Aikens Financial
Brian L. Aikens
Wealth Management Advisor|CFP®, CLTC®
Planning Team
Financial Planning and Wealth Management takes expertise and experience followed by dedication and discipline. Brian has developed a wealth management team to help you best meet your financial goals and objectives. The team focuses on wealth and risk management tied together in a comprehensive financial plan. All members of the team share Brian’s enthusiasm and commitment to a client-focused approach.
If you have questions, concerns, or need assistance regarding the services we provide, please reach out directly to one of our expert team members.
Blake Doty
Associate Financial Representative
Blake joined Aikens Financial in January 2024. His career with Northwestern Mutual started in 2010 running his own financial planning business. After several years of success in the personal planning markets, Blake decided to add experience another industry and began working in executive B2B sales specializing in payroll and human capital management (HCM). He focused on payroll, benefits, 401(k) plans and HCM products to help businesses drive additional revenue and enhance operational workflows to maximize success and vision at the executive level. With his personal planning, and business markets experiences, Aikens Financial looks forward to expanding the corporate markets financial services.
Blake graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Business Management. He enjoys running, spending time with family, Cleveland sporting events, and being outdoors at his family farm in Holmes County. Blake also spends time golfing and loves going on golf trips with his best buddies!
Keith D Gibson
CFP®, CLU®, CLF®, WMCP®
Director of Financial Planning
Keith graduated from Ashland University with a degree in Business Administration and Finance. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Keith worked in the personal financial services industry for over a decade. He holds the following professional designations and licenses: Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Life, Accident, and Health insurance; Series 6, 65 and 7 registrations.
Keith works closely with our clients to provide excellent planning and support, participating in both client meetings and behind-the-scenes advanced planning. His experience with retirement plans, asset allocation, portfolio management, and risk management positions him well to develop investment strategies and portfolio design in conjunction with our comprehensive financial planning for our clients.
In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, Cleveland sports, and exploring the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, but most of all Keith enjoys spending time with his family.
Mike Laufman Jr
Associate Financial Representative
Mike started his career with Northwestern Mutual in 2021 as a financial representative and joined the Aikens Financial team in May 2023. His primary role on the team is providing personal financial planning services for clients as well as ongoing planning reviews. Mike is passionate to positively impact families, very patient, and utilizes a detail-oriented approach to financial planning. Mike also helps train college financial representatives. If you know someone interested in an internship, let us know.
Mike graduated from Kent State University with a degree in Business Management. He enjoys cooking, cheering on the Cleveland Browns, exploring nature/hiking, and boating in the summer.
Marissa Brett
Client Relations Manager
Marissa graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Administration and minor in Gerontology. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Marissa worked in senior living helping families find the right community for their loved ones. Her passion for helping others aligns with our commitment to a client-focused approach. Marissa supports the Aikens Financial team by providing the highest level of concierge service. Please let her know if you need to schedule an appointment, need help updating your information, or if you have questions about our events throughout the year.
Marissa loves to travel, read books, and spend time with her family. Her favorite travel destination is Costa Rica, where she spent a week traveling to various parts of the country.
James Dannug
Director of Investments
James graduated from The University of Akron with a degree in Accounting. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, James spent eight years in corporate America as an accountant. His corporate accounting experience is utilized to help Aikens Financial and our clients strategically organize and implement processes to maximize efficiency. James has obtained his Series 6, 63, and 7 securities registrations as well as his Life, Accident, and Health insurance license. He is responsible for preparing financial plans, implementing investment strategies and conducting client meetings.
In his spare time, James coaches CrossFit, enjoys traveling, and spending time on his motorcycle. James is also an active member of the Cuyahoga Falls Chamber, Greater Akron Chamber, and Stow-Munroe Falls Chamber.
