Who we are
Putting our clients first since day one.
The year was 1859. An ox and a passenger train collided just outside Johnson Creek, Wisconsin,
and two of our policyowners were killed in the wreck. The claims totaled $3,500, which was $1,500 more than
our two-year-old company had on hand. Then President Samuel S. Daggett and his fellow trustees
personally borrowed the money to settle the claims, proving that our dedication to our clients is as old as
the company itself.
We help you live the life you want,
and the life you never thought you could.
When people feel better about their money, good things happen – they become more confident and feel more secure. Taking away the everyday financial stress that most people experience (1 out of every 3, in fact(, helps them breathe easier, sleep better, and feel happier.1 That's why Northwestern Mutual exists. It's why we do what we've been doing for the last 160 years.
Being a mutual company means we've been there for our clients since day one — and will continue to be — because we report to them, not Wall Street. Instead of having to worry about short-term gains, we take a long-term approach – both in the way we help people plan, and in the way we do business. This has served our clients well through all kinds of economic ups and downs – even the 2008–2009 financial crisis.2 Mutuality also means that our policyowners get to be a part of our company and may benefit from annual dividends.3 So when we do well, you do well, too.
More about Our Approach to Financial PlanningAs a mutual company, we don't have shareholders – we report to our policyowners.
We're here to help.
Making people feel secure about their money is our highest priority. Our financial advisors will work with you to create a flexible financial plan designed to get you to your next goal. And the next.
Our strength, in numbers
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No. 1
Best client satisfaction among all individual life insurance providers as ranked by J.D. Power.4
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96%
The percentage of our clients who stay with us year over year.5
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4.5M+
The number of people we're proud to call clients, and who put their trust in Northwestern Mutual.
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$4.8B
The amount paid to our policyowners, or their beneficiaries, in life, disability, and long-term care insurance claims in 2018.
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$6B
The amount in dividends we expect to pay our policyowners in 2020.
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AAA
A++, Aaa, and AA+ — we've earned the highest financial strength ratings of any life insurer from all four major credit rating agencies.6
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163
The number of years we've been there for our clients — through depressions, downturns, and two World Wars.
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$20M+
The amount we've contributed to fund research for children fighting cancer, and support for their families.
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Top 5
We're one of the Top 5 U.S. Independent Broker-Dealers.7
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No. 1
We're top ranked for disability income insurance.8
Here's a little more about who we are and what we believe in:
Our Financial Strength Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion Our Philanthropy Our Leaders Our Subsidiaries Our Culture of Innovation
Take the next step.
Our financial advisors are here to help you build
financial security. And help you get to your next goal. And the next.
1Northwestern Mutual Planning and Progress Study, 2016
https://www.northwesternmutual.com/about-us/studies/planning-and-progress-study-2016
2"Northwestern Mutual is a mutually owned company, which Fitch views as positive to the ratings. During the 2008-2009 financial crisis, Northwestern Mutual and most other mutual companies clearly benefited from having stronger capital buffers and less aggressive operating strategies than many stock peers that were more focused on growth and return targets." --Fitch Ratings, May 2016
3SNL Financial, 2017. Dividends are reviewed annually and are not guaranteed.
4Northwestern Mutual received the highest score among individual life insurance providers in the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Life Insurance Satisfaction Study of customer satisfaction with their life insurance provider. Visit jdpower.com/awards.
5Loyalty is based on Northwestern Mutual client data.
6Northwestern Mutual continues to have the highest financial strength ratings awarded to any U.S. life insurer by all four of the major rating agencies: A.M. Best Company, A++ (highest), May 2019; Fitch Ratings, AAA (highest), October 2019; Moody's Investors Service, Aaa (highest), September 2019; S&P Global Ratings, AA+ (second highest), December 2019. Third‐party ratings are subject to change. Ratings are for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company.
7Ranking for Northwestern Mutual Investment Services LLC. Sources: Financial Advisor magazine and InvestmentNews, May 2019.
8S&P Global Market Intelligence. Prepared and calculated by Northwestern Mutual. U.S. rank based on direct premiums earned. Disability income insurance rank reflects Individual Business, Long-Term category (benefit periods longer than two years).