NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Executive Vice President - Chief Strategy Officer, President of Retail Investments and Head of Institutional Investments
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Management Specialist, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Investment Products, President, Mason Street Advisors
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
Brian LaValle is Co-founder and Wealth Management Advisor and the leading visionary at APEX Wealth Advisors through which he provides his clients world-class wealth management and asset protection strategies. Brian co-founded APEX with the vision of delivering financial expertise for multi-generations. Brian is renowned for his ability to simplify complex financial concepts, making it easy for his clients to understand the possibilities of their financial future.
Over two decades of experience in asset & portfolio management across multiple market cycles helps to set Brian apart from other financial experts. He uses this knowledge to drive investment recommendations and the strategic financial planning process, giving his clients the confidence needed to pursue their financial goals. His background in engineering allows him to think outside the box when tailoring portfolios to each client's unique needs. Brian is passionate about creating a vision with his clients, understanding their values, and helping them define their goals to achieve financial success.
Brian grew up in a rural Missouri town, where he learned the value of hard work, discipline, and loyalty within his small community. Brian attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he earned a degree in electrical engineering and then earned a Master of Business Administration with a Financial Emphasis at Saint Louis University. His desire to connect with people personally while exercising his leadership abilities and business acumen led him to Northwestern Mutual in 2003.
Brian holds the FINRA Series 6, 7, 26, 63, 66 registrations and is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and Chartered Life Underwriter®.
Job Titles:
- Board President of the Crohn
Christian earned his Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Business Management and a minor in Finance from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001. He also earned his Executive Masters in Business Administration from Washington Universities OLIN School of Business in 2010. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and fiduciary, and has obtained the following designations: Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, as well as Retirement Income Certified Professional.
Christian graduated with honors from Washington University and joined the Betta Gamma Sigma Honors Club. Christian spent 9 years in the health care industry with Abbott Laboratories where he was named the Presidents Club award winner in 2006 and was a recipient of the Presidents Award in 2008. Christian joined Northwestern Mutual in 2011 and has since ran a balanced practice utilizing insurance and investment solutions as appropriate to meet every client's unique goals. He currently serves as a mentor and Field Director for many of the younger advisors in the office. Christian enjoys this career because it allows him the ability to help clients make complex financial decisions seem simple and seamless.
Christian and his wife Erin have four children, Averyana, Chase, Estella, and Jacob. Christian also serves as the Board President of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation's local Mid-America Chapter and is an active member of St. Louis Family Church. They enjoy spending time with their kids and extended family, and giving back to the community is very important .
Job Titles:
- Member of the Fixed Income Team
Job Titles:
- Senior Research & Portfolio Analyst, NMWMC Research
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Private Client Services Team
- Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Private Client Services Team
- Senior Director / Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Private Client Services Team
- Senior Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Management Specialist, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Vice President - NMWMC Investment Management & Research, Vice President - Mason Street Advisors
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Equities
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Director / Senior Portfolio Manager, Equities
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Consultant Advisor Recruiting
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Katie joined Christian's team at Northwestern Mutual in 2017 as his Director of Operations. Her main focus is managing the day-to-day operations along with providing excellent client services. Prior to joining Christian's team, she worked as the Office Manager and a key part of the Sales Executive Team within the Northwestern Mutual- Chesterfield office.
Katie grew up in St. Louis where she attended Marquette High School. She holds her Bachelor's Degree in English from Truman State University. Katie is married to Joe and they have two children, Maddie and Adam.
Katie's favorite pastimes are watching her children play a variety of sports. You'll either find her at the rink watching her son play hockey and on the softball field cheering on her daughter. Katie does enjoy other outside interests such as baking, shopping and spending time with her extended family & friends.
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Consultant
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager Specialist, Fixed Income
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
After serving 4 years of active duty in the United States Army, Matt attended the University of St. Louis and completed his degree at Webster University. Having grown up in St. Louis, Matt has an appreciation of many of the wonderful things it has to offer. Matt spent 10 years of his early career helping multiple venues in the city of St. Louis successfully launch. It was in 2012 that Matt was introduced to and began a career with Northwestern Mutual.
Matthew Ryan Collier, Myron C Henley, Brian A LaValle, Meggen D Illingworth-Jolliff, Miranda Lea Meyer and Shane Thomas OBrien use APEX Wealth Advisors as a marketing name for doing business as representatives of Northwestern Mutual. APEX Wealth Advisors is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agency or federal savings bank. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (NM) (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Matthew Ryan Collier, Myron C Henley, Brian A LaValle, Meggen D Illingworth-Jolliff, Miranda Lea Meyer and Shane Thomas OBrien provide investment advisory services as Advisors of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC), Milwaukee, WI, a subsidiary of NM and federal savings bank. Matthew Ryan Collier, Myron C Henley, Brian A LaValle and Shane Thomas OBrien are Agents of Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, (long-term care insurance) a subsidiary of NM. Matthew Ryan Collier, Myron C Henley, Brian A LaValle, Meggen D Illingworth-Jolliff, Miranda Lea Meyer and Shane Thomas OBrien provide investment brokerage services as Registered Representatives of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS), a subsidiary of NM, registered investment adviser, broker-dealer and member FINRA (finra.org) and SIPC (sipc.org). Matthew Ryan Collier, Myron C Henley, Brian A LaValle, Meggen D Illingworth-Jolliff, Miranda Lea Meyer and Shane Thomas OBrien are Insurance Agents of NM.