Douglas Lennon
Investment Associate
Doug joined Aikens Financial in November 2023 after his girlfriend, Taylor, inspired him to move to Ohio from Pennsylvania. Prior to joining our team, he worked for Vanguard in the retirement services department. Doug has a lot of hands-on experience in 401k plan features, consolidation steps, advisory services, and problem solving. Doug works closely with the Advisors on the team and our clients to implement strategies to optimize their investment objectives.
Doug graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in international business and global markets. He loves being active and playing pickup basketball and pickleball when he can. Doug has had the opportunity to travel to Ireland, Australia, Mexico and hopes to continue to expand that list all around the world.
Alyssa N Sedlon
Director of Insurance Operations
Alyssa graduated from the University of Akron with a degree in Financial Planning and Risk Management. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Alyssa began her career with a large independent broker-dealer servicing hundreds of agents on sophisticated case design. Alyssa guides our clients through the application and underwriting process to make it as easy and smooth as possible. She is proud to admit, she is an "absolute insurance nerd."
Alyssa loves to read books, creatively write, and go for hikes in the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks. She also adores her cat Beans, who basically runs her life.
Laura Slomsky
MBA
Director of Marketing
Laura graduated from Walsh University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing as well as a Master of Business Administration. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual full-time, Laura participated in Northwestern Mutual’s top-ranked internship as a College Financial Representative. Serving as the Director of Marketing, Laura's passion for marketing and brand identity allows her to consult internally and promote the firm. In addition, she ensures our clients receive the highest level of service from the team.
Laura enjoys spending time with her family, exercising, and interior design. She enjoys giving back to the community and is the Past President of Akron Children's Hospital's Emerging Leaders Board and is the former Event Chair for Dancing for the Kids, which benefits childhood cancer programs at Akron Children's.
The Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Investment Team
When you work with us, you'll have the ongoing support of the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Investment Team as they work closely with your advisor to bring their expertise and thought leadership to your investment portfolio.
Senior Leadership Team
John C. Roberts, CFA®
Executive Vice President, Chief Field Officer
John C. Roberts holds executive accountabilities for overseeing the growth and success of the company’s exclusive field force of advisors and teams. In his role, he focuses on driving the continued growth and success of the largest, most diverse, and highly productive field force in the company’s history. Additionally, he has oversight of the company’s growing $300 billion wealth and investment management business, which is recognized as one of the country’s top 10 independent broker-dealers by InvestmentNews. In this capacity, he has oversight of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (WMC), Northwestern Mutual Investment Services (NMIS) and Mason Street Advisors, LLC (MSA). Together, he and his team are propelling advisors, teams and field leaders forward, helping more than 20,000 individuals bring the company’s client experience to life—one touchpoint at a time. John joined the company in 2006 and has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his tenure. Most recently, he was vice president of field talent and performance and led the teams responsible for growth and strategic alignment of the company’s independent network offices. John holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a Bachelor of Science in finance from Indiana University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) charterholder. In the community, he is passionate about creating environments where all members of the community can learn and grow. John serves on the Boards of the Milwaukee Public Museum and the American College of Financial Services.
Brent G. Schutte*, CFA®
Wealth Management Company Chief Investment Officer
Brent has over 28 years of investment industry experience. Brent oversees Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company's (NMWMC) investment philosophy and leads the company's strategy for its individual investment clients. As an industry thought leader, he communicates the company's investment viewpoints through regular interviews with national media outlets. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, he served as senior investment strategist and portfolio manager at BMO Global Asset Management in Chicago. In this role, Brent provided global tactical asset allocation research and recommended top-down portfolio strategies. He managed the firm's multi-asset income fund, diversified income strategy, strategic fund portfolios and Canadian tactical funds while also serving as a media spokesperson. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA with high honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Brent is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society.
