As a Wealth Management Advisor with over 32 years of financial experience, Matthew joined Northwestern Mutual in 2005 and has built his reputation on working with affluent clients around the country.

Prior to joining NM in 2005, Matthew graduated from Syracuse University with dual majors in finance and marketing. He began his career as a Financial Advisor in 1990 with American Express Financial Advisors where he advanced to Regional Vice President. He then joined Raymond James in 2001 as a Vice President and Director of Private Client Group.

In 2023, Matthew was named to Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors for the third year in a row. Additionally, he was named to Forbes’s Best-In-State Top Financial Security Professionals and Forbes’s Best-In-State Wealth Advisors in 2022 and 2023, and was ranked in the Top 400 Financial Advisors in the Industry by the Financial Times in 2019 and 2020. Matthew lives in Tampa with his wife Mili and his energetic children James and Ainsley.

Walter joined Northwestern Mutual in 1979 with a focus on Wealth Preservation, Wealth Management, and Business Succession.

Walter helps clients clearly define their Mission, Vision, Values and Goals. He helps clients make wise choices with their wealth, while helping with the impact of taxes through the use of wealth strategy tools, liquidity, and custom insurance designs – providing clients with increased freedom, flexibility, ownership, and control.

Walter attended Northwestern Preparatory School in Mound, Minnesota, The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and The University of North Carolina at Charlotte with studies in Math and Business.

John Faircloth serves as Chief Operations Officer. 

John’s background is very diverse and unique.  He started his financial career with American Express Financial Advisors in Princeton NJ in 1998 as a Financial Advisor.  Quickly realizing his passion for investments John then worked on the fixed income desks of Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs in the ensuing years, working with and helping manage multi-billion-dollar bond portfolios around the world.

 After the 2008 financial crisis John felt the need to work with individual clients and families versus large institutions and pension funds so he returned to Merrill Lynch and was once again a Financial Advisor.  He quickly became the in-house investment expert for his branch and was eventually placed in charge of a team that helped create portfolios for advisors all over the country.  He has since expanded on that expertise to include all areas of practice management including client service initiatives, marketing, trading, and streamlining of processes and procedures.

John earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Thomas Edison University, and his MBA from Villanova University.  He and his wife Elizabeth enjoy spending time with their three boys, Tyler, Sean and Conner.

Ivelisse joined Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in November of 2020 where she has taken on the role of the Investment Operations Manager. She has 10 years of experience in the investment field and will bring her expertise and focus to continue to provide our clients the best of experiences.

Ivelisse began her investment career at a community bank in Connecticut where she obtained her Series 7, 63, 65, 24, and her Life, Health, and Variable Annuity License. She has worked with over 20 different financial advisors at three different firms and has made it her goal to build lasting relationships with those advisors and their clients.

She moved to Florida with her husband in the spring of 2017. During her free time Ivelisse enjoys reading and spending time in nature. She currently lives in Tampa with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.

With a BS in Accounting, Kunal started to work in the financial industry over 10 years ago. He moved from Illinois in 2016 to join Wells Fargo as a Licensed and Premier Banker for the previous 3 years. He joined our Riverwalk team in November 2021 as a Relationship Coordinator.

Kunal's favorite part of the role is building and deepening relationships with clients. He sees himself as a Compliance or Operations Manager in the future and looks forward to continued growth within Riverwalk.

Kunal lives in Tampa with his wife and 2 daughters. When not working he loves spending time with his family and listening to music. 

Karrisa joined Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in August of 2021 as a Relationship Coordinator. She graduated from the University of Florida in May of 2020 with a degree in Business Administration. Karrisa began her career with Fidelity Investments assisting clients with retirement planning and investment guidance in Jacksonville, Florida. She quickly realized her passion for financial planning and decided to move back to her hometown of Tampa, Florida and joined Riverwalk Wealth advisors so she can continue to help clients reach their financial goals. In her free time, Karrisa enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and cheering on Florida Gator athletics.

Cheryl joined Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in June of 2023 as a Relationship Coordinator. Cheryl began her career with Northwestern Mutual in 2011. She knows the ins and outs of the financial industry through her many roles including life, disability, and long-term care insurance, client servicing, and orchestrating operations. She graduated from Savannah Technical College in June of 2010 with a degree in Accounting and is currently pursuing her Business Management degree from Colorado State University Global.

Cheryl and her daughter recently relocated from Monument, Colorado to Clearwater, Florida. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, horseback riding with her daughter, and being an avid reader.  

Yuliya joined Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in April of 2023 as a Relationship Coordinator. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with an MBA in Finance. She was awarded the 2020 FINRA Investor Education Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship. In addition, she possesses a Life, Health, and Variable Annuity License.

Yuliya draws on comprehensive previous experience serving the military community as a Personal Financial Counselor. She strongly believes in client education and helping them understand financial choices to best suit their current and future financial goals.

As a spouse of a retired Marine, Yuliya had first-hand experience in both the challenges and rewards of military life. In 2022, Yuliya and her husband moved to Tampa, Florida. When not working, they enjoy road cycling, hiking, traveling, and exploring national parks.

Mary joined Northwestern Mutual and Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in March of 2020 as the Associate Financial Representative.

She graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Sociology minor, followed by a year on the mission field in Honduras. She taught Spanish for five years before entering the business world and working with best-selling sales author, Jeffrey Gitomer.

After years of thinking through the possibilities, Mary is now living her childhood dream of working with her father, Walter. She is excited to be a part of this team and to have the opportunity to help people every day.

Jordan graduated from University of South Florida in 2024 with two degrees in Economics and International Studies, with plans to continue with a master’s degree in international economics and Governance. She started her career with Riverwalk Wealth Advisors the same year, joining the team to fulfill their administrative and scheduling duties. Jordan has 3 years of experience in customer service, and 4 years of language experience Japanese. With the goal of working in US embassies across the globe as a Foreign Service Officer, Jordan is developing her administrative skills here with Riverwalk wealth Advisors.

Additionally, Jordan has a passion for Japanese culture, food, and language, and enjoys cooking new cuisines or trying new restaurants in the Tampa Bay Area.