Personal
Growing up on the Southwest side of Chicago, Chuck’s father was a police officer for 31 years and always worked a second job so his mother could stay home with the kids. Chuck and his brother went to Catholic Grammar School and High School, where many parents were police officers and firefighters. Chuck’s parents and their community instilled values of relentless work ethic, patience and service, which still drive Chuck today, both at home and in the office.
Chuck and his wife, Jen, a Special Education Teacher for Chicago Public Schools, were married in 2003 and have three beautiful children (Mia, Toni and Charlie). They’ve resided in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood since 2005 and love living in a neighborhood that is similar to how Chuck and Jen were raised - a close community, comprised mainly of city employees with large families and dual incomes, raising their children under similar values and beliefs that make their community what it is.
Outside of the office, Chuck spends his time as an active member of several organizations in his community. Chuck has been a member of the Old Neighborhood Italian American Club for over twenty years and is also an active member of the Mother McAuley Father’s Club (Where Mia & Toni attend) and the Holy Name Society at St. John Fisher, the parish he and his family call home. For fun, Chuck is always cheering on his kids and their athletic activities and he is also a member of the Chicago Golf Tour and the St. John Fisher Men’s golf league.
Chuck is most active, however, at St. Rita High School, an all-boys Catholic High School on Chicago’s South Side, where he and his brother graduated. As a former board member of 9 years and current member of the Foundations Board, Chuck values the impact he can have by leveraging his expertise to help manage the school’s endowment to ensure the school’s bright future. In February 2017, Chuck and Jen were named Couple of the Year, an honor they accepted with great gratitude and full hearts.
Professional
Chuck began his professional career in several different sales and management roles with Coca-Cola & Ricoh. With a deep desire to own his business, impact his community and provide for his family, he decided to launch his financial planning practice in 2011.
In 2022, Chuck received his CLU® designation. The CLU® is the premier designation for insurance professionals. Launched in 1927, the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) is the insurance profession's oldest standard of excellence.
Aside from financial planning expertise or technical knowledge, Chuck believes where his team adds significant value is providing hindsight. Based on his personal experience as a sales executive, a son and husband of city employees, a father, and a business owner, he understands deeply what it feels like to be in his clients’ shoes.
With a deep focus on loyalty and authenticity, Chuck and his team have chosen to focus on the communities in which they live and work, serving primarily high-performing sales executives & consultants and city employees.
Areas of Expertise
Financial Planning
Insurance Protection Strategies
Life Insurance Strategies
Retirement Planning & Income Strategies
Education Planning & Funding
Disability Planning
Multigenerational Planning
Estate Planning
Who We Serve
Law Enforcement & Firefighters
Above all, Chuck has a deep respect and appreciation for the service & commitment to their city that police officers and firefighters embody for their community. Chuck and his team have committed to serve this community exceptionally well. With a deep understanding of benefits provided and the typical career track, Chuck helps his clients understand the nuances of their government contracts and retirement plans, ensuring that they take appropriate action to accomplish their goals.
Sales Executives & Consultants
With fluctuating incomes and an often unpredictable economy, Chuck understands the challenge that the word “planning” can present. Building flexibility in your financial plan is important, but a commitment to action and an advisor that understands the contractual complexities of sales & consulting executives is just as necessary.
Young Families
As your family grows, there are new adventures and challenges along the way. More mouths to feed and an increasingly busy schedule, it helps to have a rock-solid financial plan. We understand your situation personally and can help you put your family on the right path, streamlining what can feel like a long process and deeply understanding your unique vision for the future.
City Employees & Union Laborers
It is easy to think that because the city or your union has already taken care of so much for us, that our benefits and retirement are sufficient as well. When we have the opportunity to understand what our clients care about most, we find quickly that this is not the case. If you are a city employee or union laborer, you need an advisor that is familiar with your situation, can relate to your family and can help you achieve your vision for the future.
Years of Experience
Representing Northwestern Mutual since 2011.
Education
University of Phoenix - Business Management (Bachelor of Science)
St. Rita of Cascia H.S. (High School)
Community Involvement
As part of Northwestern Mutual, I'm proud to help accelerate the search for better childhood cancer treatments while supporting families undergoing treatment, and survivors from late effects. Here are some of the organizations we partner with:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
ALSF funds cancer research, raises awareness, and supports the families of children with cancer. Since 2012, Northwestern Mutual, its employees, and financial professionals like me have donated more than $20 million to support ALSF and fund over 400,000 research hours.
Beads of Courage
Beads of Courage is an art-in-medicine program that helps kids with cancer tell their unique treatment story through colorful beads that are symbols of their courage.
St. Rita Valentine Dinner Dance
I am a proud graduate of St. Rita High School. I'm a former chairman and current committee member of St. Rita’s Valentine Dinner Dance; an event that has raised over $2 million for St. Rita in the 7 years that I've been involved.
100 Club of Illinois
The 100 Club of Illinois is a non-profit organization that provides support to the families of first responders killed in the line of duty, and supports active-duty first responders throughout Illinois. They provide resources, financial support, access to training, and moral support. Their goal is to help these families navigate after the loss of a loved one, and to support the needs of active-duty first responders in any way they can. I am proud to be able to work with the 100 Club, and to work with those who risk so much to keep us safe.
How Northwestern Mutual helps you live the life you want.
When people feel better about their money, good things happen—they become more confident and feel more secure. For more than 160 years, Northwestern Mutual has helped people achieve the financial flexibility they need to live more and worry less.
Being a mutual company means Northwestern Mutual reports to its clients, not Wall Street. They don't believe in chasing fads or taking undue risk for short-term gains. Instead, they take a long-term approach—both in the way we help people plan to reach their goals, and in the way they do business. This has served their clients (and mine) well through all kinds of economic ups and downs, including wars, recessions, even the recent pandemic.
It's why I'm happy to be part of a company that's in it for the long-haul and prioritizes clients over profit.
