Behrens & Brown Team
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James R Brown CFP®, CASL®, CLU®, ChFC®, LUTCF®
Co-Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
Jim graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and currently resides in Bloomington, Illinois with his wife, Diana, of 45 years. He joined Northwestern Mutual as a college intern and after graduation, he became a full-time advisor. They have two daughters, Amy and Jenna. Amy is a Realtor with Keller Williams Revolution and is married to Nathan. They live in Bloomington with their cats, Boots and Phoebe. Jenna has been an Associate Financial Representative in Jim’s office since 2011. Jenna also lives in Bloomington with her husband, Jeremy, their two daughters, Azalea and Jersey, and their Labrador, Phoenix.
Jim loves playing golf, maintaining their lawn and landscape along with the wide variety of tropical fish in their home. In addition, he enjoys running and maintaining a level of fitness. Now as a Grandpa, he’s thoroughly enjoying spectating his granddaughters at their sporting activities and watching them grow up.
Jim and Diana have attended Calvary United Methodist in Normal for the past 25 years. He is heavily involved in committee work at the church and is a Bible study leader. He also participates in Bible Study Fellowship.
Bradley Allen Behrens CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®
Co-Founder and Wealth Management Advisor
Brad joined Northwestern Mutual in 2012 through the internship program and has been a full-time advisor since 2013. A Central Illinois native, he graduated from Illinois State University with a major in Marketing and a minor in Financial Planning.
Brad is married to Rachael, and they have a daughter, Lydia, and a newborn son, Eli. Faith has always been an integral part of their family and they attend Christ Church in Normal. He enjoys spending time outside, playing and watching sports, and spending time with his family and friends.
Jessica joined Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative in 2001 and then transitioned to Jim’s team in 2003. She has her Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University where she studied finance and economics. She has served many roles in our practice, but currently focuses her support on personal and business planning.
Jessica’s responsibilities include creating comprehensive financial plans and customized illustrations in addition to assisting insurance operations. She specializes in supporting the executive benefits and bank-owned life insurance side of our practice.
Jessica is strong in her faith and loves spending time with her family and traveling, but you will most likely find her crew at the baseball field. She is originally from central Illinois and currently resides in Texas with her husband, Steve, and two sons, Jackson and Tyler.
Jenna joined Jim’s team at Northwestern Mutual in 2011. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Indianapolis where she studied business and marketing. She holds an Illinois State Insurance License for Life and Health and obtained the FINRA Series 6 and 63 securities licenses.
Jenna’s responsibilities include scheduling appointments, providing service to client inquiries related to insurance and investments, preparing reports and review materials, facilitating investment account opening, and assistance with insurance applications and underwriting support.
Jenna, the youngest daughter of Jim and Diana Brown, resides in Bloomington with her husband, Jeremy, their two daughters, Azalea and Jersey, and their Labrador, Phoenix. They attend Vale Church and enjoy fundraising for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Together, her family loves exploring nature, mostly by way of hiking and biking. Jenna and Jeremy enjoy cheering their daughters on in their many sporting activities.
Jake joined Brad’s team in January of 2018. Jake received his Bachelor of Science degree in Insurance and Finance from Illinois State University. He is passionate about helping others and has pursued being in the planning industry to help provide financial security through wholistic financial planning.
Jake impacts our client experience by providing service and support for financial planning needs. He facilitates the opening of investment accounts and investment related client servicing. Some of his responsibilities include scheduling appointments, directing customer inquiries, assisting new clients throughout the onboarding experience, connecting and informing our clients of Northwestern Mutual’s online technology and media, and he is also a liaison to our home office for insurance applications and underwriting.
His faith is the driving factor of his life. He enjoys participating in activities through his church, any and every sport, and quality time with friends and family. He is originally from central Illinois and currently resides in Bloomington with his wife, Britta.