Job Titles:
- Member of the NMWMC Investment Consultant Team
- Senior Director, Advisory Investments
Before joining Northwestern Mutual in 2015, Meggen worked in accounting for 7 years. Meggen became passionate about insurance as a teenager and continues to develop professionally as she continues to expand her industry knowledge. At APEX, Meggen oversees many operational and service duties to ensure clients have an exceptional experience working with our firm. Meggen is also responsible for insurance underwriting for the firm's clients.
Meggen has her CLU® designation, Series 7 and 63 registrations and Life, Health, and Long-Term Care licenses.
Meggen and her husband, Colt, spend their time with their children either participating in softball tournaments, discovering and trying new recipes together or hiking.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Fixed Income Team
- Chief Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income
Job Titles:
- Insurance Operations Specialist
Mindy joined Northwestern Mutual in 2012 and worked in another prominent firm before joining APEX in 2019. Like most of our APEX team, Mindy is like a jack of all trades. Mindy typically corresponds with clients for service and scheduling, case preparation and underwriting.
Mindy holds her Series 6 and 63 registrations and Life, Health and Long-Term Care licenses.
Mindy grew up in Saint Louis where she currently lives with her husband and children. When she is not chasing around her two adorable boys, she enjoys reading, cake decorating and spending time with friends and family, especially her Golden Retriever, Watson.
Miranda first joined Northwestern Mutual in 2017 as a College Intern in the Carbondale, IL office. She graduated in 2018 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. On team APEX, Miranda builds and prepares financial plans and portfolio analyses for client meetings and services all investment accounts.
Miranda holds her RICP® designation, Series 7, Series 6 and 63 registrations and Life, Health and Long-Term Care licenses.
Miranda has two dogs, Gunner and Zip. She enjoys reading, dog sitting in the St. Louis area and spending time with her family. Miranda's favorite book series is Game of Thrones.
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Research Analyst, NMWMC Research
Rachel is the newest extension of APEX Wealth Advisors. Starting the summer of 2023, Rachel joined Northwestern Mutual. Rachel's experience in the non-profit world, as an elementary school teacher and a work-at-home mom are a great fit on our team as our Scheduling Coordinator! Rachel enjoys client interactions and will be the voice our clients hear when it's time to coordinate yearly reviews or a meeting is needed with your advisor.
Rachel grew up in Saint Louis where she currently lives with her husband and two boys. Some of her favorite things to do are traveling, spending time with friends and family, reading and high intensity work out classes.
Job Titles:
- Director of Wealth Management Services
After 4 years of playing collegiate football at McKendree University, Shane worked as a finance manager & bookkeeper for a non-profit. Shane then joined Northwestern Mutual in 2014. At APEX, he assists clients in building and maintaining their financial plans and case design. Shane also supports the firm's performance monitoring of its portfolios and individual client accounts. Shane also supports portfolio trading and tracking.
Shane is a CFP®, CLU®, RICP® and ChFC® and holds his Series 7 and 66 registrations.
Shane and his wife, Katie, have two children: Kaelyn a HS student who excels at arts and theatre, and Madden a younger twin of his father who excels at athletics. In Shane's free time, he enjoys being outdoors, coaching, fishing, camping, and making memories with friends and family!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Large Cap Equity Team
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Equities
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the NMWMC Investment Consultant Team
Job Titles:
- Research Specialist, NMWMC Research
Job Titles:
- Marketing and Client Service Associate
Tracy started in 2005 as an Associate Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual in downtown St. Louis. Tracy has had the opportunity to advance in different capacities within the greater organization before joining APEX in 2022. Tracy oversees marketing and assists in case preparation and providing excellent service to the firm's clients.
Tracy holds her Series 6 and 63 registrations and Life, Health and Long-Term Care licenses.
Tracy and her family recently relocated to Wisconsin, but they remain loyal St. Louis Cardinals and Blues fans. Tracy is married with one daughter, Alison, who is attending college at SIUE and a son, Beckham, an artistic elementary school student. Tracy enjoys exploring her new community by discovering local restaurants, attending festivals and outdoor venues.
Job Titles:
- Associate Portfolio Manager, Private Client Services