Is Northwestern Mutual a good company to work for?

Northwestern Mutual has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 12,874 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 73% 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 (2902) , Financial Advisor (1418) , College Financial Representative (935) , Financial Representative Intern (427) , Intern (407) , Associate Financial Representative (260) , Recruiter (157) , Internship (115) , Associate Wealth Management Advisor (94) , Financial Services Representative (85) , Sales Representative (76) , Software Engineer (72) , 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 903 reviews)); "The office that I work in has a great culture and we have become like a big family." ((in 801 reviews)); "Backed by a giving company who cares about their employees and provide great training and development." ((in 597 reviews)); "Great training program they taught you a lot about the business and how it worked." ((in 200 reviews)); "Potential for great income and a work/life balance after making it through the first couple years." ((in 193 reviews))

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

"Financial Representative and Advisor positions start at a commission only role just have proper preparation beforehand." ((in 548 reviews)); "No salary and all commission based" ((in 401 reviews)); "Poor Covid Policies No caring for welfare of employees Don't expect raises Policies with employee evaluations are subjective and archaic No recourse with bad management" ((in 163 reviews)); "Was also told that insurance sales may be a part of the job" ((in 81 reviews)); "Culture can be ruined by a by a bad manager" ((in 49 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 , Cleveland

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Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual reviews

4.0

72% would recommend to a friend

(8,269 total reviews)

Timothy J. Gerend

95% approve of CEO

73% 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 8,269 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

4.0

Aug 16, 2008

Good job, average career opportunities

Manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Job security, good people, fair pay.

Cons

Conservative, relationship-based culture can negatively impact innovation and growth. Emphasis on who you know and not what you know

5.0

Aug 12, 2008

Best job oportunity ever!

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The most amazing place to work if you are trying to help people. It has the best dividends and can not be beat by other companies. Working for other companies and recommending their products over that of Northwestern Mutual's would be short changing your clients serious money in the long run. I believe in Northwestern Mutual and would strongly encourage hard workers to try this job.

Cons

Some of the management was a little pushy at times and would not accept your way of doing things. Some of the critisism was not just constructive - some of it was destructive. Not very compatable with lazy workers or people who have a fear of talking to people about products or sales.

5.0

Aug 12, 2008

Northwestern Mutual- Protecting Financial Security Through Enduring Relationships

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The opportunity to learn about the financial field is a great asset that NMFN brings. Not only that, the internship program has been in the Top 10 Internships, rated by Vault.com, for the past 13 straight years. You get the chance to do real work, as you have your own client base, you arrange your own schedule, and you have weekly meetings with management to keep you on track with your work and goals. It gives you a great chance to see if you can hack in the commissions world, and if you can't then you did not waste that much time since it won't take you long to realize if you are cut out for the business.

Cons

You are definitely always busy, which can be good and bad. If you are not busy, you won't survive long since you won't be making much of an income. Also, you have to learn how to accept rejection. A lot of it. People will say no to you on the phone, in person, through email, and by not responding to you at all, which is the worst. You can strain friendships and go into debt in the beginning so you are not handed a list of people to meet with. You call who you know and that is how you start out in the business.

Viewing 8260 - 8262 of 8,269 Reviews

Jobs at Northwestern Mutual

Investment Research Analyst

Front Desk Receptionist

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

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Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual reviews

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Good job, average career opportunities

Best job oportunity ever!

Northwestern Mutual- Protecting Financial Security Through Enduring Relationships

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