Bonnie L. Tomczak, CPA
Vice President, Wealth and CEO & President, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company (WMC)
Bonnie leads the retail investment product organizations and serves as president of Mason Street Advisors. Current responsibilities include product design and delivery for brokerage products, advisory programs, qualified plans, fee-based planning, and the Northwestern Mutual Series Fund. She has nearly 20 years of investment experience at Northwestern Mutual, helping to develop and launch many of our current programs. In 2015, she temporarily stepped out of the investment area to spend six months embedded in the Baltimore network office, gaining valuable exposure to the day-to-day experiences of the field force. Her team is responsible for the investment programs that support $260 billion in assets and 1.6 million client accounts. Prior to Northwestern Mutual, Bonnie held various positions at Strong Capital Management and Arthur Andersen. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in accounting.Private Client Services Team
David Andrzewski
Senior Director/Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
David has 18 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, he served as an assistant director managing investment compliance at Mason Street Advisors. He was primarily responsible for the oversight of derivative instruments and overall counterparty risk management for sub-advised mutual fund portfolios. David holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Daniel J. Adams
Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Dan has over 25 years of investment industry experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company in 2005, Dan served as portfolio strategist for Midwest Professional Planners, where he oversaw the asset allocation and investment selection strategies for non-discretionary client assets. He then served as financial planning manager for Robert W. Baird & Co., where he advised the field force on financial planning strategies. Dan holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.
Douglas H. Peck*, CFA®
Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Doug has more than 25 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Doug was a senior equity analyst and worked on multiple portfolios for Northwestern Mutual's General Account. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Doug held portfolio management roles at Arcataur Capital Management and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. At the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Doug was a portfolio manager of a large cap equity fund, managing more than $1 billion in assets. Doug holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Maclovia Vega, CFA®
Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Maclovio has over 20 years of investment experience, including eight years focused on fixed income in both the taxable and tax-exempt sectors. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Maclovio co-managed both taxable and tax-exempt fixed income assets for Campbell Newman Asset Management. He was also a portfolio manager at Cleary Gull, Inc., where he was responsible for the fixed income portion of client separately managed accounts. Maclovio holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Marquette University.
Stefanie Cheske
Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Stef has over eight years of financial services experience. She manages an investment book of business, provides portfolio management support and analysis to the Private Client Services portfolio managers and works with the field on front-end PCS case consultations. Prior to her current role, she interned with both the NM General Account (formerly Mason Street Advisors) and Private Client Services. Upon her completion of the Applied Investment Management (AIM) Program, Stef earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Marquette University.
Matt Sobocinski, CFA®
Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Matt has over nine years of investment experience. He joined Northwestern Mutual in 2018 and is responsible for the management, analysis, and review of client portfolios. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Matt held the position of senior research associate at Capital Market Consultants, where he focused on investment research and managing client portfolios. He also spent three years at BMO Global Asset Management as a product management analyst. Matt is a member of the CFA Society of Milwaukee and the CFA Institute. He holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and was part of UWM's Investment Management Certificate Program (IMCP).
Aaron Thill
Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Aaron has over 12 years of investment and financial services experience. In addition to managing an investment book of business, he is responsible for supporting advisors by analyzing investment portfolios and supports the portfolio management team with investment analysis and portfolio management. Aaron holds a bachelor's degree in economics and a minor in finance from the University of Minnesota - Duluth, and is currently a CFA Level II candidate.
Daniel Baumgart
Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Daniel has over 10 years of investment and financial services experience. He supports the PCS team with portfolio management, analysis and trading of client portfolios. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Daniel worked as an Equity Trader on the Managed Account team at Allspring Global Investments, focusing on the tax management and trading of client portfolio's. Daniel holds a bachelor's degree in business from Concordia University - Wisconsin.
Nicholas Creech
Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Nick has over five years of investment industry experience. He is responsible for PCS case consultations and supports the investment team with the management, analysis, and trading of client portfolios. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, he worked as an investment risk and operations intern which then lead to a specialist role within Northwestern Mutual Managed Investment business while completing his degree. Within this role he was focusing on the execution of private placement transactions. Primarily in fixed income, limited partnerships, private bank loans and foreign swap deals for Mason Street Advisors and NM Capital. Nick holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and is currently a CFA Level II candidate.
