Discover your Potential . . . Potential to Succeed
Since 1857, Northwestern Mutual has been helping people protect against financial risk and achieve financial security. Together, we as a team of financial professionals, utilizing our network of specialists, continue our 100-year tradition of being dedicated servants in pursuit of excellence.
Through offices located in Cedar Rapids, Decorah, Dubuque, Marshalltown, Mason City and Waterloo, The Zach Group's Financial Representatives serve over 63,000 policyowners with the products and services offered through Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
T. Scott Zach, CLU, Managing Partner
The ambition of Managing Partner, T. Scott Zach, CLU is to make a positive impact on all associates and their clientele by creating an environment of desire, confidence, consistency, and positive results. Education, motivation, and empowerment are the tools by which this office enables its associates to envision and fulfill a successful future to better serve its clients.
With 57 representatives, The Zach Group is a strong, growing business as evidenced by its most recent financial highlights.
Managing Partner, Scott Zach has developed The Zach Group to consist of professionals who embrace the values of professionalism, integrity, loyalty, excellence, and fun. We are committed to a client-centered approach that considers the needs of the client as paramount in the planning process. The Zach Group´s Financial Representatives and Network Specialists are dedicated to the financial success of our clients.
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network brings together the skills of representatives, the expertise of advisors and the technical know-how of a number of financial specialists to provide solutions for clients' financial goals and help you gain access to the products and services of a wide variety of organizations—each of which has a comprehensive understanding of a specific aspect of financial services.
And through The Network and The Zach Group, here are just a few of the products and services available to your clients:
Our Expertise
Just as your clients trust and rely on you to provide needs analysis and innovative solutions, you can trust and rely on Scott Zach, The Zach Group and the Network to provide sound products and services for your clients.
You might conclude that no one person can be an expert in all financial matters. We agree. That's why we provide you and your clients with access to a nationwide network of representatives, advisors and specialists who will work with you to provide a full range of services.
Diversity
At The Zach Group, we are committed to reflecting our community and seek talented individuals who share our core values. As part of our overall growth strategy, we are committed to building and fostering a diverse organization of network representatives and specialists. We do so without regard to gender, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability or age.
We take pride in our unique strengths and the expertise we share with our clients. Our entire community can benefit from our expertise and can be rewarded with the advantages of the careers we offer. We will continue to be committed to reaching all segments of our community in which we live and conduct business.
Meet Managing Partner, T. Scott Zach
A native of Cedar Rapids, IA, Scott is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in Marketing. Upon graduating from Iowa, Scott worked with Campus Crusade for Christ at Ohio State University. After his two-year commitment to Campus Crusade, Scott became the President of Practitioners Purchasing Group in Columbus, OH. He served in this capacity for three years.
In 1994, Scott moved home to Cedar Rapids and entered the financial services industry when he joined Northwestern Mutual. Scott held the positions of Financial Representative and Field Director.
Scott was appointed Managing Partner of The Zach Group in January 2000.
He is involved with Downtown Rotary, Cedar Rapids Country Club, New Covenant Bible Church and various industry groups. Scott and his wife, Atiya, have four children and reside in Cedar Rapids.
The Zach Group has received numerous industry and company awards, including:
Northwestern Mutual Achievement Award - 2002
Northwestern Mutual Growth Award - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Northwestern Mutual $100 Million Award - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
IMA/GAMA Platinum Level - 2004, 2005
IMA/GAMA Gold Level - 2003
IMA/GAMA Silver - 2000, 2001, 2002
An Opportunity to Succeed
Successful financial representatives with The Zach Group experience tremendous pride and satisfaction in building a practice from the ground up. Their success is not a factor of luck or chance; it's the result of a productive work ethic, strong relationship skills and a level of professionalism second to none. A mission of doing what's right for our clients is the thread that weaves together our organization.
The goal is not to simply sell products, but to discover clients' needs and help to meet them. That means taking the time to understand each person's financial situation, values and goals.
