Talk:Northwestern Mutual

New updates
Hello –

I’m part of the communications team at Northwestern Mutual. We have a few items that would need to be updated to reflect this page. I have included links to several third party articles.

Under “History” in the second to last line, where it states “In 2015, Northwestern Mutual began construction of the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.” We’re suggesting that follows up with “The Tower and Commons opened on August 21st, 2017.”

Under the “Financial Standings” section, the industry ratings that need to be updated are: Fitch Ratings AAA (highest), 11/2016 Moody’s Investor Service, Aaa (highest), 1/2017 S&P Global Ratings of AA+ (second highest), 6/2017

Currently, it states that NMIS is ranked 6th among independent broker-dealers. This should be changed to 5th to reflect their 2017 report.

Thank you.

Zeljannm (talk) 15:59, 29 August 2017 (UTC) NM Comm

Hi - just wanted to follow up on this again. Thank you.


 * Thanks for the input! I included a note that the building was completed, but I removed the entire financial standings section because it seemed to me to be primarily sourced from PR Newswire which just regurgitates press releases and so doesn't really count as a reliable source.  It's not clear to me, as a non-financier, what stats are worthy of inclusion, and I would rather not invite the selection bias we should expect by taking from NW Mutual press releases.  That said, if we can come up with a financial press assessment of NW Mutual's standings, that would be relevant.  -- ke4roh (talk) 13:33, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

2019 updates
Hello, we're part of the media relations team at Northwestern Mutual and wanted to make some updates to the content on this page. We'd like to work with administrators on this page that have helped us in the past so we're making sure the updates adhere to Wikipedia's content guidelines. Thank you!

We would recommend updating the top section with additional information about the company's products and updating some of the content already included in there, like the FORTUNE accolades. -- Northwestern Mutual (The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company) is a financial services organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides wholistic advisory services on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investment advisory services, trust and private client services, estate planning and business planning. With $272.2 billion in assets, $28.5 billion in revenues, and $1.8 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.5 million people with life insurance, disability income, and long-term care insurance; annuities; investments; and investment advisory products and services. The company manages $128 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses. Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2019. --

Would it be appropriate add in a section about the company's operations? This section explains what a mutual company is, how it functions and recent company updates in its operations. -- A mutual organization, Northwestern Mutual operates for the benefit of its clients and policyowners and has no outside shareholders. As a mutual, the firm distributes a portion of its earnings to eligible policyholders as annual dividends. Northwestern Mutual has paid dividends to policy owners every year since 1872, and the company’s 2018 dividend payout was $5.3 billion. Northwestern Mutual leads the industry in both life and disability income insurance dividends paid to policy owners.

Northwestern Mutual’s core product is permanent life insurance, which offers lifelong protection that builds cash value over time. It is solely distributed by a national network of financial advisors. The firm combines mutuality, financial strength, a nationwide field force and long-term product value to enable clients to plan for a financially secure future. In 2018, Northwestern Mutual achieved milestones in its effort to improve the financial security experience for clients. These included reducing underwriting time and introducing the Planning Experience, enabling clients to see their entire financial picture anytime, anywhere. --

Thank you,

NM-MediaRelations (talk) 21:15, 8 November 2019 (UTC)

Reply 19-NOV-2019
Regards, Spintendo  23:17, 19 November 2019 (UTC)
 * Portions of the proposed text were found to be insufficiently paraphrased from the source material. All additions to an article must be placed using an editor's own words and phrases.
 * Kindly rewrite your proposal, taking care to ensure that all sources are properly paraphrased, and feel free to submit that proposal at your earliest convenience.

2020 updates
Hello, I'm part of the media relations team at Northwestern Mutual and wanted to request some updates to the content on this page. We'd like to work with administrators to ensure the updates adhere to Wikipedia's content guidelines. Thank you!

We'd like to add a new section titled "Northwestern Mutual Subsidiaries" featuring the following information:
 * Mason Street Advisors, LLC, SEC-registered investment advisor for Northwestern Mutual Series Fund variable annuity and variable life products.
 * Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, long-term care insurance.
 * Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, LLC manages Northwestern Mutual's investments in publicly traded debt and equity securities, privately placed debt and equity securities, interests in private equity funds, mortgage loans and real estate equity.
 * Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment advisor, member FINRA and SIPC.
 * Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, financial planning, investment advisory and trust services, federal savings bank.

William at Northwestern Mutual (talk) 18:50, 25 January 2020 (UTC)

May 2020 - COI editor requesting page updates
Please see following some requested edits for Northwestern Mutual's Wikipedia page, including third-party references wherever possible. I look forward to the Community's review and feedback. Thank you

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual (The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company) is a financial services firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The company provides:
 * financial planning and advice, including retirement planning and estate planning
 * life insurance, disability insurance, long term care insurance and annuities
 * wealth and asset management, including investments

With $290.3 billion in assets, $29.9 billion in revenues, and $1.9 trillion worth of active life insurance protection, the company works with more than 4.6 million clients. Northwestern Mutual manages $161 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses.

Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2020.

The company’s services and products are offered through several subsidiaries:
 * Mason Street Advisors, LLC, which is an SEC-registered investment advisor for Northwestern Mutual Series Fund variable annuity and variable life products
 * Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, offers Northwestern Mutual's long-term care insurance
 * Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company, LLC manages Northwestern Mutual's investments in public and private debt, private equity and real estate.
 * Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, the company's broker-dealer, which is also a registered investment advisor and member FINRA and SIPC
 * Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, provides financial planning, investment advisory and trust services, and is a federal savings bank

Kosterberg (talk) 18:45, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Operations
As a mutual organization, Northwestern Mutual operates for the benefit of its clients and policyowners and has no outside shareholders. The firm distributes a portion of its earnings to eligible policyholders as annual dividends.

