Mission Statement

To help people kill procrastination and live in their visions. 

Planning for Financial Security with Northwestern Mutual

I believe the starting point of any financial conversation should be with you—your life, your family, your priorities, and your goals. I'll listen to what's important to you and design a financial plan from multiple strategies specifically designed to help get you where you want to be.

Create a Budget in 5 Simple Steps

Do you ever get to the end of the month and think: “Where did all my money go?” You’re not alone!

Creating and following a budget is a great way to get a handle on how much money is coming in and going out each month. Here’s how you can do it in five simple steps.

  • Step 1: Figure out what you take home each month (after taxes).
  • Step 2: Subtract the amount you’re putting toward saving and investing.
  • Step 3: Figure out and then subtract your essential, or “must-have,” expenses—things like your rent or mortgage, utilities, food and even a car or student loan payment.
  • Step 4: Subtract how much you spend monthly on discretionary, or “nice to have,” expenses, like entertainment, clothes, going out and traveling.
    • Not sure how much you’re spending? Track these expenses for at least three months to get a clearer picture.
  • Step 5: Now compare what you’re spending to where you should be.

A good rule of thumb to follow is 20/60/20. At least 20 percent of your income should be put toward saving and investing. At most, 60 percent should be spent on essential expenses. And finally, no more than 20 percent of your income should be spent on discretionary expenses.

So... are you saving enough? Are you spending more than you have? Do you need to find places to cut costs? Commit to a budget that allows you to save for the future, afford the things you need and still have money left for what you want.

Once you’ve finalized your budget, set it—but don’t forget it. Life happens. You get a raise, lose your job, get married or divorced or have kids. That’s why it’s important to track your expenses monthly and adjust your budget along the way, so you’ll be in a better place to reach your goals.

Need help getting started? Talk to a Northwestern Mutual financial advisor to help you live life differently.

Close up of woman in deli with two workers in background

The Living Benefits of Permanent Life Insurance

When you think about protecting the people you love, life insurance is one way to make sure they’re taken care of after you’re gone.

Both term and permanent life insurance provide benefits to your loved ones—to pay bills or take care of other financial obligations in the event of your death. But did you know permanent life insurance can also provide for you and your family while you’re living?

Here’s how. As you pay premiums, the policy builds equity—also known as cash value. This cash value, including any potential dividends, grows (tax deferred) and becomes a source of money you can access at any age for any reason.*

You can use this cash value to cover the costs of an unexpected emergency, pay for a child’s education, supplement your retirement income, make a down payment on a second home or maybe even use it as the seed money to start a new business or grow an existing one. After all, the great opportunities in life often take money to get off the ground.

So if an opportunity or a need arises, you can access the cash value of your permanent life insurance policy immediately. You can take a policy loan against the cash value, use the policy as collateral for a bank loan, take a portion of the cash value outright or take all the cash value and terminate the policy.

It’s a flexible financial asset you can use however you like... and can count on for life. That’s because the cash value of a permanent life insurance policy increases every year, guaranteed. It will never go down in value. It also offers conservative, steady growth that’s not subject to the ups and downs of the market.

But not all companies provide the same long-term value. So when considering permanent life insurance, be sure to work with a company that understands the important role it plays in your financial security... that has paid out dividends for more than 100 years... that has the highest financial strength ratings awarded to any insurer... and that will be there when you and your family need it most.

*Utilizing the cash values 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.

The Northwestern Mutual difference

No. 1

Best life insurance company for consumer experience, 2023. (NerdWallet)1

Top 5

We're one of the Top U.S. Independent Investment Broker-Dealers.2

$8.2B

In dividends expected to be paid in 2025.3

A++

AAA, Aaa, and AA+ - we've earned the highest financial strength ratings awarded to life insurers from all four major rating agencies.4

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