Northwestern Mutual

Home to Consistent Growth in Any Environment

A decade’s worth of market bubbles teaches us one simple fact: Periods of meteoric growth catch investors’ eyes, but holding those gains when the bubble bursts is like keeping lightning in a bottle. As the economy enters a "new normal" of modest growth for the foreseeable future, successfully planning for your future means embracing time-tested methods for long-term gains focusing on steady, consistent growth.

"Think of the fable of the tortoise and the hare. We want to be the tortoise, grinding it out year after year, doing things we know are sustainable," explains John Schlifske, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Northwestern Mutual. "We’ve been doing so for 153 years; that’s how we became a financial security company with $170 billion in assets and a $14 billion surplus backing our financial strength."

Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Nothing exemplifies the slow and steady approach better than the company’s flagship permanent life insurance offering. Permanent life offers a death benefit along with a guaranteed cash value accumulation that is backed by Northwestern Mutual’s well-diversified investment portfolio and excellent operating performance. The equity in the policy can be accessed in times of need or left to compound, with annual dividends adding to growth. "Demand for our unique permanent life insurance product is up during these challenging times because it delivers what consumers are looking for today—protection and savings along with slow and steady growth," notes Schlifske.

While it’s now in vogue to tout conservative and consistent returns, few firms—if any—have Northwestern Mutual’s long-term track record. Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, the World Wars and the current recession, the company has not just survived but thrived, paying a dividend to policyowners for 139 consecutive years. For 2010, its 3.8 million owners of life, disability and long-term care insurance policies will enjoy a payout of $4.7 billion. Northwestern Mutual has the largest market share among individual life insurers and consistently leads satisfaction benchmarks.

“The best interests of our policyowners are
also in the best interest of our company.”

Building Long-Term Client Loyalty

Yet customer loyalty comes from more than dividends. "We are a mutual company, meaning we are owned by our policyowners. It creates a virtuous business cycle in which the best interests of our policyowners are also in the best interest of our company," says Schlifske.

In addition, thanks in large part to the long-term relationships built with clients by its exclusive field force of 7,000-plus financial representatives, the company boasts an impressive 96% persistency rate—the level of customers who continue to hold their policies year after year.

Northwestern Mutual recognizes that doing the right thing for clients builds long-term relationships, earns loyalty and supports its consistent financial strength, through good times and bad.

"Northwestern Mutual" is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI, (life insurance, disability insurance, and annuities) and its subsidiaries. Long-term care insurance is issued by Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, a subsidiary of NM. Dividends are reviewed annually, subject to change and not guaranteed.