Northbrook Financial adviser celebrates over three decades of guiding others toward financial success
Alex Freund, principal and financial adviser at Freund & Smith Advisors, is celebrating his 35th anniversary in the financial services industry. Freund’s lengthy career as a financial professional dates back to 1989, beginning with a two-year stint as a CPA out of college before joining Northwestern Mutual as a financial representative. In 2020, Freund and his partner, Kyle Smith, principal and wealth management adviser of Freund & Smith Advisors, formed their own business as part of Northwestern Mutual’s Private Client Group.
“The thing I admire most about Alex is his dedication to learning and enhancing his knowledge on all the financial concepts and rules we deal with daily,” said Smith. “When he is not meeting with clients or working on their financial plans, he is researching, reading and attending webinars to see what applies to our clients. Even after 35 years, he is still learning.”
Freund holds the CFP®, CLU® and CPA® designations and has earned the following awards and honors: National Association of Insurance Financial, Million Dollar Round Table Qualifying/Life Member, 2005-2013, Million Dollar Round Table Life Member, 2005-2013, and NAIFA Quality Award, 2011-2013.
“Alex is the consummate professional for our firm as an adviser to his clients and business partner,” said Brogen Gabel, partner and director of financial planning of Freund & Smith Advisors. “His guidance, expertise and leadership allow our team to perform at a very high level and deliver a great experience for our clients. His dedication is unparalleled and continues to this day even after so many years.”
A native of Lincolnwood, Freund received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently lives in Northbrook with his wife, Susan, and has three grown children, Ilana, Adam and Jenna. As a member of the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, emeritus board member and past president of the Center for Enriched Living and volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity, Freund applies his dedication for helping others into the community as much as into his own work.
“Helping clients achieve their financial goals has been extremely rewarding,” said Freund. “Knowing I have helped families successfully plan to send their children to college, have a secure retirement and/or leave behind a strong financial legacy makes my career very gratifying and I look forward to what the next 35 years will bring!”
About Freund & Smith Advisors
Freund & Smith Advisors https://fsadvisors.nm.com is a Northbrook-based financial planning firm that helps clients turn hope and ideas into actionable reality. They provide structured, efficient financial solutions for families and businesses so they have a clear path to accomplish their greatest goals. Their mission is to help others mitigate risk, maximize tax strategies, and create impactful legacies as they secure ultimate financial freedom.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With over $627 billion of total assets being managed across the company's institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $36 billion in revenues, and $2.3 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 111 on the 2023 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World's Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2024.
These teams use their marketing names for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisers. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an adviser of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services. Barron's “Top 1,200 Financial Advisors” list (March 2024), based upon data as of 9/30/2023. Northwestern Mutual and its advisers do not pay for placement on third party rating or ranking lists, but instead pay marketing fees to these organizations to promote the rankings and rating(s). Rankings and ratings are no guarantee of future investment success.