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Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

Principal Financial Group reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(2,589 total reviews)
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Deanna Strable

81% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Principal Financial Group has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,589 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Principal Financial Group employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Financial Services industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
3.0
Feb 15, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great facility, support staff, first class environment

Cons

My personal experience was that during my recruitment, I didn't fully understand the role prior to accepting an offer - that was my responsibility. In my defense, it is truly difficult to fully understand any role without actually doing it. I based my decision on generalities rather than hard facts and I probably added some ego in the mix as well. With 10 years prior experience in B2B Outside Sales, I felt that my understanding of people and general business acumen would be sufficient to allow me to be successful. I was wrong. My hope was to develop my book of business as more of an "assets under management" type model with insurance as an added necessity. Slow, patient, sustainable growth built on willing referrals. My personal situation was that I could afford to be patient with the growth. It is said that insurance is never purchased, but always sold. I understand now... No one wants insurance. It's not an exciting product and it involves self evaluation on the clients part, which let's face it; no one loves to do. Also the strategies that were encouraged, involved obvious leading questions into how a person would feel if they didn't make it home that night etc. Not trying to place a moral judgment on this, but it just felt manipulative and unnecessary. I guess that I much prefer a straight business proposition - this is who I am, this is why I'm here, and this is why I'm the best choice for your business solution. With insurance there is very little proprietary about your product. There's not much benefit from one provider to the next other than consumer trust in your brand.

5.0
Nov 15, 2012

Career redo

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Midwestern sensibilities. Well managed. Great culture. Support and encourage entrepreneurship. Best or next best-in-class in all core competencies: Retirement, insurance and investments. Great benefits. Great overall employee experience.

Cons

At times cautious to their detriment. With few exceptions their platform--pricing and client solutions--are available to captive and non-captive advisors alike. Captive advisors, while we are open architecture (full access to non-Principal products), there is an over-emphasis via compensation disparity to favor PFG whenever possible. Coming from twenty year advisor and management wirehouse background where proprietary product favoritism was regulated out of existence, unsure how they get away with it. But who am I to complain? Statutory employee--employer relationship (advisors are essentially contract employees with full benefits), while appealingly flexible for advisors, is said to be not-so-much in the eyes of the IRS!

Viewing 244 - 246 of 2,589 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,080 Principal Financial Group reviews submitted anonymously by Principal Financial Group employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Principal Financial Group is right for you.