Julie Schmidt grew up in Sussex, attended college at UW-Milwaukee, and now lives in Hartland with her sweet family. Her parents and brothers all live locally in Richfield and Hartford. She and her husband Stephen, along with their three kids, enjoy being a part of the Lake Country community very much! They appreciate the small town feel of Hartland, and love how close they are to everything!
About Julie Schmidt
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I have been married to my wonderful husband Stephen for 20 years already – and I have no idea how it went so fast! We have three kind, smart and funny children – Emily, Rob, and Ty. We also have plenty of pets at our house – Winnie and Josie, our pups and Potato, Ozzy, Zeus, and Fiona – our cats. As a family, we live for time outside and traveling – our two favorite pastimes. We also have fun cooking together and are trying to include more game nights in our schedule!
Q: Please tell us about your life and what you do (whether working in our community, a business owner, volunteer, etc.). How did you choose that path?
I began my professional life as an educator – in fact, I was a teacher for 17 years! I love the families and students I had in my school family all those years – I wouldn’t trade my teaching years for anything. A few years ago, especially when our daughter started high school, I began to realize how fast time was slipping away from us. We also realized that we wanted to be more available to our families in the coming years, and Stephen took on more leadership responsibility at his firm. We were feeling stressed and overwhelmed a lot of the time, and I knew I wanted to gain more time with our parents and our own family. Thus, I decided to transition away from teaching. Now, I am a financial advisor! People often ask how I made that jump, and I always say – I am still very much a teacher! I love helping my clients understand how to make their money work better for them. My job is to help my clients and families think bigger – to realize their biggest dreams and goals. As a teacher, that is what you do for kids too!
Q: What do you love most about what you do?
I LOVE when my clients say, “I feel so much better now,” or “this was so helpful!” I view my role as a financial planner as that of a guide. My job is to educate about options, possibilities, and opportunities. From there, it is up to my clients to choose what to implement, and I get to be a guide and walk alongside them. Everyone’s goals are unique and individual – and getting to know each of my clients and winning their trust gives me a strong sense of purpose each day. I take pride in helping women who have gone through something big – a divorce, widowhood, starting a business, beginning a new job or rebuilding after something difficult. I love helping families build a legacy for their kids and future generations. Helping pre-retirees gain peace of mind that they CAN retire without worry while being mindful of taxes brings me joy too! With so many important aspects of comprehensive planning, my team and I enjoy being in partnership with our clients each and every day.
Q: What was the most difficult challenge in getting to where you are now or in your life?
Changing careers at 40 is not for the faint of heart! I have wonderful support systems both from family and friends, and my colleagues at Northwestern Mutual, who have been cheering me on the whole way through. Studying for big exams and learning so much, while still being a mom, wife, friend, daughter, and sister has proven to be challenging at times, but totally worth it.
Q: What is the most rewarding part?
I cherish the opportunity to interact with all of the different people I get to meet each day. It helps me remember how GOOD the world around us is. My clients inspire me! This work is unifying – no matter where we grew up or what our lives look like now, my clients and I are working towards a common interest… their financial peace! We have more commonalities than differences, and that’s a healthy perspective. Being a business owner sets a strong example for our three kids that you can do anything you put your mind to…and that makes me feel proud too.
Q: What are some of your future goals? Do you have anything exciting coming up that you would like to share?
My biggest goal is to continue to grow my practice! I have clients all around the country and in many different sectors of work – medicine, science, sales, engineering, entrepreneurs, etc. I would love to grow my practice to a point where I can branch out and work with a whole team of planners in a brick and mortar space. Our team would be built on serving our community with compassion, honesty, and care, and would welcome all into our space. It’s a huge dream of ours that some day Stephen will join my practice and we can work together in the latter part of our professional lives. There’s just something about a family-run business that seems right to me.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in doing something similar to what you have done/are doing?
