Ryan M Walterhoefer

Ryan joined Northwestern Mutual as an intern in 2006 while attending UNC Chapel Hill. Raised by business owners who owned and operated a family business, his upbringing cultivated an entrepreneurial spirit, and he ultimately sought a career that would combine his financial acumen and his passion for helping people. He found that working directly with clients to build financial plans was the perfect fit and met his desire to be a business owner while giving him the opportunity to have even greater impact in his community. After graduation, Ryan transitioned into a full-time financial advisor and began building his practice based upon the principal of freeing his clients from financial anxiety. 

Eventually, Ryan discovered that his passion for service extended beyond his role with his clients, and in 2015, he was appointed Managing Director of the NM Ellicott City office. As the office leader, Ryan mentors and develops the next generation of financial professionals and additionally has built a team that specializes in talent acquisition, coaching, and educating. As MD, Ryan oversees the management of over $500 million in client assets in his district.

In 2024, Ryan established Blue Sky Financial, the next evolution of his practice. The creation of Blue Sky Financial is the culmination of years of lessons learned through professional development, service to clients, and investing in a talented team that can deliver expertise and quality service.

Ryan is a perennial “Best-In-State” Financial Professional as named by Forbes; an award earned through a rigorous vetting process including evaluation of industry experience, compliance records, revenue produced, and assets under management.

He is married to Candace, and they have two children and reside on the Severn River. Outside of the office they enjoy spending time out on the water. Ryan is a lifelong Tar Heels fan and an avid skier who loves traveling to the world’s best ski resorts any chance he can. 

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:

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.