Marissa Nehlsen: A Resilient Leader in Wealth Management

FSI member Marissa Nehlsen has a full plate, working with seven companies in various capacities.

As Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Financial Group, she leads nine financial advisors and additional support staff to provide wealth management services for families, entrepreneurs and farmers. The team offers securities through FSI member firm Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc., while the advisory business has clients in 44 states, including four North Dakota offices and one in St. Pete Beach, Fla.

Meanwhile, in her spare time, she works to empower impoverished groups in Costa Rica, where she has launched an academy. She also established a strong profile as a podcast host, industry thought leader and professional coach.

She has done all this despite a slew of challenges, including growing up in a broken home, being a single mom, going through a painful divorce and losing her fiancé to cancer. To top it all off, she also suffers from Stargardt disease, a genetic condition that limits her eyesight. She only has peripheral vision and is likely to lose the ability to see entirely at some point.

Her story is not only a testament to the strength of her character but exemplifies why wealth management is a noble profession. It is also a prime example of FSI’s membership, which often gives back to the community despite any personal challenges they may face.

Challenging Upbringing

Nehlsen entered financial services over 30 years ago before she was old enough to get her securities licenses. She began her career by generating leads for her aunt, an insurance agent. The job paid $50 for every appointment she booked.

A few months later, Nehlsen got her insurance license at only 19. At the time, she was raising a new baby and living in the same trailer park as her mother. Yet, becoming a business owner was a huge motivator, marking a significant shift in the trajectory of her life.

“I came from an abusive household, and my folks got divorced when I was 14,” says Nehlsen, who grew up with seven siblings and helped raise the younger ones after her parents broke up. “Mom took us out in the middle of the night and moved to a two-bedroom trailer in North Dakota. That first winter, we learned a lot of good lessons about poverty but also about life.”

Her family, including her grandfather, had lived as homesteaders after immigrating to the U.S. from Ukraine. In the late 1980s, intense droughts and high interest rates resulted in their land being auctioned off. The experience would spark a desire to both help prevent other families from suffering the same financial hardships and provide her daughter with the kind of upbringing she didn’t have.

Branching Out

After getting her insurance license, Nehlsen began to learn about tax-aware financial planning, portfolio management, estate planning and succession planning for business owners. While learning the ropes in her early 20s, she was an outlier in the industry, with most of her peers being middle-aged men.

Today, besides a wealth management business owner, she is a podcast host, public speaker and life coach. Nehlsen’s podcast, Live Life Rich, is available on Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Meanwhile, since 2014, she has been a Maxwell Leadership^® certified team member. The program, founded by John C. Maxwell, has more than 46,000 members from 166 countries.

“I believe everybody drinks from somebody else’s well,” Nehlsen says. “You have to work hard for it, but people open doors for you.”

Her advisory business uses a two-by-two approach, providing clients with two advisors on every case to develop recommendations and maintain consistent service levels. Nehlsen’s team also works alongside the client’s accountant, attorney and insurance professional to help build a coordinated plan that includes leaving a strong legacy.

Nehlsen’s daughter, Danielle, serves as the Administrative Assistant at Freedom Financial Group. However, given some of the challenges Nehlsen contends with, Danielle’s role is far more significant than that. Her responsibilities encompass coordinating the team, as well as overseeing client communications and several areas of compliance. Danielle also helps to plan, assist and coordinate all Nehlsen’s speaking events, workshops and client-centered experiences.

Giving Back

Nehlsen went through a painful divorce from her first husband. Eventually, however, she picked up the pieces, met a former Army Ranger else and became engaged. Unfortunately, her new fiancé died of cancer before they were able to get married.

While processing his death, Nehlsen traveled to Costa Rica. Her connection to disadvantaged groups inspired her to embrace community building in that country through the Foundation of Latin America.

Nehlsen has helped launch sewing schools, a retreat center, a mentorship program for women who want to create home-based businesses, and micro-financing. The ventures are business partnerships in which participating Costa Ricans have co-ownership.

“We all get the same 24/7. It’s how you use it,” Nehlsen says. “I want to help people think differently, help them ask better questions, and help them find their voice. To demand better service and education, to be equipped, and to feel seen, heard, and empowered to make great decisions.”

Registered Representative of and securities offered through Berthel Fisher & Company Financial Services, Inc. (BFCFS). Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through BFC Planning, Inc. Freedom Financial Group is not affiliated with BFCFS, Inc. and BFC Planning, Inc.