Only do work that you absolutely enjoy! It’s so much better for your overall health and for the people around you when you enjoy what you do. Also, find the right people to do professional life with. I have always worked on amazing teams! Great teammates make work fun, and help you to continue to grow.
Julie Schmidt & Our Community
Q: What is your favorite thing about our community, favorite thing to do, or something unique about our community that you love? (Feel free to share as much as you’d like!)
One of our favorite things to do is to hike the Monches segment of the Ice Age Trail! We also frequent Birch and Banyan and Pink Mocha. Coffee and nature are abundant in Lake Country!
Q: Who is an interesting person you’ve met here in our community, and how have they inspired you?
Mary Beth Berns – owner of MBB Coaching, and former owner of Craig Berns Salon, inspires me each week. I am part of a wonderful community of women business owners called “Women Making an Impact.” We meet every Friday in Delafield, and Mary Beth is one of the founders of our group. Truthfully, that entire group of incredible women inspires me, too! Mary Beth is always learning and growing – she never gets tired! She has the energy of a 20-year old, and still gets so excited about life each day. She coaches business owners with incredible experience and wisdom to share. I want to be like MB when I grow up!
Q: Do you have a favorite coffee shop, cocktail shop, or restaurant?
In addition to Birch and Banyan and Pink Mocha, another favorite spot is the french bakery in Oconomowoc – Fresh Baked!
Q: What 3 words would you use to describe our community?
Close, Fun, Beautiful.
For Fun
Q: What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I am a huge animal lover. When I retire, I am going to volunteer at HAWS every week!
Q: What is your favorite book, TV show, movie, poem, or song? Why?
Favorite TV show – definitely Ted Lasso! Ted is just the best – and they are coming out with a fourth season! Who else is excited??
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My parents – they are just the best! They always believe in me, support me, encourage me, and help me see blind spots I may not see on my own. They have loved my brothers and I and our families unconditionally from day one.
Q: If you were a drink (can be a coffee drink, alcoholic, non-alcoholic, etc.), what would you be?
Hmm… probably a jalapeno margarita! Sweet and a little sassy.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be with? Why?
I would have lunch with my oldest friend Becca – we have been buddies since we were 7. She lives in Oconomowoc, but our lives tend to run opposite on schedules, so any chance we get to see each other is a treasure. She is as good as the day is long, and brings out the best in me. We laugh so much my tummy hurts after. A friend like that is truly a gift! If I have to choose a famous person, I would pick Eleanor Roosevelt. She was a trailblazer for her time, and possibly one of the most consequential first ladies in the history of our country!
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
We went on a big European road trip with our kids last summer and had the time of our lives. I can’t wait to do that again, just in different places next time!
Q: What makes you the happiest?
My family – Stephen and our three kids are the center of my world, and my reason for everything!
Q: Any general life advice you would like to share?
I was just at a conference about a month ago where Jesse Itzler was the keynote. Look him up – very fascinating guy! He just recently sold his private jet company to Warren Buffett for a billion dollars, and his wife Sarah Blakely just sold Spanx for a billion dollars. He reminded us – “you can have a billion dollars in your bank account, but if your soul/spiritual bank account is at zero… a billion times zero will always be zero.” I couldn’t agree more – money doesn’t matter if you’re not deeply happy or satisfied with your life.
Where to Find Julie Schmidt
Email: julie.schmidt@nm.com
Phone: (414) 358-5095
Nice To Meet You:
I believe in positively impacting my clients and the community I live in, which is why I jumped at the chance to be an ambassador with “The Faces of Lake Country”. It’s a perfect blend of why I enjoy being a Realtor with Shorewest, Realtors, and everything I love about living in Lake Country.
I truly enjoy being a part of this community and helping others along the way. Prior to real estate, I was an Office Supervisor for the City of Waukesha Park & Recreation Department. During this time, I had the opportunity to work with many business owners and serve the general public. It was there that I realized that it really does take a village to make a community great and each and every one of us plays an important role.
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