Northwestern Mutual reviews

4.0

70% would recommend to a friend

(8,236 total reviews)

Timothy J. Gerend

94% approve of CEO

73% positive business outlook

Northwestern Mutual has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 8,236 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
2.0
Feb 16, 2018

#timesup

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Generous benefits and vacation. Nice views of the lake.

Cons

They refuse to fire anyone. This includes underperformers on the team as well as incompetent, sexist directors. HR does nothing. They talk about diversity, but it is all talk.

2.0
Feb 6, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free lunches, downtown location, new building, great gym. They are really focusing on the user experience, which is way overdue and necessary if they don't want to become a memory. There are small companies that are starting to eat away at their moat and starting to wear down the castle walls.

Cons

The company has been laying off hundreds of people in different waves. Management employees were in the first culling, then the workers got the cut. It's a testament that your hard work, devotion and dedication will not result in keeping your job. The company is hiring many people right now to fill some gaps. There have also been readjustments to people's pay grades. Good news is that they are not decreasing pay, but your bonus and advancement opportunities may be limited as a result. My advice is for you to keep an updated resume, just in case.

1.0
Oct 25, 2017

Huge Regret

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You can potentially meet some amazing people.

Cons

Where to begin? This is one of the hardest jobs you'll ever have. If you hate yourself, take it. You can literally make just as much if not twice as much money working half as hard somewhere else. This is not a job where if you work harder you'll make more - there is no guarantee there. 98% of the people who actually do make good money do work hard - but they also knew wealthy people to begin with. If you don't know super wealthy people willing to hook you up, this job is not for you. This is the job - reach out to people you know - friends/family - to begin asking them to meet with you to buy life or disability insurance under the facade that you're a "comprehensive" financial planner. Especially in the beginning, you're only licensed to do insurance, and because the job is 100% commission, you're completely incentivized to sell insurance with the dream that some day you'll be an investment advisor. There's no denying that life insurance and disability insurance are great things, but permanent life insurance is arguably one of the worst investments you could make (with incredibly limited exceptions), but you drink the cool-aid and come to believe it's one of the greatest things ever - until you get out and your eyes are opened. And as far as term goes - you can get insurance that's just as good for half the price elsewhere. It's also an industry where prestige and wealth are glorified to the point where even reps making no money feel the pressure to act as if they know it all and have made it. It's a very materialistic world - but that's how they keep you, with the promise that you'll be incredibly wealthy. There is an incredibly small chance you'll become someone who makes tons of money. But the reality is, where else will you work where they'll ask you to sell to your closest friends and family, on 100% commission, asking you to pay for your office space, and if any contracts fall through, you get to pay it all back. So yes, you made some money, but you can't use it for a year or you're in trouble if anything reverses. Essentially you'll end up paying Northwestern Mutual to work there.

Viewing 31 - 33 of 8,236 Reviews

Glassdoor has 12,837 Northwestern Mutual reviews submitted anonymously by Northwestern Mutual employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Northwestern Mutual is right for you.