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Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

Principal Financial Group reviews

3.8

71% would recommend to a friend

(2,584 total reviews)
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Deanna Strable

81% approve of CEO

67% positive business outlook

Principal Financial Group has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 2,584 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
4.0
Dec 22, 2010

A stable place to work while raising a family.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* good work/life balance * onsite fitness center - at the corporate headquarters * great people to work with * flat organizational structure gives lots of opportunity for decision making

Cons

* compensation is mediocre * elimination of some benefits and salary cuts have made PFG a less attractive employer * technical training is largely a thing of the past * limited advancement for technical staff without switching to management

3.0
Dec 16, 2010

Principal [Sort of] Gives Employees an Edge

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great perks and benefits, encouraged work/life balance, many opportunities for professional development (but not necessarily promotion). This is an ethical company, and executive leadership makes employees feel valued.

Cons

Field employees are detached, lose out on a lot of the perks, and have very limited opportunity for advancement. As with any large corporation, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle and things tend to move slowly. Pay is low compared with similar companies. Technology and equipment is not up to date.

5.0
Dec 28, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The work life balance is excellent. As a benefit and planning counselor I am in charge of managing my schedule. Work needs to be done and customers taken care of, but you manage how you get the job done. The base salary offers a nice peice of security and the bonuses offer an opportunity to earn a decent overall income. benefits inculde 401k with a good match in addition to a cash balance pension plan. PTO accrues quickly depending on your postion with the company. As long as you do a good job and get work done, you have a lot of freedom. There are many different carreer paths you could take in sales, service or management and you can focus on individual clients or groups. If you work for Principal you will feel good about the service you offer to your clients.

Cons

For individual investors there are some excellent products, but some limitations, and many limitations on advising clients. currently company will not reimburse for additional designations such as cfp or chfc due to cutbacks. if you have the cfp designation not allowed to use the designation or hold yourself out as a cfp depending on your position with the company. Principal has offices nationwide, but almost exclusively in major cities, with the exception of their home office which is in Des Moines. If those locations don't work for you, then you are out of luck. Total compensation for many positions is below industry average, but still many employees will stay with the company because of the many positives.

Viewing 2578 - 2580 of 2,584 Reviews

Glassdoor has 3,074 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.