Zach Freudenberg
Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Zach has five years of direct work within the investment industry. He manages an investment book of business, provides portfolio management support and analysis to the Private Client Services portfolio managers and works with the field on front-end PCS case consultations. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company in 2021, Zach worked with two top twenty Financial Advisors at Northwestern Mutual. Zach holds bachelor degrees in Finance and Economics from St. Ambrose University.
Marisol Garcia
Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Marisol has over 13 years of investment experience. She is responsible for PCS case consultations and supports the investment team with portfolio management and analysis. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Marisol was a private wealth analyst at BMO Private Bank, where she provided investment management and sales support to portfolio managers and private wealth advisors. Marisol holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA in economics/finance from DePaul University.
Jarodd White
Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Jarodd has over eight years of financial services experience. He manages an investment book of business, provides portfolio management support and analysis to the Private Client Services portfolio managers, and works with the field on front-end PCS case consultations. Prior to his current role, he managed an equity and fixed income trading platform and before that assisted in the investment management and financial planning of a $3 billion book of business. Jarodd earned his bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and was an active member of UWM's Investment Club.
Karissa Zanoni
Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Karissa joined Northwestern Mutual in 2019 and has eight years of investment industry experience. She is responsible for managing an investment book of business, providing PCS case consultations, and conducting ongoing portfolio analysis. Her previous roles included working at US Bank in Alternative Investments and Riverwater Partners LLC in Equity Research. Karissa holds a bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was also part of UWM's Investment Management Certificate Program and is currently a CFA Level III candidate.
Erjola Borici
Portfolio Management Specialist, Private Client Services
Erjola has more than five years of financial services experience. She started her career in Financial Planning Services in 2016 at Northwestern Mutual where Erjola was responsible for completing various sales kits such as Client Reviews, Advisory, Brokerage, Morningstar, Variable Annuities, along with PX plans. As of 2021, she also functioned as a primary contact in User Support Services regarding investment/PX planning requests and technology adoption in FPS. In her current role she is responsible for building security analyses, preparing client portfolio review materials and analyzing investment proposals for Prospective PCS clients. Erjola holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and will be resuming her Masters at Concordia in the spring.
Amy Xu
Portfolio Management Specialist, Private Client Services
Amy joined PCS in 2024, bringing over 5 years of experiences in the financial service industry. She began her career at UBS Wealth Management in New York, providing analytical and operational support to advisors and clients. Subsequently, Amy transitioned to Financial Planning Services at Northwestern Mutual, where she advanced to a team lead position. In this role, she managed a team of 5, overseeing 38 network offices focusing on delivering financial plans to the Central and East regions. Driven by her passion for the market, Amy returned to Wealth Management in PCS where she provides analytical, operational, and trading support to portfolio managers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and a Master’s degree in Finance from Fordham University.Fixed Income Team
Michael Helmuth*
Chief Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Mike has over 20 years of fixed income investment experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Mike held roles at Deutsche Bank in Chicago, Stone and Youngberg and Stark Investments. While at Deutsche Bank, Mike was director of propriety trading, U.S. rates, and was responsible for managing a $9 billion fixed income arbitrage book. At Stone and Youngberg, Mike was vice president of Institutional Fixed Income. At Stark Investments, Mike was a fixed income portfolio manager, where he was responsible for managing a $2.5 billion fixed income arbitrage portfolio. Mike holds a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point and an MBA from Marquette University.
Craig Kasap, CFA®, CPWA®
Senior Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Craig has more than 25 years of fixed income experience, primarily managing institutional portfolios. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Craig worked at several firms, including Eaton Vance Management, Keystone Investments, BlackRock and Duration Capital. At BlackRock, he was responsible for managing tax-exempt municipal portfolios totaling $3 billion in assets and $1 billion in taxable municipals within the firm's core portfolio. He was also a member of the investment strategy group that developed the firm's overall fixed income strategy. At Duration Capital, Craig worked on a team that was responsible for managing a hedge fund focused on municipal bond arbitrage with assets exceeding $3 billion. Craig holds a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Nichols College.
