Before joining Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Royce Zimmerman worked at a boutique tax firm in downtown Chicago serving high net worth individuals. Not an accountant by nature, Royce earned his degree in accountancy because he felt it would provide the fundamentals to run his own business. After two years of practicing as a CPA, Royce decided to take a leap of faith.
Royce joined The McTigue Financial Group in 2005 and shares his experience with the career:
"I entered this business at age 26 with the mentality of an 18 year-old. In less than two years, I feel like I am approaching 35. 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, 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 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, he required a physical, and it was discovered he has Type 2 diabetes. Had it not been for my entry into this 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, Ben Voigt was the only other representative in our office's history to hit both milestones. I now mentor Scott Evans who recently accomplished the same feat. The leadership and mentoring our office 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, 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 have the potential to be successful. The wheel has been created—you just have to follow it. There is also great corporate culture at our office. Every rep shares a strong value in family and teamwork. My best allies and mentors are in the offices down the hall."
Besides training for triathlons, Royce plays ice hockey every week and enjoys any outside activities. He is very involved in community service through the Jewish United Fund in Chicago, as well as Team in Training.
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