includes the desire to live as independently as possible. But life doesn’t always happen according to plan.

An unexpected accident, illness or injury can profoundly change your life — sometimes suddenly. And if it does, you may find yourself needing help with the tasks of everyday living.

Long-term care planning may be one of the most important steps you can take to help ensure the future financial security of you and your family.

What Care Costs

Most people understand the need for health insurance, life insurance, homeowners insurance and car insurance. But what if the unexpected happened and you suddenly weren’t able to earn a living because of illness or injury? Not only would you have the stress of meeting everyday living expenses, you might also have to put other goals, like saving for retirement, on hold.

Disability income insurance can help you protect your most valuable asset – your ability to earn an income.

If your employer offers a comprehensive package of benefits, you may have access to group disability income insurance at work. That’s a great starting point, but most group plans cover only a portion of your income. Could you survive a 40 percent cut in pay? For that reason, you may want to consider supplementing group coverage with individual disability income insurance.

If you’re a business owner, you also need to think about whether your business would be able to continue without you. Disability overhead insurance reimburses certain business expenses, and key person disability insurance helps to minimize the loss of a key contributor due to disability.

Whether you own a business or not, consider disability income insurance a fundamental layer in your plan to secure your financial future.

Our wealth management services go above and beyond what you might expect from a financial services provider. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company offers:

Investment advisory services, designed to:

  • Provide high-quality investment services and products.
  • Build and monitor diversified portfolios.
  • Develop objective, personalized plans.
  • Focus on long-term results.

Trust services and partnerships, designed to:

  • Provide continuity of stewardship that can last multiple generations.
  • Preserve family harmony when carrying out your intentions.
  • Carry out detailed record-keeping and accounting.
  • Calculate taxes and file returns.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company serves as trustee on Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts. In addition, through our Trust Alliance Program, we partner with nationally-recognized trust administration firms that offer a broad range of services to revocable trusts, charitable trusts, endowments and foundations.

Online access to your account, so you can review:

  • Comprehensive monthly statements.
  • Performance reporting.
  • Account access on a secure website.
  • Current account balances on your investment holdings.
  • Detailed transaction records on all accounts.

Our long-term approach to investing and wide range of options can help meet your unique financial needs—giving you the edge you and your family need to enjoy your wealth today, and for generations to come.

With more ways to invest than ever before, it can be hard to make sure your money is working its hardest for you. That's where we come in. We’ll provide investment expertise based on our time-tested philosophy, disciplined process, research-based insights, and proprietary capital market assumptions.

When you’re ready for more sophisticated wealth management, you'll have access to a variety of options there too, including investment advisory services, tax-smart strategies, trust services, and specialized products.

Brokerage services
Build your ideal portfolio with a range of investment vehicles—no matter what goals you have. If it's time to roll over a retirement account, find a unique lending solution, save for a child’s education, or arrange for charitable giving, we’ll figure out your options and help you figure out how to get it done.

Investment advisory programs
When you’re looking for more hands-on investment advice and ongoing portfolio oversight, we’ll carefully select one of our Advisory Programs (curated by our Wealth Management Investment Team) that best fits your investment goals. Along with monitoring market conditions and your investments, we’ll be ready to adjust your portfolio as needed should your goals or priorities shift.

If one of your financial goals is to pay for a child’s education, the earlier you establish a college savings plan, the better. A personalized education funding plan will not only help you save more, it will also give you more time to ride the ups and downs of the financial markets if you choose to invest your savings.

Two of the most common college funding vehicles are 529 Plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, though there are many ways to save for a child’s education.

And although your wish may be to fully fund your child’s education, don’t allow that goal to put your own retirement at risk. It’s much like the instructions you’re given by flight attendants when you travel by air: In case of emergency, put your oxygen mask on first before putting it on your child. If you don’t take care of funding your own retirement, you may end up weighing down your kids with that responsibility later in life. Children have options for funding their education, such as loans and scholarships. Retirees don’t.

Working together on your education funding strategies, we can help you better understand your options to meet all of your financial goals.

You work hard to give your loved ones every advantage. But would your family have the financial resources to maintain its lifestyle if you died?

While nothing can replace you, a life insurance policy can help ensure that your loved ones have the financial security necessary to live out their dreams. Life insurance benefits can help:

  • Pay the mortgage or any other debt.
  • Maintain your family’s standard of living.
  • Keep your children in their current school and fund college.
  • Pay for final expenses.
  • Leave a legacy.

Life insurance can also be more than a safety net. Depending on the type of life insurance, it can also be the foundation for a sound financial strategy. With permanent life insurance, for example, as you pay premiums, the policy accumulates cash value that grows tax deferred and can become a source of funding you can utilize to help meet your financial goals.*

That’s in contrast to term life insurance, which does not build cash value but is one of the more affordable types of insurance you can buy.

If you’re a business owner, offering life insurance as part of a comprehensive benefits package will help to recruit and retain valuable employees and give them the financial security they need while contributing to the success of your business.

Life insurance can also minimize the financial impact felt by the death of a key contributor to your business. Its proceeds or cash value can be used to cover the potential loss of business or recruit a successor.

*Utilizing cash value through policy loans, surrenders, or cash withdrawals will reduce the death benefit; and may necessitate greater outlay than anticipated and/or result in an unexpected taxable event.

When your financial plan includes wealth protection and risk management, you'll be helping to ensure your family — and your vision for the future — is secure.

We'll work with you to develop strategies to:

  • Provide for your family in the event of death.

    Life insurance policies can be designed with different needs in mind. They can provide temporary protection, cash accumulation or may be utilized as part of an estate plan. Through our association with Northwestern Mutual, we have access to Northwestern Mutual's high-quality, competitively priced life insurance products, including permanent, term, combination and variable policies.

  • Provide for you and your family in the event of a disability.

    Disability income insurance helps to protect your most valuable asset, your ability to earn an income. But what if the unexpected happened and you suddenly weren’t able to earn a living because of illness or injury? Not only would you have the stress of meeting everyday living expenses, but you might also have to put other goals, like saving for a child's college or for retirement, on hold.

  • Provide for long-term care.

    Long-term Care events can have a significant impact on your financial security. Planning for long-term care events can help provide options on how to fund and receive care, should you need it.

For the family of a person with special needs, financial planning is a necessity. Well-designed and properly executed special-needs planning can have a profound impact on your loved one’s quality of life and can help turn your dreams for his or her future into reality. A comprehensive plan can also help you avoid some common mistakes and oversights that could jeopardize the lifetime support of your loved one with special needs.

With so much at stake, it’s vital to work with professionals who understand the complexities of planning for a person with special needs. In fact, getting advice from someone without this expertise may do more harm than good.

That’s why it’s so important to seek help from a team of advisors who are experts in special-needs planning. In our experience, the most valuable teams include an attorney, a financial professional and a social services professional, as each brings specific areas of expertise to the table that are needed to develop a comprehensive special-needs plan.

We can help you build your team of experts and coordinate efforts on your behalf. With our collective guidance, you’ll be empowered to make informed decisions, take appropriate actions and help provide the highest possible quality of life for those who depend on you.

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