Tim J. Nielsen
Wealth Management Advisor|CLU®, ChFC®
About Tim Nielsen
Tim began his Northwestern Mutual career in 1988 and for more than three decades has partnered with Northwestern Mutual to build a practice based on high integrity and collaboration. With Northwestern Mutual he has combined his passion for the financial markets with the value of insurance to help clients find their path to financial freedom.
Tim’s vision is to offer a holistic practice that assists clients achieve financial security through financial plans which consider insurance and investments. By fostering an honest, collaborative, and transparent approach, Tim and his team partner with his clients to achieve clarity of their goals, risks, and solutions.
Creating a culture based on long-term relationships, Tim works to keep his clients on track, analyzing and advising them through life events.
Tim and his wife Carol live in Houston, Texas with their three children. He enjoys spending time with his family and helping with their activities, including the Sam Houston Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Houston’s Christ Church Cathedral where he is past chair of the Community of Life Council.
A fitness enthusiast, Tim enjoys running and completed at least one triathlon and one marathon each year for the past 38 years, including two Boston, four Chicago and the last 28 Houston Marathons; and the 1995 Canada Ironman and Texas Ironman in 2011, 2012, 2019, and 2021.
Education & Credentials
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®) 1992
- Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) 1994
- Million Dollar Round Table Qualifying/Life Member 2010-2022
- Million Dollar Round Table Qualifying Member 1994, 2000-2001, 2003-2005, 2007-2008
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Quality Award 2011, 2013-2016
- University of Western Illinois, Finance, BBA – cume laude
- Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity
- Member and Certified Toastmaster (CTM) of Toastmasters International
My Areas of Expertise
Wealth Management
Life Insurance Strategies
Disability Planning for Physicians & Dentists
Retirement Planning & Income Strategies
Education Planning & Funding
Disability Planning
Multigenerational Planning
Estate Planning
Get to Know Your Dedicated Team
Tim's team is committed to assisting you achieve financial independence by mapping your path to financial security. Our knowledgeable, credentialed, and experienced team members are committed to providing world-class service to each of our clients.
No matter your age or stage of life, we’re here to serve you and your family now and for generations to come. Click below to learn about the personal and professional backgrounds of our team.
Annette Figaro Frerich
Associate Financial Representative
Annette joined the team in November 2014 as an assistant to Tim. She graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Houston - Victoria with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. An Associate Financial Representative, Annette is registered with FINRA, having obtained a Texas Department of Insurance license for Life and Health and passing the Series 6, 63 and 7 qualification examinations.
As an Associate Financial Representative, she has the knowledge and experience to navigate the industry and assist clients with Northwestern Mutual's products, services, and procedures. She is an advocate for our clients and is committed to assisting them in implementing a financial plan and resolve any issues which may arise once that plan is in place.
Annette has three grown daughters, three sons-in-law and one grandson that are her pride and joy. She enjoys participating in many sports including softball, biking and swimming. She is a diehard Astros fan.
Michelle E Thigpen
Associate Financial Representative
Michelle joined Tim’s team in August 2020. Her 20+ years of experience at Northwestern Mutual and her Life, Health and Accident licenses in Texas and Louisiana make her an excellent addition to the team. She attended Texas Christian University before earning Cum Laude honors at Louisiana State University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.
Michelle and her husband Jerry of 22 years spend much of their spare time supporting their two young sons in various youth organizations and volunteering for those organizations. Born and raised in Boerne, Texas, the native Texan loves watching Astros baseball and supporting the LSU Tigers.
As part of the team, Michelle’s primary focus is to provide the highest level of service to our clients, providing a stress-free financial planning experience.
Michael Shen Hong
Planning Manager
Michael provides the requisite support to ensure our clients receive the quality of service expected from Northwestern Mutual. He reviews the current coverage and investments of our clients and creates financial plans using Northwestern Mutual’s PX planning software.
The recipient of a Bachelor of Science in International Business from Trinity University, Michael ensures our clients have a positive experience when interacting with our team.
In his free time, Michael's priority is spending quality time with friends and family. He enjoys cooking his favorite cuisines and playing competitive games of badminton.
Frieda de la Morena
Assistant
Frieda joined our team in 2023 to focus on marketing and communications directed towards clients and potential clients. Over the past three decades she has collaborated with the partners of Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and IBM to develop and implement strategic marketing programs to further expand the footprint and market share of these organizations in select targeted areas.
Frieda enjoys creating opportunities for the team to interact with our clients, providing clear and concise communications to help our clients easily understand the opportunities to create a path to financial security.
An avid sports fan Frieda can often be found on the tennis court or watching her favorite collegiate teams, including the University of Houston, where she received a BA in Communications. A fourth generation Houstonian, she is committed to giving back to the community having served in leadership positions with the Houston Marathon Committee, and Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.
Lending a Hand in Our Community
As part of Northwestern Mutual, we are proud to give back to the communities in which we live and work. Our focus includes helping 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 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.
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation is dedicated to curing spinal injury and disease through innovative research while improving the quality of life for those living with paralysis. We are part of the Reeve Foundation Team, participating on behalf of good friend, Dr. Rex Marco. In July 2019, Rex experienced a life changing bicycle accident on the trails of Houston’s Memorial Park, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. We want to help Rex walk again.
Boy Scouts of America - Sam Houston Area Council
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation's largest and prominent values-based youth development organizations. For over a century, the BSA has provided programs for young people to build character, train them in the responsibilities of citizenship, and develop personal fitness. The BSA helps build the future leaders of America, combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. It believes helping youth is key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society. It is funded by those who believe in its mission. The Sam Houston Area Council serves about 25,000 youth across Southeast Texas through dedicated service and leadership of 10,000 adult volunteers.
The Periwinkle Foundation
The Periwinkle Foundation develops and provides programs that positively change the lives of children, young adults and families who are challenged by cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and are cared for at Texas Children’s Hospital. Periwinkle’s mission is realized through a continuum of camps, arts, and survivor programs which accompany a child and their family from diagnosis, through treatment, and into remission.
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.