Jenna Koenings
Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Jenna has over 10 years of financial services experience. Currently, she manages the short-duration internal fixed income assets. She also works with advisors and their clients explaining NMWMC's methodology of tax-exempt and taxable bond management. Previously, she was an associate portfolio manager on the Private Client Services Portfolio Management team covering advisors in the Western Region with front-end consultation, trading, and portfolio analysis. Jenna holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
MacKenzie Schill
Portfolio Management Specialist, Fixed Income
MacKenzie joined Northwestern Mutual in 2022 as an investment specialist on the Investment Consultant Team providing consultation and insight on model performance. She also helped develop and expand the investment training series to over 2,000 advisors. In her current role, she is involved in the management of fixed income in all client portfolios through analysis, trading, and reporting. MacKenzie holds a bachelor's degree in finance and marketing and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During her time at UWM, she was a member of the women's soccer team.Large Cap Equity Team
Matthew P. Stucky*, CFA®
Vice President - Chief Portfolio Manager, Equities
Matt has 12 years of asset management experience. Matt began his investment career with the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company as an investment research analyst and now serves as the leader of the company's large cap equity strategies. Matt regularly shares NMWMC's investment philosophy and current viewpoints with national media outlets. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Valparaiso University and a master's degree in finance from Vanderbilt University.
Jeffery S. Nelson, CFA®
Senior Director/Senior Portfolio Manager, Equities
Jeff has more than 20 years of investment management experience. Jeff joined Northwestern Mutual in 2006 as an equity analyst for Mason Street Advisors and worked on multiple portfolios including the Northwestern Mutual General Account. Jeff joined the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company at the beginning of 2017 in his current portfolio management role. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Jeff was an equity analyst for six years at Northern Capital Management. Jeff holds a bachelor's degree in finance, and banking from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He was also a member of the Applied Securities Analysis Program (ASAP) at the university while earning his master's degree in finance.
Jack Gorski
Portfolio Manager, Equities
Jack joined Northwestern Mutual in 2016 as an analyst for the Quantitative Risk Management Department while completing his degree at Marquette University. While at Marquette, he was a member of the Applied Investment Management Program and managed a portion of the university's endowment fund under an international equity fund and small cap fund. After earning his bachelor's degree in finance, he joined the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company as a research analyst before becoming a portfolio manager in 2020. Jack is a CFA charter holder and a recipient of the CFA Certification in ESG Investing.
Shayla Martin
Associate Portfolio Manager, Equities
Shayla has over 12 years of financial services experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, she worked at Artisan Partners supporting multiple credit strategies and performance reporting. Shayla also spent some time at NIMCo working in the middle office supporting the general account and at Bloomberg LP in New York City in their sales and analytics program. Shayla holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.NMWMC Research Team
Garrett D. Aird, CFA®
Vice President - NMWMC Investment and Management & Research Vice President - Mason Street Advisors
Garrett has 23 years of investment experience and has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2002. Garrett and his team are responsible for conducting research and due diligence on investment products, including fund selection and portfolio construction for Signature Portfolios and Private Client Services. His team contributes to overall investment strategy, maintains the recommended lists for all investment programs, and ensures Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company's investment process is aligned and implemented across Northwestern Mutual's investment programs. Garrett is also chair of the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Investment Committee.
In addition, Garrett is portfolio manager for the asset allocation and balanced portfolios within NM's variable annuity and variable life products, and he is part of the team responsible for sub-advisor oversight and manager selection for Mason Street Advisors. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company in 2007, Garrett worked in product development and competitive research for Northwestern Mutual's annuity products. He began his career with Strong Investments working with retail brokerage and fee-based advisory clients. Garrett holds a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Dan Amiri, CFA®, CAIA
Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Dan joined Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company's Research team in November 2021 as a Senior Research Analyst specializing in alternatives. He is responsible for sourcing new alternatives managers across private markets and hedge funds. He also assists in ongoing fund monitoring, education, and portfolio construction. Daniel has spent his entire career working in non-traditional asset management. At Salient Partners, he covered timberland, midstream energy, real estate, and quantitative strategies. After Salient, he performed hedge fund manager due diligence at Mercer. Daniel graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Theology and Classics. Daniel is a CFA charter holder and a member of the CFA Society St. Louis.
