Clearview Financial Partners: Northwestern Mutual

Markets have been supported by resilient growth and enthusiasm around artificial intelligence, but the policy backdrop may be changing. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company Chief Investment Officer Brent Schutte explains why sticky inflation, higher debt costs and uncertainty around where AI-related gains ultimately land make diversification especially important. http://spr.ly/6180B1fvk4

The best financial plans can weather even the worst economic storms. I can help you overcome uncertainty with confidence. http://spr.ly/6187B1xVsB

The economy remains resilient, but rising interest rates and pressure on consumers could create challenges for markets. Here’s why diversification remains important in today’s environment. http://spr.ly/6187B1sRZP

Markets are still near record highs, but the economy remains uneven. Our latest commentary looks at recent inflation, consumer, and small business data—and why diversification continues to matter for long-term investors.

Why Broader Market Participation Matters Now Markets are broadening beyond tech. See why diversification still matters.

Stocks moved higher as stronger economic data and corporate earnings helped offset concerns about a softer labor market. See what this week’s market moves could mean for your financial plan. http://spr.ly/6180B1KOLp

Recent thoughts from our partner, Clay Cooper, that "Your Business Should Be Your Best Asset – But Not Your Only One" - Part Three:

"One assumption gets a lot of business owners into trouble.

They expect they'll sell their company for exactly what they need, exactly when they want to retire. But real life doesn't always cooperate.

Markets change. Industries change. Buyers disappear. Economic cycles have their own schedule.

That's why I encourage business owners to gradually move some of the success they've created into assets outside the business. Retirement accounts, brokerage investments, real estate, cash reserves—those assets can continue working for you regardless of what's happening inside your company.

I've also seen something interesting happen when owners do this.

When every dollar of your personal financial security depends on your business, it's easy to make decisions from a place of pressure. As personal financial independence grows, it becomes easier to think long term and make decisions with confidence.

To me, that's one of the most practical benefits of financial planning. It helps business owners build a great business without making that business responsible for their entire financial future."

Recent thoughts from our partner, Clay Cooper, that "Your Business Should Be Your Best Asset – But Not Your Only One” - Part Two:

"I watched my parents build two successful businesses.

For years, the expectation was that those businesses would fund retirement. Then the financial crisis hit in 2008—right around the time they hoped to start slowing down.

What gave them flexibility wasn't the businesses themselves. It was everything they had built alongside them: the land they owned, the home they had paid off and the investments they had made over the years.
I've never forgotten that.

A business can be an incredible engine for creating wealth. But eventually, some of that wealth needs to make its way from the business balance sheet to the family balance sheet.

That's one of the most important conversations I have with business owners today. Financial planning isn't only about growing a business. It's about making sure the success of that business creates lasting financial security for your family.

In my next post, I'll talk about why that shift often makes people better business owners, too."

The Fed held rates steady, but markets remain focused on whether tighter financial conditions will be enough to bring inflation back to target. Read Northwestern Mutual’s latest weekly market commentary. http://spr.ly/6185BE717x