This career offers:
The ability to meet new people and positively impact families, businesses and communities as you help to achieve their goals and dreams
An entrepreneurial opportunity to own your own business
A high degree of support and training, plus ongoing curriculum for educational growth and personal development
The flexibility of a career that allows you to focus on things of importance to you
Earnings where you are directly rewarded for your efforts
A strong team culture and the opportunity to work with a variety of specialists and advisors
Exclusive access to a variety of world-class solutions and services, including life insurance from Northwestern Mutual
Leadership and development opportunities
Your Development
You'll have assistance in developing your business and marketing plans, extensive training and coaching from certified trainers.
New representatives receive initial industry and sales training as well as mentoring and joint work programs for hands-on experience. They have access to on-line education resources for polishing skills and keeping up to date on industry information as well as exposure to opportunities for ongoing career education and advanced professional designations to increase their knowledge and reputation.
Your Business
We know that building your own business is difficult without help. As a financial representative with The Zach Group, you will be in business for yourself, but not by yourself. The Zach Group will provide you with support in your training and development, so you don't have to do it alone.
We take pride in our unique strengths and the expertise we share with our clients. Our communities can benefit from our expertise and can be rewarded with the advantages of the careers offered through the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network.
If you're ready to be your own boss, set your own hours and make a positive impact on people's lives everyday, then turn your dreams into reality and find out what a career as a Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Representative with The Zach Group can do for you.
Discover your potential when you join our team. Recruiter, Charity D. Roberts looks forward to receiving your application.
The Benefits of Your Success
Your career as a financial representative is what you make of it. You have the freedom to balance your hard work and determination with your personal goals. In the beginning of your career, it takes a tremendous amount of time, energy and commitment to earn the flexibility and financial rewards you will enjoy later on. You can achieve financial independence and have a positive impact on your clients, your family and your own community.
Income
A financial representative's income potential is virtually unlimited. Earnings are directly related to sales results and client relationships. Financial representatives are compensated through commissions, renewals and bonuses.
Our top producer group, The Forum, had a median gross income of over $410,800 in 2004.
First-year, average gross income during 2002-2004 for financial representatives ranged from $38,900 to $83,900.
Benefit Package
Whether you are single or married with a family, Northwestern Mutual's benefit package will address the various stages of a full-time financial representative's life. These benefits include: Comprehensive Medical Coverage, Retirement, Flex Programs, Childcare/Eldercare, Maternity Leave, Group Life and Accidental Death Benefit, Disability Income Insurance. Your local network office can provide additional information.
Lifestyle
When you invest the time and hard work necessary to build a successful practice as a financial representative, you can enjoy the rare and envied reward of balancing work with your personal goals. You can arrange your schedule so you may have three or four appointments a day, and still have time to participate in your children's school programs, community involvement or leisure-time activities.
Build a business that allows you to schedule meetings to accommodate your clients' schedules and your own.
Impact
The goal of the Network is not to simply sell products, but to discover clients' needs and provide solutions to meet them. That means taking the time to understand each person's financial situation, values and goals. Every solution you implement may help secure the financial future of your clients, their families, their businesses and your community.
You can experience the rewards of a career in which you can have a daily, positive impact on people's lives, including your own.
Meet some of the members of our Team
Successful financial representatives with The Zach Group experience tremendous pride and satisfaction in building a practice from the ground up. Their success is not a factor of luck or chance; it's the result of a productive work ethic, strong relationship skills and a level of professionalism second to none. A mission of doing what's right for our clients is the thread that weaves together our organization.
Career Opportunities
Through The Zach Group, our financial representatives have advancement opportunities into management and specialist opportunities. Learn more about some of our team members:
Brian Talyat, Field Director
As a Field Director, Brian Talyat assists in the recruitment and selection process of candidates in order to build a cohesive unit of productive full-time Financial Representatives. He also supervises the college intern program in the Cedar Rapids office. Brian joined Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in 2003 as a full-time Financial Representative.
Mark J. Funk, Field DirectorMark Funk plays a key role in the career development of other financial representatives in his role as a Field Director. Mark Funk joined Northwestern Mutual in 1999 as an intern while attending the University of Northern Iowa. In June of 2000, Mark signed his full-time contract to pursue a career in financial services. Mark was named New Financial Representative of the Year for The Zach Group for 2004.
