Meet Our Dedicated Sophisticated Planning Strategies Team

Areas of focus:

Advanced estate planning, business succession, blended families, charitable giving

Experience:

Carolyn has over 20 years of experience as an advanced planning attorney. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, she served as General Counsel of a single-family office in Dallas and was a senior trust officer overseeing JPMorgan Private Bank’s ultra-high accounts and private foundations. Earlier in her career, Carolyn practiced family law before transitioning to the financial services industry at New York Life, where she spent eight years developing estate and business plans for clients of the company’s top-producing financial advisors. Carolyn attended Boston University and the University of Texas at Dallas, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. She holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of Texas.

Areas of focus:

Estate, trust, and wealth transfer planning, planning for closely held business owners including business succession planning, selective employee benefits planning, distribution planning for IRAs and qualified retirement plan interests, charitable planning, income tax and wealth transfer tax planning

Experience:

Eva has over 28 years of experience as an attorney in the financial services and wealth management industry. She holds a Master of Letters and Laws (LL.M.) in Taxation from Villanova University School of Law, a Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in economics and finance from the University of Scranton.

Areas of focus:

Estate planning, business succession, charitable giving, and asset protection

Experience:

Anh has over 14 years of experience in developing tax-efficient personal estate and business plans focused on advanced planning techniques for high-net-worth clients and business owners. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Anh served as a wealth strategist for Charles Schwab and corporate vice president at the Nautilus Group, where she supported the companies’ premier financial advisors. Anh is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and has a Texas insurance and Series 6 securities license. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

Areas of focus:

Business planning and valuation, estate planning, financial planning

Experience:

Stefanie has over 23 years of experience in estate and business planning and specializes in developing and modeling tax-efficient personal estate and business plans for high-net-worth and ultra-highnet-worth individuals, families, and business owners. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and has her CPA license and Series 7.

Areas of focus:

Income tax planning, gift, and estate tax planning

Experience:

Matt has over 15 years of experience in tax compliance and tax consulting services, primarily as a CPA in public practice. Matt provides tax planning to diverse clients, including high net worth executives and business owners. He is leading the SPS team’s initiative to expand the breadth and precision of its income tax planning service offerings. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse.

Areas of focus:

High Net Worth individual tax, Individual Multi-State tax, Retirement Asset allocation, Expatriate tax

Experience:

Jim has over 28 years of experience in individual taxation and specializes in high net worth individuals and expatriate/foreign national tax. Before joining the Northwestern Mutual team he spent most of his career working with a Big Four accounting firm. Using his years of tax compliance and consulting experience, he is able to provide in-depth tax planning ideas. He holds a bachelors’ degree in accounting from Northwood University.

Areas of focus:

Estate and wealth transfer planning

Experience:

Rick has 25 years of experience in estate, insurance, and financial planning. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, Rick was a senior estate planner at Baird, where he worked with advisors and clients to review and develop their estate plans and with advisors on how to integrate estate planning into their practices. Previously, Rick has worked as a corporate vice president of case development at the Nautilus Group, in Genworth's advanced sales department, and as a financial planning consultant and advanced case design specialist at Raymond James. He has a bachelor's degree in politics from the University of Miami and a law degree from Florida State.

Areas of focus:

Insurance planning, business planning, premium finance

Experience:

Dan has over 12 years of experience in financial services having spent time with Northwestern Mutual and Morgan Stanley during his career. He has a deep knowledge of insurance products and insurance planning in the high-net worth and business markets. Dan helps both advisors and clients understand how products work and how they can be designed to fit client’s planning objectives. Additionally, he provides analysis demonstrating how insurance can be used in more complex strategies and advanced case designs. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Areas of focus:

Financial planning and investment management

Experience:

Tina has nearly 15 years of experience in financial services. Tina started her career with Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative, then transitioned to Director of Investment Operations & Services. Tina holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and history from the University of Michigan, and a master’s degree in international relations from Schiller International University in London, England.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

Areas of focus:

Client specific financial planning, financial modeling, estate tax modeling, and visual basic programming

Experience:

Tyler has over 6 years of experience in financial planning and financial modeling. He specializes in Excel modeling and creating tools for the Sophisticated Planning Strategies team while also building wealth plans for high-net-worth clients. Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Carthage College, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a Chartered Financial Consultant®.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete the organization’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.

Areas of focus:

Estate planning, business planning, asset protection and charitable giving

Experience:

LaToya has over nine years of experience in estate planning, business planning, financial services, and legal tech. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, LaToya served as VP of Legal for a legal tech company that sells estate planning products, and she was a trust advisor of high and ultra-high accounts at Northern Trust. Formerly, LaToya practiced at a local law firm, specializing in estate and business law and served as a wealth strategist analyst for Bank of America Private Bank. LaToya holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Michigan State University, a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan University.