Nicolas J. Brown*, CRA®, CAIA®
Senior Research & Portfolio Analyst, NMWMC Research
Nic has 11 years of investment experience. In his current role, Nic is part of the team responsible for due diligence and research on mutual funds and exchange-traded funds used in client portfolios. Before joining Northwestern Mutual, Nic served as senior vice president - investments at Jacobus Wealth Management, where he focused on investment research and portfolio management. Nic holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and is a member of the Beta Gamma Signa International Honor Society.
Richard G. Iwanski*, CFA®, CAIA®
Senior Research & Portfolio Analyst, NMWMC Research
Rick has more than 20 years of investment experience. Rick focuses on a broad range of research areas, including bottom-up manager research, model portfolio attribution, capital market assumptions and illiquid alternative investments. Before joining Northwestern Mutual, he led a short-lived consulting firm focused on liquid alternative mutual funds. For the majority of his career, Rick served as the chief investment officer at a Registered Investment Advisor. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior investment analyst and vice president at Robert W. Baird. Rick is a member of the CFA Society of Milwaukee and the CFA Institute. Rick holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Jim Murray, CFA®
Research Manager
Jim has more than 20 years of professional investment experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Jim was a senior investments and portfolio risk management analyst with Wells Fargo Asset Management. A key responsibility in this role was synthesizing financial statement analysis and quantitative analysis with investment process, macroeconomic and idiosyncratic developments to accurately and concisely communicate key risks and drivers of portfolio performances to the Well Fargo Funds Board of Trustees, senior management, Enterprise Risk, and other stakeholders. Jim holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign and earned the right to use the CFA designation.
Michael A. DiCastri, CMFC, ChFC®
Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Mike has more than 20 years of investment experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Mike was an equity and quantitative analyst with Johnson Asset Management. In this role, he was responsible for equity sector analysis in the retail, consumer staples, real estate investment trust and building areas. Mike was also a senior trust operations officer with Johnson Trust Company and a mutual fund trader with Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company. Mike holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Trevor Langmeier, CFA®
Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Trevor joined Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company’s Research team in May 2024 as a senior research analyst specializing in Fixed Income. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Trevor worked at Avantax Wealth Management, where he focused on manager research and due diligence, as well as home-office model portfolio construction. Trevor has 8 years of industry experience and graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Platteville with a degree in Finance. He is a CFA® charter holder and a member of the CFA Society of Madison.
Ace Rodgers, CFA®
Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Ace has over 10 years of investment experience. They previously served as an investment products analyst with Northwestern Mutual Investment Services before joining the investment research team. Prior to that, they held several roles while living in Chicago, IL, including investment product manager at Morningstar Inc. and portfolio management analyst at Milliman Financial Risk Management, LLC. Ace holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and has earned the right to use the CFA® designation.
Peter J. Sauer, CFA®
Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Peter has over 15 years of investment experience. He previously served as an intern with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company before joining the investment research team. Prior to that, he was an assistant to a Northwestern Mutual financial representative in Milwaukee. Peter holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Saint Louis University and has earned the right to use the CFA® designation. He has also received a certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Institute.
