Riverwalk Wealth Team

As a Wealth Management Advisor with 27 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, he graduated from Syracuse University with dual majors in finance and marketing and began his career with American Express Financial Advisors where he advanced to Regional Vice President. He then joined Raymond James in 2001 as Vice President and Director of Private Client Group training & development.

Matt was recently named one of the Top 400 Advisors in the country by the Financial Times.

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.

Kip graduated from the University of Florida with degrees in Business Administration-Finance and Anthropology.  He has been with Riverwalk Wealth Advisors holding a variety of roles on the team.  His current responsibilities include managing the advisory book of business, trading accounts, contributing to our investment committee, and tailoring financial plans to help our clients reach their goals.

When he isn’t at work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Alexa, and goldendoodle, Tucker, as well as traveling, cooking, DIY projects, and visiting every local brewery he finds.  He is also a rabid supporter of Florida Gator athletics, Tampa Bay professional teams, and Manchester United FC.

As a veteran team member of Northwestern Mutual, Melissa began her financial services journey back in 2001. Her humble beginnings as a graduate student from the University of Hawaii, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Organizational Management with a minor in Business Administration.

Melissa opted to remain within NM and has worked at many capacities successfully within the organization. leveraging her expertise in Insurance and Risk products to best serve her clients.

As Riverwalk Wealth Advisors’ newest associate, she has focused her efforts on Financial Planning and ensuring that her clients have a comprehensive plan tailored to their goals and needs.

Chris joined our team as the Director of Portfolio Research and Advisory. Previously, he spent 9 years as the Director of Private Client Services at the Northwestern Mutual home office located in Milwaukee, WI. During his tenure, Chris’ team supported the significant growth of the Private Client Service (PCS) program from $350 million in assets under management (AUM) to over $3.5 billion. Chris served as team leader for a portfolio management and client service team responsible for day-to-day investment operations. He also traveled extensively meeting with advisors and their clients to present PCS investment solutions.

Chris has now spent much of his 18-year career in portfolio management. During this time, Chris has developed and led teams in portfolio construction, strategic asset allocation, and the ability to create a portfolio based on client’s specific investment objectives. Chris is excited to join our team to allow him to change focus from an institutional approach to more one-on-one personal experience with clients. 

Prior to Northwestern Mutual, Chris worked for 8 years at Atlantic Trust, a wealth management firm, and worked for a Member of Congress on Capitol Hill, focusing on Finance and International Relations legislative agendas.  Chris has a degree from Denison University and a master’s degree from Boston University.  In his free time, Chris coaches Lacrosse, shuffles his four children around to various activities, and when he can, enjoys a good history book.

As an Associate Wealth Management Advisor, Lynne uses her 15 years of experience to assist the team with preparing and updating clients’ comprehensive financial plans, preparing investment proposals and executing securities transactions.

Lynne joined Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in March of 2020 after serving as Operations Manager for an independent, boutique brokerage firm since 2018.  She began her career in 1999 as the Executive Assistant to the President of a financial firm, and later specialized in Private Placements, Initial Public Offerings and restricted stock transactions.  In 2010, she moved to Maryland to become a homemaker and spend more time with her family. Lynne rejoined the workforce in 2015 and currently holds Series 7, 63 and 24 securities registrations, 2-15 Florida Life, Health & Variable Annuity License and is a Notary Public for the state of Florida.

In her spare time, Lynne enjoys spending time with her two children, Austin and Emily, traveling, swimming and they are always on the hunt for a new roller coaster.  Lynne also enjoys participating in obstacle races, running and volunteering to help those in need at Seeds of Hope.

Scott joined Northwestern Mutual in 2020 bringing with him over a decade of experience in financial services. Prior to joining Riverwalk Wealth Advisors, Scott worked at two of the world’s largest wire house firms. As a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), he works alongside his clients to help them achieve their personalized financial goals. 

Scott is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Mia, live in Wesley Chapel with their three children.

Michelle joined the Riverwalk Wealth Advisors team in 2019. She coordinates the workflow within the office, ensuring client needs are being met in a prompt and effective manner. Michelle supports the talented wealth management professionals with a thorough, detail-oriented philosophy of client service.

Prior to joining Riverwalk Wealth Advisors, Michelle spent four years handling high risk disability underwriting for an international company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In this role, Michelle coordinated policy administration and claims in order to protect the interests of high net worth clients.

Michelle has a degree from the University of Florida. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, trying local Tampa Bay restaurants, and spending time with her husband, Eli, and rescue dog, Margo.

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.

Victoria Joined the Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in early 2019 and has already proven to be a valuable asset for operations and administrative support. She has a passion for supporting her team members as they deliver the highest quality financial planning services to meet the needs of our clients.

With over 13 years of experience providing direct support to C-level executives at major insurers such as GEICO and Brown & Brown, she brings a comprehensive understanding of the industry and its unique features and challenges. In addition to her extensive experience, Victoria is also a licensed Florida 2-15 Life, Health and Variable Annuities agent.

She is Matthew’s Executive Assistant, responsible for Scheduling, Administrative Support and Human Resources. Victoria lives in Tampa with her fiancé and enjoys traveling and rock-climbing.

With over 5 years of experience as an Administrative Assistant, Sydney joined the Riverwalk Wealth Advisors in October of 2020. She brings a high level of professionalism and knowledge to the role and is an excellent addition to the team.

Sydney is a Florida Native who is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of South Florida. Sydney has received an associate’s degree from Hillsborough Community College in Mass Communications and has attended and volunteered for events such as the Sundance Film Festival and the National Journalism Conference in New Orleans.