Is Northwestern Mutual a good company to work for?

Northwestern Mutual has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 12,849 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 5% over the last 12 months. 72% of employees would recommend working at Northwestern Mutual to a friend and 74% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Northwestern Mutual have been left by employees working as Managing Director , Wealth Management Advisor and Director of Selection .

Does Northwestern Mutual pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Northwestern Mutual employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Northwestern Mutual. This rating has improved by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Northwestern Mutual?

72% of Northwestern Mutual employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Northwestern Mutual 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Northwestern Mutual?

Financial Representative (2900) , Financial Advisor (1413) , College Financial Representative (935) , Financial Representative Intern (427) , Intern (406) , Associate Financial Representative (260) , Recruiter (157) , Internship (115) , Associate Wealth Management Advisor (94) , Financial Services Representative (85) , Sales Representative (76) , Software Engineer (71) , Financial Planner (64) , Wealth Management Advisor (59) , Administrative Assistant (57)

What are the pros of working at Northwestern Mutual according to real employee reviews?

"The actual job was easy and I got to get to know some really great people!" ((in 921 reviews)); "The office that I work in has a great culture and we have become like a big family." ((in 786 reviews)); "Northwestern has some great training and they do pair you with a mentor to help you get started." ((in 617 reviews)); "Great training program they taught you a lot about the business and how it worked." ((in 218 reviews)); "It is a great internship if you have a large natural market of people needing life insurance." ((in 200 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Northwestern Mutual according to real employee reviews?

"Base pay is horrendous and for an internship commission only is hard to live off of." ((in 559 reviews)); "No salary and expenses after two years" ((in 400 reviews)); "Only focused on selling Insurance" ((in 169 reviews)); "Was also told that insurance sales may be a part of the job" ((in 87 reviews)); "Culture can be ruined by a by a bad manager" ((in 51 reviews))

What are employees saying about Northwestern Mutual layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Northwestern Mutual layoffs and their outlook for job security at Northwestern Mutual in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Northwestern Mutual locations?

Milwaukee , New York , Chicago , Los Angeles , Dallas , Franklin , Denver , Atlanta , Pittsburgh , San Diego , Minneapolis , Boston , Houston , San Francisco , Philadelphia , Saint Louis , Tampa , Indianapolis , Richmond , Irvine , Seattle , Cincinnati , Orlando , Charlotte , West Hartford , Raleigh , Austin , Nashville , Columbus , Albany

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Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual reviews

4.0

72% would recommend to a friend

(8,245 total reviews)

Timothy J. Gerend

95% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Culture & values

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Work/Life balance

4.0

Senior management

4.0

Career opportunities

3.8

Compensation and benefits

Northwestern Mutual has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 8,245 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Northwestern Mutual employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Financial Services industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

8K reviews

1.0

Mar 17, 2009

17% industry retention rate for 1st year reps

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Its who you know, not what you know. If you know a lot of affluent ppl that re willing to spend their $ w.you, its a great place, if you don't, expect to feel like a telemarketer because you will make a LOT of cold calls.

Cons

Our particular office is extremely political. You have to brown nose to get any orphaned clients (which are easy to sell to). Brown-nosing is also required to move up to the position of a field directer. I have watched countless reps quit after 3-6 months. The training in our office is horrible...from what I hear though, other offices are much better when it comes to training...

4.0

Mar 13, 2009

Challenging but great experience for the right person.

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great training, experience, and education in areas of sales for Insurance and financial services. Advancement within the organization is non-biased and based on performance results. If successful early in your career, one builds a strong foundation which can ensure a successful career. NMFN provides you with all the tools and knowledge to succeed, but it is up to the individual to perform. Great People

Cons

Very Challenging building a practice without a natural market, and compensation is commissioned based. I would recommend having adequate savings prior to building a practice and have a clear understanding of the challenges you are getting into. Expect to put in a great deal of sweat and equity into your early activity before having results. High turnover but those that are successful within their first couple of years do very well for themselves.

4.0

Mar 12, 2009

Great company to work for 1st class training that will serve you well long after you leave.

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent Training and compensation compared to competitors.

Cons

Completely commission based compensation. The Company only truly incentivises insurance. If you are more investment oriented you may not like it.

Viewing 8164 - 8166 of 8,245 Reviews

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Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

17% industry retention rate for 1st year reps

Challenging but great experience for the right person.

Great company to work for 1st class training that will serve you well long after you leave.

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