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Meeting With a Financial Advisor? – What to Bring and Questions to Ask
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Get the most from your first advisor meeting.
Talking about finances might not come naturally, and even if it does, your Northwestern Mutual financial advisor will keep the conversation judgment-free and easy to understand. No matter what your situation is, or where you're starting from, your advisor is here to show you the right financial steps to take.
Be meeting ready. Here's what to do.
Give some thought to your goals.
Our version of financial planning focuses on where you want to be—now and years from now. Use the following time frames to plot out when you want to do what. If you don't have the answers, that's ok. Your advisor will help you figure it out.
- Immediate goals (6 – 12 months): think about paying off debts or starting an emergency fund
- Short-term goals (1 – 3 years): think about paying off student loans or getting insurance to protect your family
- Mid-term goals (4 – 9 years): think about buying a home or car
- Long-term goals (10+ years): think about saving for kids' education, retiring, or renovations
Have your financial basics handy.
Your advisor will want to know where you're starting from, so they can help make the most of what you have moving forward. If you don't have everything, no worries. You can share later. Here's what to focus on:
- Your current budget (Don't have one? Use our worksheet)
- Any life or disability insurance you currently have
- Any retirement or investment accounts you already have
Get your questions answered
Our financial advisors know what risks to watch out for, so they can build a plan to help grow your wealth and protect it.
What comes after your first meeting? Our recommendations.
Once your priorities are understood, your advisor will create a plan (at no cost to you1) tailored from a range of financial options designed to give you the flexibility and confidence to reach your goals now, and down the road. Here's what you can expect along the way:
- Answers to questions you have, and ones you maybe never knew you had
- Help seeing any financial blind spots and ways to account for them
- A financial partner who sees where you are now and where you want to go
Reach your new level of financial confidence: see how our approach to planning can help.
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The Northwestern Mutual difference
We're a mutual company. That means we report to our clients—not Wall Street. Instead of having to worry about short-term gains, we take a long-term approach both in the way we help people plan, and in the way we do business. And by doing what's right for our clients for over 165 years, we've become one of the biggest and best in the industry.
5.0M+ clients at Northwestern Mutual
The number of people we're proud to call clients, and who put their trust in us.
Top 5 ranked investment service
We're one of the top U.S. Independent Investment Broker-Dealers.2
A++ financial strength rating
AAA, Aaa, and AA+—we've earned the highest financial strength ratings awarded to life insurers from all four major rating agencies.3