Personal

I try to keep up with fitness today by lifting, cycling and boxing. In former times, I competed in marathons and triathlons in both the US and Europe. Back in the day, I played 1AA varsity football in college. A stint with the USMC provided an important foundation of perseverance and dedication. I coached my sons' grade school football and soccer teams, was a Cub Scout Pack leader, and organized numerous school field trips. Jill and I have three sons and live in Evanston, IL.

Professional

I have more than 30 years of professional services experience serving major corporate clients in North America and Europe.  Work experience has ranged from Wall Street, where I spent five years in fixed income institutional securities sales for Salomon Brothers, Inc in New York -- to risk management advisory, insurance brokerage and post merger integration management for Aon Group in London, Düsseldorf and Chicago -- to business strategy and technology solutions advisory consulting with Diamond Technology Partners.  Each experience has prepared me for success as a financial advisor to valued clients.

I hold a Master of Management degree in finance and marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master of Science in Financial Services from The American College of Financial Services. I received a BA in Economics from The College of the Holy Cross and studied at the London School of Economics.  I am an avid student of economic theory and public policy making practice.

I joined Northwestern Mutual with the goal of sharing experiences and having a positive impact on others, helping people become financially secure. With a thoughtful plan, even in a very complex financial and legal world, many people can achieve the goals of financial security for themselves and their families.

Having a coach and advisor to help manage risks and have a disciplined framework can be a true aid to even the most financially successful of people. “Serving others by guiding them to financial security is a worthy life mission and one that drives me to do my best for people every day.”

 

Awards and Recognition

  • Million Dollar Round Table Qualifying Member 2014-2022
    • MDRT is the premier association of financial professionals. MDRT status designation is granted for one year and members must apply every year to continue their affiliation with the MDRT

 
National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Quality Award 2014-2016
Award recognizing commitment to excellence in service to clients and industry

Media

Mr. O'Connor was featured on Comcast Newsmakers in the Fall of 2015 for his work with the Big Shoulders Fund, and in the Spring of 2016 for his work with mentoring and with PEAK.


Awards

In 2017, Northwestern Mutual recognized Fred with their Most Exceptional Volunteer Community Service Award for the Central Region for his work with the Big Shoulders Fund and with The Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids (PEAK).  These causes support 20,000 inner city kids, providing scholarships and aid.

In 2016, The Illinois Mentoring Partnership held the first statewide recognition event to honor National Mentoring Month and individuals who are making a difference.  The breakfast “Honoring the Champions of Youth Mentoring” recognized Fred O’Connor with the inaugural IMPACT Award.  Fred mentors through PEAK, Partnership to Educate and Advance Kids, an organization that works with the Big Shoulders Fund to help keep inner city Catholic education successful. 

In 2015, Have Dreams recognized Fred with their inauguralAmbassador Fellow award for efforts to support the mission of Have Dreams in the community, providing assistance to families impacted by autism, building bridges to educational opportunities at Northwestern University, and working with major Chicago employers on work-force inclusion initiatives.

Here are my areas of expertise

Our goal is to help people make better decisions with their money, and communicate their wishes to their family and friends according to their goals.

Financial Planning

Insurance Protection Strategies

Life Insurance Strategies

Retirement Planning & Income Strategies

Education Planning & Funding

Disability Planning

Multigenerational Planning

Estate Planning

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.

Downtown Milwaukee, WI Skyline