Chad has been blessed to be able to build a comprehensive financial planning practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the surrounding area over the last 30 years. Chad serves in his church as a Bible study leader and deacon. He is also a Trustee and chair for the Tennessee Baptist Foundation headquartered in Nashville. He and his family and co-workers support several charitable organizations in the community through the giving of time and resources. A few of these organizations include Habitat for Humanity, the FCA, Knox Area Rescue Ministries, and the Knoxville Nativity Pageant.

Chad graduated from East Tennessee State University where he met his wife, Lisa. He initially worked as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts of America before beginning his career at Northwestern Mutual in September 1993. Because of his long tenure at Northwestern, Chad has experienced many market cycles and understands the importance of good financial planning in the present. He believes that good planning is problem solving in advance and has a teaching and educating approach when working with clients. His client expertise lies with professionals, business owners and with those who are approaching or are in retirement.

Chad values lifetime learning and received his CFP® designation in 2008. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, he understands the importance of collaboration and the great value of working with other professionals to make sure his client's needs are addressed at all levels.

Chad and Lisa have been married for 32 years and have two young adult children, Clay, and Emily. He is a devoted family man and enjoys being outdoors, doing yard work, playing golf, and traveling with his family and friends.

Kevin Proffitt is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Wealth Management Advisor, and Managing Director of Northwestern Mutual – Knoxville. He has been with the company since 1988. Kevin specializes in investment management, retirement planning, and estate planning. He works primary with closely-held business owners, executives, and individuals in or approaching retirement.

Kevin has completed the CFP®, CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP® designations. He holds the Series 7, 6, 65, and 63 securities registrations, as well as the life/health, long-term care, and variable insurance licenses in 25+ states. He is a graduate of Maryville High School and Middle Tennessee State University.

Kevin serves on the Boards of Directors of the Boy Scouts of America Great Smoky Mountain Council, The Boys and Girls Club (Blount County). Also, he is a Past President of East Tennessee Chapter of the Financial Planning Association, Maryville Kiwanis, The Society of Financial Service Professionals, Knoxville Chapter and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisor – Knoxville Chapter.

His wife is Kimberly, and they have two adult children, Kevin, and Kelsey.

Jim LaPinska is the CEO, a founding partner, and a Private Wealth Advisor at Axiom Wealth Management. With over 16 years in the industry, Jim has built a highly respected financial planning practice specializing in serving business owners and community leaders. His leadership has propelled Axiom to new heights, providing clients with strategic guidance to build lasting financial security and meaningful legacies.

A dedicated leader and lifelong learner, Jim has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation, along with CLU®, ChFC®, and WMCP® credentials. His expertise and commitment to excellence have consistently placed him among the top wealth management advisors in Northwestern Mutual’s Southern Region. He has also been recognized by Forbes’ Top Financial Security Professionals Best-In-State and Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors rankings.

Beyond his professional achievements, Jim is deeply committed to community impact. In July 2025, he will step into the role of Board Chair for United Way, continuing his mission to create positive change through leadership and service. His past community involvement includes serving on multiple boards and initiatives focused on business development, education, and social impact.

Jim and his wife, Cheryl, married in 2024 and have a thriving blended family with three amazing daughters. Together, they embrace an active and adventurous lifestyle—skiing, traveling, attending UT sporting events, concerts, and creating lasting experiences as a family.

Jim’s approach to leadership and financial planning is driven by Axiom’s core principles: unwavering integrity, a commitment to excellence, and a vision for long-term impact. Whether guiding clients, leading his team, or investing time in his family, Jim remains focused on helping others build a future defined by success, purpose, and legacy.

Mark grew up in the suburbs of Chicago (Schaumburg) with great parents who ingrained in him the importance of faith, family, character, hard work, education, and teamwork. After graduating high school, Mark attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on a basketball scholarship. Mark graduated with a double major in marketing and finance while playing for the men's basketball team coached by Bruce Pearl. Prior to graduation, he started the process of becoming a financial representative intern for Northwestern Mutual but put that on hold to work with Coach Pearl as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee.

After earning his master’s degree from Tennessee, Bruce Pearl hired Mark as a full time Assistant Coach. During his tenure with Coach Pearl and then with Coach Cuonzo Martin, he had many titles and had diverse responsibilities.

After the 2012-13 season, he left the coaching world and reengaged his financial background by joining Northwestern Mutual as a full-time Financial Representative in Knoxville, TN. As any coach would tell you, the relationship and trust you develop with your players/clients is the most important thing that determines their success. After that, you must continue to evaluate the player’s strengths and weaknesses to help motivate them to continually improve and achieve their goals. In coaching clients through their financial lives, those important do not change and trust is the life blood of that partnership. With Axiom Wealth Management, Mark focuses on hearing a client’s story, understanding their current financial position, then encouraging them to think about what they want to achieve are vital steps to developing a financial game plan that addresses these needs and gets them started on the path to financial security.

Mark holds the Series 6 and 63 securities registrations, as well as life/health, long-term care, and variable insurance licenses in 15+ states.

When he is not working in his financial practice, you can often find him hanging out with his wife Brooke (Waddell) and their three daughters Charli, Landri, and Jovi, working out, or helping at their church (Sevier Heights). Mark stays involved in the Knoxville sports community, regularly contributing to radio and tv sports programs.

Greg is an accomplished, operationally diverse leader with 30+ years of experience driving customer success, revenue, and growth in financial services, consumer, retail, and industrial sectors. Greg excels in driving strategic imperatives and operations and is currently working closely with the Axiom leadership team to grow and support the practice. After almost 20 years as a comprehensive Northwestern Mutual client, he loves now sharing the value and benefits of Axiom Wealth Management Group & Northwestern Mutual to new families and businesses.

After growing up in East Tennessee, Greg graduated with high honors in Marketing from The University of Tennessee and later gained an MBA from The University of Phoenix. He has trained at the Center of Creative Leadership, IMD, Thunderbird, as well as other top programs. He is a life-long learner and now has life/health, long-term care, and insurance licenses in several states and holds Series SIE, 7, 6, and 63 securities registrations.

Greg is very involved in the community serving on Boards of the United Way and the Private Directors’ Association. He is involved deeply with his church and faith and loves supporting his wife of 31 years and 2 adult daughters. Greg is also active with Big Brothers & Big Sister, TN Achieves, The Legacy Center, and the Entrepreneur & Innovation Center in Nashville.

He loves being active, playing golf, fishing, and hiking. He has traveled to all 50 states and visited 35 countries. All of this gives great perspective and excitement for the future ahead!

Daniel is a Blount County native and a graduate of Maryville College with a B.A. in Economics and Business Management and Organizational Behavior. He has over 10 years of financial services experience with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. Daniel’s continued education strengthens his ability to deliver trusted, client-focused service in line with industry best practices. Daniel is a Board Member for local Charities Harbour’s Gate and Yoke Youth Ministries. When he’s not at the office, you can find Daniel coaching youth sports with his wife Patty, spending time with his children, Hayden, Katelyn, and Ethan and if time allows, playing a little golf. You may contact Daniel by phone: 865.251.5121 or email: [email protected]

Chris has been with Northwestern Mutual since 2012. He holds the Series 7 and 66 securities registrations, as well as the Tennessee life/health, long-term care, and variable insurance licenses. In 2018, Chris became a CFA® Charterholder. He is instrumental in the design of client portfolios and investment research. Chris brings to Axiom broad professional experience and extensive knowledge of all aspects of investment business processing. Chris graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and was a member of the UT football team. He is married to Kate, and they have a son, Tyler.