Royce Eric Zimmerman, CPA, MACC
Financial Representative and College Unit Director
Region: Central

Before joining Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, I worked at a boutique tax firm in downtown Chicago serving high net worth individuals. I am not an accountant by nature, but earned my degree in accountancy because I felt it would provide the fundamentals to run my own business. After two years of practicing as a CPA, I decided to take that leap of faith.

 

I became a financial representative at age 26 with the mentality of an 18 year old. In less than two years I feel like I am approaching 35 but that's a very good thing. No other profession that I have encountered requires that degree of maturation personally and professionally. As a business owner, I enjoy the client interaction and the freedom to control my own day. My success is directly proportional to the choices I make and the efforts I give.

 

The career has its challenges. I constantly struggle to find a balance between my business and personal life. This year I began competing in triathlons which requires a significant commitment of time. Some days I am up at 4:30 a.m. and don't get home from work until late in the evening. Unlike my previous profession, the end of my days are always exhausting -- but also rewarding. Every day I am building relationships and new clients which is an easy measure of my success.

 

In the first six months of starting my business, I sat down with my parents. Talking to them about their demise was not easy. I determined that they needed to purchase a long-term care insurance policy to help secure their retirement goals. My mom had gone to the doctor almost every year for her annual physical, but my dad was another story. To apply for the long-term care insurance policy, he required a physical and it was discovered he has Type 2 diabetes. Had it not been for my entry into the business and that conversation, his sickness would have gone undetected. He is now on medication, has changed his diet and is perhaps in the best shape of his life.

 

I joined Northwestern Mutual Financial Network in 2005 and wrote 100 lives in my first 12 months of business, achieving Pacesetter 40 and Pacesetter 60. My mentor was the only other representative in our agency's history to hit both milestones. I now mentor a financial representative who recently accomplished the same feat. The leadership and mentoring our agency provides creates a system of accountability from which everyone benefits.

 

I have an assistant and an office in the UBS Tower -- both funded by my business. This expansion from a one-man shop in a cubicle a year ago to my own office will hopefully allow my accomplishment of rookie of the year.

 

The McTigue Financial Group offers the best training in the business. If you listen and work hard, you can be wildly successful. The wheel has been created -- you just have to follow it. There is also great corporate culture at our office. Every representative shares a strong value in family and teamwork. My best allies and mentors are in the offices down the hall.

 

Besides training for triathlons, I play ice hockey every week and enjoy any outside activities. I am very involved in community service through the Jewish United Fund in Chicago, as well as Team in Training.

 

 

Royce Zimmerman has been a Financial Representative with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network since 2005. Visit his website to learn more about him, or call Royce at 312-781-2711.