Each month, we book time with some of our company’s top financial brain power to answer questions about investing and finances. We’re talking with Ron Joelson, Northwestern Mutual’s chief investment officer; Mark McLennon, vice president of inv

How Much More Room Does This Economy Have to Run?

Nov 2nd, 2017 10m 45s

The Dow is reaching record heights, but is there growth left? Should investors be ready for a downturn? Our experts weigh in on how likely it is that investors will see growth and what causes markets to change course.

How Two Major Hurricanes Will Affect the Economy

Sep 22nd, 2017 13m 26s

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the U.S. mainland nearly back-to-back. What economic impact will they have? Our Northwestern Mutual financial experts share their thoughts.

What’s Better, a Smart Beta ETF or Active Management?

Aug 7th, 2017 13m 10s

In a move to capture money going from active management to passive, asset managers are creating smart beta funds. Designed to account for potential faults of the more traditional index funds, like those that mirror the S&P 500, smart betas are

Is the Fed Going Back to Textbook Economics?

Jun 26th, 2017 15m 9s

The Federal Reserve just raised interest rates for the third time since December. And they also talked about selling some of the bonds they have been buying. With lower unemployment and what appears to be solid footing, are we getting back to t

Should Investors Worry About North Korea?

May 19th, 2017 12m 30s

There have been a number of concerning headlines recently: North Korea, cyber attacks and confidentiality leaks. In this month’s chat, our experts discuss whether there is increased geopolitical risk and what impact it could have on your portfo

Is the Real Estate Market Still Healthy?

Apr 26th, 2017 13m 1s

We’re heading into the peak of the real estate season, perfect time for our experts to share how the real estate market is shaping up, what impact a potential rise in interest rates will have and the demographics of who’s buying and selling.

The Fed Raises Rates: How Many More Hikes Do We Expect This Year?

Mar 15th, 2017 13m 11s

The Federal Reserve raised rates today, the third increase since December of 2015. In this month’s discussion, our experts talk about what the rate hike means for investors and how many more we can expect to see this year.

Lessons Many Investors Learned the Hard Way in 2016

Feb 23rd, 2017 10m 55s

2017 started out drastically different than 2016. The Dow cracked 20,000 this year versus plunging 13 percent in 2016. In this month’s discussion, our experts talk about why many investors failed the grade in 2016 and what the focus should be i

The Wrong Move Some Investors Are Making Right Now

Dec 20th, 2016 9m 30s

The Wrong Move Some Investors Are Making Right Now by Northwestern Mutual

Are International Markets a Better Deal for Investors?

Nov 17th, 2016 7m 47s

There has been a good amount of discussion on whether the U.S. market is overpriced and international markets will give investors better value. In this month’s discussion, Brent Schutte will share his viewpoint on both the U.S. and internationa

Are Election Years Good or Bad for Investors?

Sep 8th, 2016 8m 26s

Election news and advertising is all around us. Both candidates are talking about what they’d do if elected; but will either impact the markets? In this month’s discussion, our experts share what past performance may tell us and what could happ

Ask the Financial Expert: Are Election Years Good or Bad for Investors?

Sep 6th, 2016 8m 27s

The Consequences of the Brexit on Your Finances

Jun 29th, 2016

There has been a lot of news about the so called “Brexit” vote in the UK over the past several days. What does it mean for the economy and for your financial plan? We convened a panel of our financial experts to discuss how the Brexit could imp

Ask the Financial Expert: The Impact of Long-Term Low Interest Rates

Jun 22nd, 2016 10m 37s

There was a glimmer of hope for the markets that rates would be inching up when the Fed raised them in December. Since then, we’ve seen market volatility and a hold on rates. That has some investors asking what longer-term low interest rates me

Ask the Financial Expert: What Our Investment Experts Are Watching in the Second Half of 2016

May 27th, 2016 10m 50s

We’re nearly at the mid-year point, and it’s hasn’t been without some excitement. We’ve seen a market dive in January, an oil price roller coaster and the Fed raising rates. So what’s in store for us in the second half of the year? Our experts

Ask the Financial Expert: Are Passive or Active Funds Better During Volatility?

Apr 7th, 2016

With roller-coaster returns and market volatility, a common investor question is whether active or passive investment strategies are better. This month, our experts provide an overview of what passive and active investing is, when one type of v

Ask the Financial Expert: What Are Negative Interest Rates, and How Do They Impact You?

Feb 29th, 2016 11m 47s

Negative interest rates have found themselves in financial headlines lately, which may have you thinking, “What is a negative interest rate?” and “What does it mean to me?“ Don’t worry; our experts have you covered. In this month’s discussion

Ask the Financial Expert: The Real Reason Stocks Are Falling

Feb 3rd, 2016 9m 11s

It’s easy to be nervous and even panic when the markets have dropped as much as they did in January. However, the important thing to remember is not to overreact. This month, our experts discuss why you shouldn’t overreact and what to watch if

Ask the Financial Expert: What the Fed Rate Hike Means to You in the New Year

Dec 21st, 2015 9m 14s

The last time we saw the Fed raise rates was the same year Barry Bonds beat Babe Ruth’s home run record, 2006. It’s been something nearly every economist and investor has been planning for, so the news was expected. So is there much to say othe