Adam Riegel

From the time a classmate at Harvard introduced him to an adviser at Northwestern Mutual who gave him an internship, Adam Riegel knew he found his calling.

“I liked trying to understand client concerns and then the problem-solving part of the job; I liked being able to control my own schedule; and I liked tying what I did to what I got paid,” said Riegel, who became licensed while in college and opened his own hybrid firm affiliated with Northwestern in Wellesley, Massachusetts, soon afterward. He is a chartered life underwriter as well as a certified financial planner, a designation he earned in 2015. Recognized by his firm as one of its top producers, Riegel serves a client base consisting largely of professionals, many of whom work in finance.

A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Riegel runs an annual financial planning workshop for graduating seniors of his alma mater, where he was captain of the state champion football team, a champion wrestler, captain of the tennis team and class president. He is also currently active in several organizations that deal with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that claimed the life of his father-in-law.

— Evan Cooper