{"id":591877,"date":"2026-07-18T09:16:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/591877\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T09:16:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:16:15","slug":"financial-advisor-shortage-northwestern-mutual-looks-to-fill-gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/591877\/","title":{"rendered":"Financial advisor shortage, Northwestern Mutual looks to fill gaps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bmqobkiw9i8ip41k.jpg\" alt=\"Financial advisor shortage, Northwestern Mutual looks to fill gaps\" class=\"sr-only\" data-v-892ef6a8=\"\"\/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bmqobkiw9i8ip41k.jpg\" alt=\"Financial advisor shortage, Northwestern Mutual looks to fill gaps\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"vod-poster-image\" data-v-6546b402=\"\"\/>    <\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\"><strong>BROOKFIELD, Wis.<\/strong> &#8211; We\u2019re all on different financial paths in life, and sometimes it helps to have a guide. But it turns out, there aren\u2019t as many out there as there used to be.<\/p>\n<p>   Career change <\/p>\n<p original-article-post=\"\" origination_station=\"WITI\" data-v-ec26887a=\"\" data-v-94395e58=\"\">The backstory:<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">For years, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northwesternmutual.com\/financial\/advisor\/drew-white\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Drew White<\/a> felt at ease in front of a camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\"><a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/foxlocal.onelink.me\/6abq\/ijh6elyt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;Do you miss it? Do you miss broadcasting?&#8221; asked reporter Bret Lemoine.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;At times, yeah. But not at the end of the day,&#8221; White said. &#8220;I was in sports, so it was a lot of nights, weekends and holidays.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9ri5i13enf8dltf3.jpg\" alt=\"FOX6 Cents: Interview with financial advisor Drew White\" class=\"sr-only\" data-v-892ef6a8=\"\"\/>  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/9ri5i13enf8dltf3.jpg\" alt=\"FOX6 Cents: Interview with financial advisor Drew White\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"vod-poster-image\" data-v-6546b402=\"\"\/>   <\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">White worked in La Crosse as a TV sports reporter before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, to cover some of his favorite teams.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;Football and basketball were my two,&#8221; White said.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">When he decided to make a career change, he took a big swing in a field he had little experience in. For the last decade, White has been helping people manage their finances at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northwesternmutual.com\/financial\/advisor\/drew-white\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Northwestern Mutual<\/a>. His inspiration? Being a client first.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\"><a class=\"in-cell-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/newsletters\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;I saw the real value of the planning that we do,&#8221; White said. &#8220;And my advisor, knowing my background and communication style, building relationships \u2013 those things are really important. He said, \u2018Hey, I think you should do this.\u2019&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/e1334dfa-untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" width=\"932\" height=\"524\" data-v-2fe2fe3e=\"\"\/>  <\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">But what is this? What does a financial planner do? White said most help you plan short and long-term financial goals. That includes retirement and estate plans and budgeting.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;The biggest thing we provide for others is clarity,&#8221; White said. &#8220;The math and all the numbers are very important, but most people come in with just a lack of clarity. Where am I at? Where am I going?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> Dip in financial advisors <\/p>\n<p original-article-post=\"\" origination_station=\"WITI\" data-v-ec26887a=\"\" data-v-94395e58=\"\">By the numbers:<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">Which brings us to a problem that\u2019s currently plaguing the industry. There simply aren\u2019t as many people like White in these jobs anymore. According to management consulting firm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/financial-services\/our-insights\/the-looming-advisor-shortage-in-us-wealth-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">McKinsey &amp; Company<\/a>, the U.S. will see a shortage of up to 110,000 financial advisors by 2034. That\u2019s a 37% dip compared to 2025 numbers.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;How did this happen?&#8221; Lemoine asked.<\/p>\n<p> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/67be5354-untitled-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" width=\"932\" height=\"524\" data-v-2fe2fe3e=\"\"\/>  <\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;That\u2019s a great question,&#8221; White said. &#8220;For a long time, the average age of a financial planner\/advisor has been 50+. I think about it a lot like a sports team.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;If you\u2019ve got a baseball team and a bunch of seniors that are playing \u2013 eventually, those seniors are going to graduate. What you need to be doing is backfilling the roster with the new recruits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">Adding to the issue, demand for personal, human financial advice over A.I. is growing at roughly the same rate as the number of advisors is shrinking. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/financial-services\/our-insights\/the-looming-advisor-shortage-in-us-wealth-management\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">McKinsey &amp; Company<\/a> estimates 34% more Americans will need help with their money by 2034. The survey found a big reason for that, in part, is because of a &#8220;greater reliance on personal savings for retirement.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> Addressing the problem <\/p>\n<p original-article-post=\"\" origination_station=\"WITI\" data-v-ec26887a=\"\" data-v-94395e58=\"\">Why you should care:<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">In May, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.northwesternmutual.com\/financial\/advisor\/drew-white\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Northwestern Mutual<\/a> hosted its inaugural &#8220;Investments Learning Day&#8221; at its Milwaukee headquarters.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">The goal was to expose local students to a wide range of investment careers by having them talk directly with professionals. The company expects 40,000 investment-related jobs will open annually across the country. Getting kids excited about these jobs now will hopefully help fill some of those gaps.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;Having a 100,000 advisor shortage in the future just means less scale that can go out and serve the marketplace,&#8221; White said. &#8220;That could potentially mean more taxes being paid, people not being able to retire when they want to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">White said his career shift has paid off not just personally \u2013 but for the clients he helps. A shift in the industry could bring more than just change.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">&#8220;Ultimately, at the end of the day, we\u2019re helping people get to where they want to go,&#8221; White said.<\/p>\n<p data-v-94395e58=\"\">Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6\u2019s Bret Lemoine and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"group-source-paragraph\" data-v-4fbf7207=\"\"><b data-v-4fbf7207=\"\">The Source:<\/b> Information in this story was gathered from Northwestern Mutual, Drew White, McKinsey &amp; Company and past FOX6 News reporting.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/tag\/money\/fox6-cents\" class=\"tags-tag\" data-v-94395e58=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">FOX6 Cents<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/tag\/news\" class=\"tags-tag\" data-v-94395e58=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">News<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox6now.com\/tag\/us\/wi\/waukesha-county\/brookfield\" class=\"tags-tag\" data-v-94395e58=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brookfield<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BROOKFIELD, Wis. &#8211; We\u2019re all on different financial paths in life, and sometimes it helps to have a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":591878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[177],"tags":[22215,79,18,250789,19,17,825,5,234,235,107,250790,68472],"class_list":["post-591877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-brookfield","tag-business","tag-eire","tag-fox6-cents","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-money","tag-news","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-us","tag-waukesha-county","tag-wi"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116940229669573739","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=591877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/591877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/591878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=591877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=591877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=591877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}