Thomas McCoy, Field DirectorTom McCoy has been a Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network since 1982. He is a graduate of Judson College with a BA in Business Administration. He also supports the network office serving as a Field Director.
Robert J. Reinert, Field DirectorRob Reinert specializes in solutions for both individuals and businesses. He enjoys working with prospective financial representative candidates assisting in selecting candidates and helping them start their careers.
James H. Schiltz, Employee Benefit Specialist
As the Employee Benefit Specialist, Jim Schiltz prepares a comprehensive analysis of a client´s employee benefits program, and then offers solutions to meet the unique needs of that company.
John Monaghan, Disability Income Specialist
As the Disability Income Specialist, John Monaghan assists individuals and businesses design a disability income insurance program for both individual and group needs.
Dennis L. Braksiek, Long-Term Care Specialist
As the Long Term Care Specialist, Dennis Braksiek helps individual and corporate clients understand their long-term care insurance needs.
James Anderson, CPA, Sr. Investment Specialist
As the Sr. Investment Specialist, Jim Anderson provides expertise in helping individual and business clients with their wealth accumulation and wealth preservation needs. Jim holds a BA from Luther College and an MBA from the University of Iowa.
Career Insight Creighton Randolph has been a Financial Representative since 1986. Read what he has to say about his career as a representative with The Zach Group.
Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual, I had been an agent with another company for about five years in the ‘80s in my hometown of Monticello, Iowa. Before that, I had attained an economics degree at Creighton University in Omaha and also completed a year of pre-med curriculum at the University of Iowa when organic chemistry sent me packing.
I made the transition here in 1986 and so very glad I did. My only regret was that my initial insurance contract in 1981 wasn’t with Northwestern Mutual.
A Rewarding Choice
For me, the greatest reward now and always has been the pleasure of working with so many people in the important arena of financial and insurance issues. I have met and befriended countless individuals and families whom I may never have otherwise had the opportunity to get to know, let alone help in substantial ways.
What I’ve Learned About Myself
I have learned that I have more tenacity and ingenuity than I would have ever been able to summon with any other type of job. I’ve been stretched, challenged, beat up and continue to find that I am able to keep getting better at this job.
A Success Story
Probably one of the more significant impacts that I have made was when I had sat down with a recently married couple and got them to apply for term life coverage. A few months later, at age 27, the wife suffered a bleeder in her brain caused by a congenital aneurism. She survived, but incurred irreversible physical challenges that left her unemployable and in need of daily care. Her policy had the waiver of premium which we activated. Then, after a couple of years when it became apparent that further rehabilitation was going to be limited at best, she converted the term to whole life. Northwestern Mutual continues to pay the premium, and in all likelihood, will continue to for the duration of her life.
At the current dividend rate, she will have several hundred thousand dollars of usable cash value toward retirement. All this resulted from timely implementation of coverage and about $60 in premiums paid prior to the event.
Career Advice
Be flexible, focused, resilient, creative, proactive and faithful. There is truly a culture of care associated with this company. Everyone wants to see everyone else succeed, and in doing so, continue to uplift the good name of Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The statistics are great to recite, but it comes down to a people-to-people business and that’s where the rubber meets the road. This career has been worth every price paid so far for education, late hours and missed events. The missed events are probably my fault due to poor planning and scheduling, so those could have been avoided.
Internships
Whether you know where your college education is taking you or you're still keeping your options open, you owe it to yourself to see if Northwestern Mutual Financial Network's Internship program with The Zach Group is right for you.
As you learn by doing, you'll find that the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Internship Program is an intense and according to our alumni -- unparalleled learning experience. Expect the process to be rewarding, educational and an opportunity for you to narrow your career search.
Our internships provide a great chance for students to combine what they've learned in the classroom with a real-life look into what they could truly make of themselves. You'll have the chance to work in a real-world business environment and earn performance-based compensation.
The ambition of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Internship program has been less to sell our financial products than to develop people. As a Financial Representative College Intern, you will enjoy the benefit of working with The Zach Group where you'll receive outstanding guidance, superior support and quality expertise.
