Is Northwestern Mutual a good company to work for?

Northwestern Mutual has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5, based on over 12,837 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 4% over the last 12 months. 70% 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 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Northwestern Mutual?

70% 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 (2899) , Financial Advisor (1412) , College Financial Representative (935) , Financial Representative Intern (427) , Intern (406) , Associate Financial Representative (260) , Recruiter (157) , Internship (115) , Associate Wealth Management Advisor (94) , Financial Services Representative (85) , Sales Representative (76) , Software Engineer (71) , Financial Planner (64) , Wealth Management Advisor (58) , 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 909 reviews)); "NW has a great culture for someone who is inexperience to come into a role and learn." ((in 782 reviews)); "Backed by a giving company who cares about their employees and provide great training and development." ((in 629 reviews)); "Great training program they taught you a lot about the business and how it worked." ((in 209 reviews)); "Potential for great income and a work/life balance after making it through the first couple years." ((in 194 reviews))

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

"Base pay is horrendous and for an internship commission only is hard to live off of." ((in 554 reviews)); "No salary and no leads" ((in 411 reviews)); "Selling insurance isn't for everyone." ((in 168 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 165 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 , Orlando , Cincinnati , Charlotte , West Hartford , Raleigh , Austin , Nashville , Columbus , Albany

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

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 8,236 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

8K reviews

1.0

May 4, 2020

Northwestern Mutual is an Empire in Decline

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The cafeteria serves a nice Thanksgiving lunch.

Cons

Northwestern Mutual has a difficult time attracting and retaining minorities and women at the executive level. Four female executives left in one month, and the executive leadership team is all male and white, excepting one woman of color. Layoffs and reorganization happen annually. In the last year, I have never worked in such a toxic work environment, where demanding, entitled people treat each other without patience and respect. Technology is antiquated and innovation is reactive instead of proactive. Nepotism is so common that the workforce is practically incestuous. Contractors are used on a long-term basis for work that is not temporary, as an alternative to hiring employees, and contractors are treated like second class citizens by employees. Advancement is virtually impossible as the company offers no real career path and virtually all hiring is external. Financial representatives are independent contractors, not Northwestern Mutual employees. If you filter out their reviews by selecting Milwaukee as your location, the metrics fall from 3.8, 66% Recommend, 90% Approve, to 3.4, 46% Recommend, 58% Approve. Only 327 out of 5,722 reviews are from home office employees.

4.0

May 30, 2017

CDX Reinvention Transition

Process coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Alot of opportunities to be a part of the Agile methodologies.

Cons

Losing our jobs to offshore GDP.

2.0

Dec 9, 2008

Don't Join Northwestern Mutual Unless You Have Enough Money To Live For 1 Year Without A Paycheck

Financial representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Northwestern Mutual is a top notch company. Northwestern Mutual prides itself on the idea of Mutual Respect. This "Respect" is not only for its employees and financial representatives but also for its policy owners. Northwestern Mutual calls itself the "Policy Owners Company." You will never have to appologize for Northwestern Mutual because Northwestern Mutual always does the right thing. It is a company you can be proud to work for. Northwestern Mutual has been voted the Most Admired Company for 26 straight years by its peers in the financial world in Fortune Magazine. The other great thing about working for Northwestern Mutual is the Work/Life Balance. The ability to work your own schedule allows a financial representative to attend important family events, help out at your children's school, or take that vacation you have planned without having to worry about the "boss" making you stay for a big meeting. Northwestern Mutual also has a sales training program that is second to none. Even if a career with Northwestern Mutual does not work out, the training you receive will be invaluable in any future endeavor.

Cons

A financial representative at Northwestern Mutual is a contracted employee and is paid strictly on commission. This makes it very difficult for someone who does not have a lot of savings to get through the first few years of small commission checks. Most sales will take 60-120 days from first sales call to actually getting compensated and this long lag time creates a lot of hardship for financial representatives who don't have any savings to turn to. Another issue with Northwestern Mutual is their harsh underwriting. Many times you will submit an application and think that you have made a pretty good commission only to learn that your case has been highly rated (usually involving a much higher premium that your client is unwilling to pay) or straight up declined. These cases are disheartening and there is zero financial support from Northwestern Mutual if this occurs.

Viewing 16 - 18 of 8,236 Reviews

Jobs at Northwestern Mutual

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

College Financial Representative, Internship Program

College Financial Representative, Internship Program