Inspiring Families To Jump In Their Financial Driver Seat
Brendan Nyhan
Financial Representative
Helping people grow their money and be tax efficient
Born and raised in San Diego.
Born and raised in San Diego, I grew up with a deep love for surfing, storytelling, and alternative music. At 18, I packed up and drove to Hollywood to chase a dream in the entertainment industry. That journey led me to Whitworth University, where I studied theatre and had the opportunity to travel abroad in Australia and Costa Rica. After graduation, I returned to Los Angeles and worked in film before heading to New York to join close friends and explore a new creative path.
In New York, I dove into photography and advertising—working with brands like Calvin Klein, GAP, and Elle Magazine—while also starting an indie rock band that earned recognition from Warner Music and was nominated Best New Artist in NYC.
When the pandemic hit, everything changed. I lost my income, my career path, and my sense of financial security. That moment sparked a new passion: financial planning. I began learning everything I could about money—how to protect it, grow it, and plan for the unexpected. I realized how many people, like me, didn’t have a plan in place when life took an unexpected turn.
Today, I live in La Jolla with my beautiful wife, who’s originally from South Africa, our amazing daughter, and our quirky Italian greyhound. I’m passionate about helping others create financial plans that fit their lives—whether you’re in your 20s and just starting out, growing a family, or preparing for retirement. No matter where you are in life, you deserve a plan that gives you confidence and peace of mind.
Lending a hand in my community.
As part of Northwestern Mutual, I'm proud to help accelerate the search for better childhood cancer treatments while supporting families undergoing treatment, and survivors from late effects. Here are some of the organizations we partner with:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer (ALSF)
ALSF funds cancer research, raises awareness, and supports the families of children with cancer. Since 2012, Northwestern Mutual, its employees, and financial professionals like me have donated more than $20 million to support ALSF and fund over 400,000 research hours.
Beads of Courage
Beads of Courage is an art-in-medicine program that helps kids with cancer tell their unique treatment story through colorful beads that are symbols of their courage.
How Northwestern Mutual helps you live the life you want.
When people feel better about their money, good things happen—they become more confident and feel more secure. For more than 160 years, Northwestern Mutual has helped people achieve the financial flexibility they need to live more and worry less.
Being a mutual company means Northwestern Mutual reports to its clients, not Wall Street. They don't believe in chasing fads or taking undue risk for short-term gains. Instead, they take a long-term approach—both in the way we help people plan to reach their goals, and in the way they do business. This has served their clients (and mine) well through all kinds of economic ups and downs, including wars, recessions, even the recent pandemic.
It's why I'm happy to be part of a company that's in it for the long-haul and prioritizes clients over profit.