Tony Desrochers, CFA®
Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Tony has over seven years of investment experience. Prior to joining the Wealth Management Company, Tony was a Trading Representative with Northwestern Mutual Investment Services where he helped trade and implement model changes for the Signature Portfolio product. Previously, Tony worked at Wells Fargo Asset Management where he explained mutual fund products to retail clients, and as a Research Intern at Netols Asset Management. Tony studied at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he earned a bachelor's in finance and management along with a minor in economics. Tony has earned the CFA® designation and currently sits on the board of the Milwaukee CFA Society.NMWMC Investment Consultant Team
Matthew D. Wilbur*
Senior Director, Advisory Investments
Matt has over 20 years of financial services experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company in 2011, Matt was part of the personal investment markets team within Wealth & Investment Management, where he was responsible for product development, training and communications for the investment advisory and brokerage product lines. He began his career at Strong Investments as an investment consultant with a focus on retail brokerage and fee-based investment advisory programs. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
David R. Humphreys*, CFA®, RICP®
Assistant Director - Advisory Investments
David has almost 20 years of financial services and investment management experience. He is currently an assistant director - advisory investments with NMWMC and served as a senior investment consultant on the team since 2015. Before joining Northwestern Mutual, David was co-portfolio manager and trader at 1492 Capital Management, LLC, and before that he was a derivatives analyst at Stark Investments, constructing volatility trading strategies. David holds a bachelor's degree in finance and an MBA both from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Jerome (Jerry) S. Cesarz, CFA®, CLU®, ChFC®
Senior Investment Consultant
Jerry has over 25 years of financial services experience. Before joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, Jerry was a trading services consultant with Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, where he oversaw the day-to-day operation of the desk and provided guidance on general securities products. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Jerry was a stockbroker with Scottrade. He began his career as an investment representative with Scudder Kemper Investments. Jerry holds a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater and an MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management.
Brian Derenne, CAIA
Senior Investment Consultant
Brian has over 25 years of financial services experience. Before joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, he was a senior director with Northwestern Mutual Enterprise Compliance. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Brian was a market maker at the Chicago Board Options Exchange and owner of Six Prime Investments, LLC, an electronic options market making firm. He also previously worked for both Robert W. Baird & Co. and A.G. Edwards & Sons in retail brokerage positions. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater
Naveen Dharmalingam, CFA®, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Senior Investment Consultant
Naveen has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He spent the first 8 years of his career in the Columbus, OH field office serving as both a Financial Advisor and Associate Wealth Management Advisor. He joined the Home Office in 2018 and started on the Financial Planning and Consulting team. Since then, he served as a High Net Worth Planning Analyst on the Sophisticated Planning Strategies team before joining the Investment Consultant Team. He holds two bachelors’ degrees, one in Mathematics and the other in Economics from Ohio State University. Naveen has CFA® and CFP® certifications in addition to holding other designations and licenses.
John A. Mlekoday, CFP®
Senior Investment Consultant
John has over 25 years of financial services experience. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, John was an investment representative and financial planner for the INVEST Financial Group. John holds a master's degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin. He also holds bachelor's degrees in business and computer science and in management systems from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
Christopher Moser
Senior Investment Consultant
Chris joined Northwestern Mutual in 2016 as a Financial Planning Business Consultant, where he was responsible for customizing financial plans, identifying, and developing financial planning strategies, investment portfolio analysis, and annual review market commentary. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Chris was a Strategy Consultant and Solution Engineer with Advicent Solutions, the creators of NaviPlan (PPA), where he consulted with executive leadership within large financial institutions to identify ways that NaviPlan could solve complex business issues for each firm's advisors. Chris also spent seven years with Robert W. Baird & Co. His practice placed financial planning and investment management to deliver a holistic experience for his clients. He has a strong background in executive compensation including incentive and non-qualified stock options, restricted stock, and deferred compensation
Christopher P. Rykwalder, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®
Senior Investment Consultant
Chris has over 23 years of financial services experience. He joined Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company in 2006 as a senior trading specialist with the advisory services team. Prior to this, Chris was a corporate and executive stock specialist with Robert W. Baird & Co., focusing on insider and restricted stock transactions. He began his career with Strong Investments, working as a retail brokerage trader and then on the company's institutional cash team. Chris holds a bachelor's degree in finance with an economics emphasis from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater.