William Foster, CFP®, CLU

About William

William Foster holds both the CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) and CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter) designations — the gold standard combination for insurance planning expertise. He spent 10 years at Northwestern Mutual as a senior financial representative in Seattle, building expertise in complex life insurance designs for business owners and high-income earners, then served as National Training Director for Principal Financial Group.

William is a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals (SFSP) and the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) — a distinction earned by the top 1% of financial services professionals worldwide. His insurance analysis has been cited by Bankrate, Insurance Journal, and LifeHealthPro. At MONEYlume, William provides the unbiased insurance analysis that commissioned agents cannot give you.

Areas of Expertise

• Term vs. whole vs. universal life insurance
• Disability income insurance (own-occupation vs. any-occupation)
• Long-term care insurance vs. hybrid policies
• Group life insurance & employer benefits analysis
• Life insurance needs calculation

Featured In & Cited By

• Bankrate
• Insurance Journal
• LifeHealthPro
• The Balance
• Forbes Advisor

Career Background

• Northwestern Mutual (Senior Financial Representative, 2006–2016)
• Principal Financial Group (National Training Director, 2016–2021)

Education: BS Finance, University of Washington · CFP® (CFP Board) · CLU (The American College of Financial Services) · MDRT Member

Editorial Standards

All content by William Foster, CFP®, CLU is written according to MONEYlume's editorial standards. Facts are verified against primary sources including the IRS, Federal Reserve, CFPB, and peer-reviewed financial research. Articles are updated when regulations or market conditions change significantly.