As full-time college students, interns generally work 15 to 20 hours per week developing business- and client-building skills. In most ways, our interns follow the same process for establishing their careers as our Financial Representatives.
Our internship offers you invaluable business experience that you will take with you far into your career. But that's just the start of the impact this can have on your future and your present.
Consider these benefits:
Practical guidance in your career selection process
The chance to develop your networking and business relationship skills
Flexible work schedule
Securities license, state licenses for life, health and accident insurance opportunities and a head start program for a career as a full-time Financial Representative
Compensation in the same manner as a full-time Financial Representative.
Actual business experience for your resume.
Test drive the Financial Representative career.
Regardless of what you do after graduation, you'll have a foundation of skills and knowledge to build your career upon. One out of three former interns becomes a full-time Financial Representative upon graduation. These graduates have built a solid foundation for immediate and future career success.
The two-thirds who choose other career paths benefit as well. They launch their career with stronger business-building skills and a clearer sense of where they want their career to take them.
After completing the internship, the knowledge you have gained, coupled with the opportunity to work for The Zach Group as a full-time Financial Representative, can lead you to a profitable and fulfilling future.
The Northwestern Mutual Advantage
Northwestern Mutual exists to help policyowners and clients protect against financial risk and achieve financial security. The company, with its subsidiaries and affiliates, offers insurance products, investment products and advisory services that address client needs for financial security and protection, capital accumulation, asset distribution and estate preservation.
With more than 350 offices across the United States, 3 million policyowners and clients, $18 billion in annual revenues and $133 billion in assets, you can count on Northwestern Mutual to help you build strong financial futures for your clients.
The company's tradition of "doing the right thing" has been honored and nurtured by successive generations within Northwestern Mutual and recognized in the industry and media.
World's Most Admired--Northwestern Mutual is the "World's Most Admired" company in its industry, according to FORTUNE magazine's annual survey of industry executives and analysts. For Northwestern Mutual, it is the seventh year as the top life/health insurance company in the magazine's global survey.
First in Customer Satisfaction-- For the third year in a row, Northwestern Mutual has earned the highest customer satisfaction score among U.S. life insurers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index's (ACSI) survey. Northwestern Mutual's industry leading score can be found in the ACSI's fourth quarter of 2005 consumer study, focusing on retail trade, e-commerce, banks and insurance.
America's Most Admired--According to the March 7, 2006, FORTUNE magazine survey, Northwestern Mutual has been named "America's Most Admired" life insurance company for 23 years.
One of America's Top Ten Internships for 2006--"Northwestern Mutual Financial Network has made our Top 10 list for ten consecutive years, proving its internship program to be consistently among the best." Internship Informants™, Vault, inc., 20006.
Selling Power's 50 Best Companies to Sell For--Northwestern Mutual was ranked as the 2nd best and 4th largest service company (November/December 2005).
Financial Ratings--The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (Northwestern Mutual), the nation's largest direct provider of individual life insurance, according to statistics compiled from A. M. Best data, has always received the best possible insurance financial strength ratings from the four major rating services: Standard & Poor's (AAA), Fitch Ratings (AAA), A. M. Best (A++) and Moody's (Aaa).
Top 100 Employers--Ranked 22nd in The Black Collegian's "Top 100 Employer and The Majors in Demand" for the Class of 2005.
Largest Direct Provider of Life Insurance--According to statistics compiled from A. M. Best data, Northwestern Mutual is the largest direct provider of life insurance.
Community Support--The Northwestern Mutual Foundation supports nearly 1,500 schools and nonprofit organizations each year. Last year, the Foundation contributed nearly $13 million ($12,534,005) in national and Milwaukee-area grants.
2006 Dividend--Northwestern Mutual's overall dividend payout to policyowners for 2006 is expected to be $4.27 billion, an increase of $360 million, the largest single increase in company history. This ongoing success, fostered by the company's tradition of "doing the right thing," has been honored and nurtured by successive generations within Northwestern Mutual.
T. Scott Zach, CLU, Managing Partner
Your Business