Summit Financial Group Named One of Nation's Top DC Advisor Teams

Summit Financial Group Named As One of Nation’s Top DC Advisor Teams
 

Fort Wayne, IN.—  Summit Financial Group, affiliated with Northwestern Mutual, has been named to the prestigious National Association of Plan Advisors’ (NAPA) 2025 list of the nation’s top defined contribution (DC) Advisor Teams with assets under advisement of at least $100 million[1].

Unlike other lists, this focuses on individual firms, or what may, in a wirehouse environment, be referred to as a team or office, and the assets under advisement related to their defined contribution (DC) practice, specifically in a single physical location. The inaugural list was published in 2017.  

“Since their inception, NAPA’s various industry lists represent the best of what the retirement plan industry has to offer, setting the bar higher for financial professionals and plan advisors specifically,” said John Sullivan, chief content officer of the American Retirement Association, and editor-in-chief of NAPA-Net, the nation’s leading online resource for retirement plan advisors. “The NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams are ranked by self-reported DC assets under advisement and highlight the positive impact they’re making on the nation’s private retirement system.”

This year’s list featured 431 teams representing 43 states and the District of Columbia.

Sullivan added, “As the nation’s voice for retirement plan advisors, we are once again pleased to highlight the contributions and commitment of these teams.”

The list of NAPA’s Top DC Advisor Teams, which will be published in the Spring issue of NAPA Net, the Magazine, is available online at https://www.napa-net.org/industry-content/accolades-home/napa-accolades-topdcadvisor-teams/napa-topdcadvisorteams---2025/.

About the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA)

The National Association of Plan Advisors was created by and for retirement plan advisors. Membership is also open to other retirement industry professionals who support the interests of plan advisors. NAPA is the only advocacy group exclusively focused on the issues that matter to retirement plan advisors. NAPA is part of the American Retirement Association, based in the Washington, D.C. area. More information about NAPA is available at napa-net.org.

About Summit Financial Group

Summit Financial Group is a financial planning/wealth management practice focused on providing clients with a distinctive experience that combines professional expertise and the power of Northwestern Mutual products and services. Summit Financial Group is committed to providing expert advice driven by time-tested strategies. The firm places an emphasis on personalized financial road maps that integrate investment plans and the right mix of insurance products to help reach clients’ goals.

Learn more about Summit Financial Group by visiting summit.nm.com.

About Northwestern Mutual 

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With nearly $700 billon of total assets[2] being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $38 billion in revenues, nearly $2.4 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 110 on the 2024 FORTUNE® 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2025.  

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment and advisory services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

Kevin Bontrager, Thomas Gearhart, Rob Hayworth, Jonathan Lehman and Randall Lehman use Summit Financial Group as a marketing name for doing business as representatives of Northwestern Mutual. Summit Financial Group is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agency or federal savings bank.  Kevin Bontrager, Thomas Gearhart, Rob Hayworth, Jonathan Lehman and Randall Lehman are Insurance Agents of NM, provide investment brokerage services as Registered Representatives of NMIS, and provide investment advisory services as Advisors of NMWMC.

Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group is a select group of Northwestern Mutual advisors and representatives. Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group is not a registered investment adviser, broker-dealer, insurance agency, federal savings bank or other legal entity.