Great company, hard life - Financial Representative Northwestern Mutual Employee Review

3.0
18 Feb 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

"Unlimited earnings" through a commission-only system (plus bonuses) can lead to huge amounts. Easy work in a technical sense - The majority of the job is calling and setting meetings to do in tandem with more senior advisors. Supportive staff who encourage you to succeed. Training staff are very clear about the extremely high job expectations.

Cons

If you don't set meetings at a high pace (40 calls a day, 25 meetings a week, minimum!) you won't see any money at all. Bonuses are tied directly to onboarding new clients at a pace. Don't expect to see any real earnings for the first six months. Potentially zero income due to the lag-time on clients signing new policies. Zero work/life balance: 10-12 hour days and nights full of studying are expected for the first several years. The commission system incentivizes selling high-cost policies to high-earning clients. Choose your own morality on that subject. The turnover rate is 90% in the first year. If you sit down with a recruiter, ask them about it and see if their answer satisfies you. You will be expected to arrive with 200-250 names of people you know, to use as a client/reference base. You will need to be comfortable with monetizing and commoditizing your friendships (I was not).

Explore other reviews about Northwestern Mutual

5.0
10 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Really great people, supportive culture, and a team that genuinely enjoys helping others! You have the opportunity to work alongside individuals with similar mindsets, while also making a big impact with your clientele.

Cons

You need to have a high work ethic!

5.0
2 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you desire independence, income, and impact, this is the place for you. You will grow more than you have ever grown. You will help others and put their needs above yours. You will build a purposeful life by design. You will have a world class development team and support systems for you to succeed. You will have enterprise value in what you are building. It is YOUR business. You will be able to sell it one day or pass it down to a successor. You will create passive income for yourself. You will have the ability to be with your children in the morning and family time at night and on the weekends.

Cons

You have to build your own book of business. That is not easy. If anything is worth having in this life, it will be hard. To get in shape is hard, to create financial freedom is hard, to build a business is hard. Living a life without purpose or meaning is also hard. Choose your hard. The worst thing that happens in this busienss is someone telling you no. Compared to the men and women fighting for our country abroad or patrolling the streets, laborers working outside in the heat, getting told no while in a fancy office, dressed nice, and in the AC, its not that bad. I'll take that environment any day. If you don't mind being told no from time to time, then you will be fine. You can build an amazing life for yourself.

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