Mark McLennon

Mark McLennon, JD, CLU®, ChFC®, CFP®, CPA/PFS, is an Assistant Professor of Tax and Estate Planning at the American College of Financial Services, where he holds the Clark/Bardes Chair in Retirement Planning and Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation. He teaches within the CFP® Certification Education and Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) programs. Prior to academia, McLennon accumulated extensive industry experience including roles as a tax consultant at Arthur Andersen & Co., estate planning attorney at a Milwaukee law firm, and advanced planning positions at Allstate and Northwestern Mutual.

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Marquette University
• Juris Doctor, Northern Illinois University College of Law

Professional Credentials

• Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®)
• Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®)
• Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®)
• Certified Public Accountant/Personal Financial Specialist (CPA/PFS)

Research Expertise

McLennon's primary research domains encompass comprehensive financial strategies with specialized focus on:

• Estate structuring and wealth transfer mechanisms
• Corporate executive compensation frameworks
• Retirement income planning solutions
• Life insurance product development
• Integrated wealth management approaches
• Tax-efficient business succession planning

Professional Impact

During his 20+ years at Northwestern Mutual, he led enterprise-level initiatives including expansion of investment advisory services, development of trust/private client offerings, and creation of specialized life insurance products for estate planning markets. He established training programs for wealth management advisors and restructured fee-based financial planning operations.