Financial Representative at Northwestern Mutual David Ressler March 11, 2011

Mission  To learn all that I can about Northwestern Mutual while experiencing the financial network for myself  To strive for success in an internship where I will actually work in the same way as full-time Financial Representatives  To build a network of clients that I can keep in years to come  Obtaining licensing to get started on real work and to help in the future, regardless of what career path I choose  To develop the ability to adapt in any situation and to solve and/or analyze problems  To find a career that I can see myself pursing in life

Prospective Markets  My family—immediate and extended (all live in the area)  Close friends from high school and other activities  Westport, Norwalk, Fairfield, and Darien, CT  Fairfield County  Amherst College & the 5-College Consortium

Prospective Market Amounts  My family—immediate and extended (all live in the area): 15  Close friends from high school and other activities: 30+  Westport, CT: 27,000+  Norwalk, Fairfield, and Darien, CT: 160,000+  Fairfield County: 895,000+  Amherst College & the 5-College Consortium: 34,000+

Prospective Markets

Why Northwestern Mutual?  While I am interested in a stable and enriching career, I also want to make sure that what I pursue involves direct interaction with other people. What initially drew me to the Financial Representative internship at Northwestern Mutual was that the internship is essentially centered around building a network of clients that trust you based on meetings and interactions with these people.  Unlike other internships where the intern’s role is to get coffee and make copies, the Financial Representative internship at NMFN is real business experience. Aside from mentors, an intern at NMFN is on his or her own to be successful in the internship.

Characteristics for Success  I am an extremely self-motivated, and strive for excellence and success in everything I do. At NWFN, I would set goals and motivate myself to succeed (such as initially aiming for 10 sales knowing that I can earn more licensing after these sales).  My education at Amherst College up until this point has developed my problem solving skills, as well as strengthening my knowledge of economics and markets, while also helping me to develop as an intellectual and a thinker. I know that, after a summer at NWFN, I could easily begin to take more classes based on my experiences, thereby helping me to succeed in the future.

Characteristics for Success  One of my biggest strengths is my ability to interact with people and build trust and security. As a Resident Counselor of a freshmen dorm, I spend practically everyday working on building relationships with my residents such that they respect me and feel comfortable to me coming with their concerns, or even to ask for advice. As a tour guide, I have to sell Amherst College to prospective students weekly, and do so again by being and friendly and responsive as possible, even in such a short amount of time. As director of my a cappella group, I am responsible for earning the respect of those people who I am expected to direct so that we can have as successful a group as is possible.

Career Goals  Short term:  I want to find a job or a career path to which I can actually see myself dedicating my life. Ideally, I want to discover what career is most fitting for me and then have a guaranteed job after college to aid in my security and confidence. I want to build a professional network that I can maintain at the end of the summer to hopefully aid me wherever I end up in terms of a career.  Long term:  Discover what career path is meant for me to pursue, and do so to the best of my ability to achieve as much success as I can. I want financial independence and security, and the ability to support a family.

Expectations  I expect an internship experience that I have never encountered before, even in the slightest. I expect to work extremely diligently with the aid of experienced and motivated Financial Representatives, yet at the same time be treated as they are.  I expect to be challenged and pulled in every direction while adapting to the type of work that this internship offers. I expect to be very much out of my comfort zone, at least for the beginning, while understanding what it’s like to have a real job in a respectable and professional field.

Expectations  I expect to worker harder and be more dedicated than I have ever been in my entire life. I know that this job is all about self-motivation and only those that are self-motivated will succeed. I know I will thrive off of the challenge that this internship presents and use all of my strengths and assets to assert myself in this market.  I expect to have tremendous personal growth, both as a professional but also as a person. This internship is the real deal—one is completely immersed in the day-to-day routines of an actual Financial Representative. I look forward to see how this shapes me as an individual.

Goals for the next 1-2 years  Personal Goals:  Graduate from Amherst College with Latin honors  Land a job after graduation that leaves me financially secure  Depending on how my career path begins to shape, save up enough money to attend some form of graduate school (depending on my interests at that point in time)  Professional Goals:  Develop an understanding of what career best suits me  Become financially independent and secure, and begin thinking of plans for the future  Build a strong network of people in the professional world already, as well as other clients, that can help me figure out where I would make the best fit

Where do I see myself?  I see myself working at a job after graduation, hopefully one as respectable as NWFN, and working comfortably for a few years. I want to develop financial security and independence. I would also hope for stability in such a job. After a few years, depending on where I was with my life, I might consider applying to graduate school (for what studies, though, I am not quite sure). That being said, were I to be in a job where I had grown to love the people I work with, the clients I work with, and was happy with my success and the possibility of more success and praise in the future, I would not even consider going to graduate school and leaving the amazing life I was already living. Thus, where I see myself truly depends on where I will be in the next 4-6 years.

What do I desire? How will I bring it to my life?  A family with two kids, financial security, a steady job with room to grow and increase my standing, a large collection of friends and acquaintances  As with anything in life, you get out whatever you put into a situation. Thus, I will never not live an opportunity to its fullest. I will strive for excellence and persevere through whatever obstacles may obstruct my path. I’m hoping to start here, at NWFN, so that I can start building a network, working at an incredible job that allows me to work my way upward, and developing necessary skills for the professional world.

Motivation  I am completely self-motivated. To me, the internship at NWFN seems like a challenge—work as a Financial Representative, just as the normal, paid employees do. Plus, the overall outline of the internship seems like a challenge—it is completely up to you, the intern, to get clients and work the market. In this sense, I am extremely intrigued by the prospects of working at NWFN. I know that I would diligently work as hard as I possibly could, knowing that wherever I end up at the end of the summer is entirely based on how much effort I put in at the beginning of the summer. I also am motivated by helping people, and realizing now that NWFN really is all about the clients and their financial security, I know I would be motivated to do the best I could for my clients, and to try and help as many clients as possible.

Desired Income-Post Graduation  Post Graduation: $50,000+  2-4 years: $90,000+ (if not in graduate school)  I will achieve these desired incomes by always striving to be the best that I can be, while working diligently and efficiently at whatever task I set out to accomplish—be it a job, an internship, or even a homework assignment. I will ensure that I create and develop a network of trustworthy and reliable clients and friends that can support in wherever I end up after graduation. Ideally, I will graduate knowing that I have a secure job that will allow to work my way up through the ranks through hard work and perseverance.

Thank you for listening to my presentation! Have a nice day!