Northwestern Mutual reviews

4.0

72% would recommend to a friend

(8,253 total reviews)

Timothy J. Gerend

95% approve of CEO

74% positive business outlook

Northwestern Mutual has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 8,253 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).

Reviews by job title

8K reviews
1.0
May 22, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Lots of opportunities to learn. Insight to the benefits of financial planning.

Cons

I was belittled, manipulated, lied to, lied about, overworked, understaffed, and pitted against my coworkers. I was not paid my worth for the work that I put out. My employer also provided new employees with my personal cell phone number and advised of where exactly I lived without my permission. In doing this, the expectations that were put upon me were raised to an unbelievably unethical level, to which I would be punished if I did not abide. Nothing that I said or did was good enough, if it was deemed enough at all. I was not paid for any of the overtime I did, because I was salary, however the overtime was necessary just to maintain the normal workload. Additionally, I was expected to arrive early and stay late on an almost daily basis, per my manager, because of meetings that my position did not require me to be a part of. Leaving at my scheduled time would get me a week's worth of cruel treatment from her. I went home every day with a terrible mindset and my employment there changed my demeanor completely. In working for the Managing Director in this location, there is a promise to advance that will never come to fruition, as she wreaks havoc on your professional life if you ever decide to pursue another opportunity, whether it be within or without Northwestern Mutual. Northwestern Mutual is not a bad company. But this Managing Director is the most unethical, unreasonable, and unsympathetic person I've ever had the displeasure of working for.

1.0
May 1, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You will learn a lot about how the financial services industry works. You will learn a lot about permanent insurance... then you will learn enough to realize that most people are better fit in term... then you will learn how an annual renewable term policy will eventually force people into term... by then you will likely have left the industry or moved to a company that doesn't ask you to survive by overselling every prospect you meet.

Cons

You will learn a lot about how the financial services industry works. The sad truth is you will give this career more effort than anything you have ever done, and you will likely make no money. - Hours are 12 hours a day because people can't meet during the day while they are working - You have to call people you know. Unless you have a contact list of 500 people who are wealthy and looking for a young inexperienced financial advisor you will not make any money. - The entire sales process takes too long for a digital age where you can go download an app and invest for free with an actively managed portfolio. GO GET A JOB THAT YOU CAN LEARN WHILE ALSO BEING ABLE TO PAY YOUR BILLS. I can't stress enough how risky this job is to take. If pushing permanent insurance on people who don't need it (unless you are maxing out your 401k and roth options) then this is the job for you. They will sell you the world and suck all of your contacts out before you finally have to switch jobs because you maxed out every line of credit. There are plenty of jobs in this industry that will pay you. If you work downtown you will have to pay over $180 a month if your downtown or in La jolla just to park. You also have to pay to validate your client's (more like prospective client's who won't ever become clients) parking which is $10/hour... so the 3 meetings of 1 hour parking is $30 in parking all to have a 45% chance (if you are amazing) to make a sale that yields on average $200... They will tell you the average agent does 2K sales but only 10% of the agents in their first year actually average that. You also have to account for your health insurance costs... which aren't cheap. Oh, and you have to pay to rent your desk each month starting in year 2.... right about the same time all your policies start lapsing because people who gave you "favor lives" as they call them decide they never really wanted what you sold them because they are 22 and have no need for it...

2.0
Sep 12, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits. Mostly great people. Cognitive job where I could use my analytical skills. Lots of opportunities to connect with new people.

Cons

I know my creative thinking wasn't embraced. I tried to talk with my supervisors and felt I wasn't taken seriously. Follow all strict guidelines or you won't last long. It was good if you can color within the lines. I became ill and was fired even with doctors notices. I found out I had an intestinal disease. I could probably sue but decided it wasn't worth it. Possibly stress from the job worsened/triggered illness.

Viewing 118 - 120 of 8,253 Reviews

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