One of the company’s primary products is permanent life insurance, which is distributed by Northwestern Mutual financial advisors.

In 2018, Northwestern Mutual reduced underwriting time and introduced an online digital platform for clients.

Kosterberg (talk) 18:50, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Northwestern Mutual Leaders

 * John E. Schlifske – Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
 * Tim Gerend – Executive Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer
 * Ron Joelson – Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer

Kosterberg (talk) 18:51, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Financial Ratings
Northwestern Mutual has the highest financial strength ratings currently awarded to U.S. life insurers by all four of the major rating agencies: A.M. Best, Fitch , Moody’s and S&P

Kosterberg (talk) 18:49, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Northwestern Mutual Tech & Innovation
Since launching in 2017, Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures, Northwestern Mutual’s venture capital arm, has invested more than $50 million in 18 tech startups.

In 2019, the company partnered with Accenture, Advocate Aurora Health, Johnson Controls, Kohl's and Rockwell Automation to form the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, a not-for-profit effort focused on attracting and retaining leading tech talent in the Milwaukee region.

Northwestern Mutual Studies and Research
Northwestern Mutual regularly publishes research examining U.S. adults’ attitudes and behaviors toward money, financial decision-making and caregiving.

Company History
Northwestern Mutual was founded as the Mutual Life Insurance Company of the State of Wisconsin on March 2, 1857. Originally located in Janesville, Wisconsin, the company relocated to Milwaukee in 1859. By 1865, it was operating throughout the Midwest and had entered the East coast, and the board of trustees changed the company’s name to The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.

In 1864, the company paid its first dividends to policy owners. It again paid dividends in 1867 and 1870, and has done so annually since 1872. For the first half of the 1900s, Northwestern Mutual focused on life insurance. In 1969, the company began offering disability insurance, and by the late 1970s a series of retirement annuities were available. In the 1990s, the company introduced long-term care insurance, and in 2000, the company changed its name to Northwestern Mutual.

In 2015, Northwestern Mutual began construction of Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, which opened in 2017.

Kosterberg (talk) 16:14, 1 May 2020 (UTC)

I really don't think there should be a section on Company Accolades, as per WP:NPOV, at least not without WP:DUEWEIGHT. The subsidiaries seems like a list of non-notable subsidiaries, although some of them could be worked into the prose of the article itself. The philanthropy section seems extremely promotional, especially since there is not really any reliable coverage mentioned in WP:SECONDARY sources (every source mentioned in the section is either a primary source or not independent, i.e. written by someone who is paid by Northwestern mutual except for the one by Gores). There are too many WP:PRIMARY sources throughout. Also, the list of leaders is just a list of non-notable people who who have a high position in the company, that really should be limited to the president and others if they are independently notable. There is a lot of work you have to do to make this WP:NPOV; as another example, the statement "The company leads the industry in both life and disability income insurance dividends paid to policy owners" is cited to one primary source and one source that says "The payout is expected to lead the industry," and is one for one year, not for an indefinite amount of time implied in the quote. The about and history sections look better, although there are still NPOV issues there as well. Overall, there needs to be a more neutral point of view and less use of primary sources. Zoozaz1 (talk)00:53, 9 May 2020 (UTC)

Kosterberg (talk) 18:59, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Reply
This is an improvement over the previous draft, although I still think there needs to be a few more changes to make sure the draft conforms to WP:PROMO. Specifically, in the Operations section, I would suggest removing "Northwestern Mutual has paid dividends to policy owners every year since 1872, and the company’s 2019 dividend payout will be $5.6 billion," as while that interests policy owners, it likely does not interest a general encyclopedia reader. In the Financial Strengths section, I it would be better to phrase it as "Northwestern Mutual has the highest possible financial strength ratings awarded to U.S. life insurers by all four of the major rating agencies," as the current phrasing says that its ratings are better than any other life insurer, but New York Life has similar ratings. Also, I don't think it would be a good idea to include the specific rankings of each agency, as to me that sounds more like WP:PROMO rather than following WP:NOTSTATS. With the subsidiaries, as per WP:CLOSEPARAPHRASE, you have to change the wording so it isn't a copy from Similarly, the same problem exists in the about section. After you fix that, I could start integrating your proposal into the article. Zoozaz1 (talk) 22:07, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Reply to Editor feedback

 * Removed specifics on dividends
 * Changed reference to ratings and removed specific ratings
 * Edited About/Operations sections to address wording so it isn't a copy

Please let me know if the overall proposed changes can now be integrated into the actual article. Thank you for working with me on this. Kosterberg (talk) 11:57, 14 July 2020 (UTC)


 * I added most of it into the article. I split up the Operations and About section into different sections and put the Leaders section in the infobox. I didn't add "As a mutual organization, Northwestern Mutual operates for the benefit of its clients and policyowners and has no outside shareholders" Wikipedia is not a reliable source, and for a statement like that you would need a reliable third party source. I also didn't add its status as a World's Most Admired company, which doesn't really say much as it is among hundreds of others. Zoozaz1 (talk) 17:17, 18 July 2020 (UTC)

Thank you.

Two final small requests.

1. The article opens with the phrase "THE Northwestern Mutual" --- can we please remove "THE" --- the company name is simply "Northwestern Mutual"

2. Some of the numbers in the breakout box are outdated. Could we please update? The correct numbers per NM's publicly disclosed financial results are as follows

Revenue -- (YE 2019) -- $29,855 million Net income (YE 2019) -- $1,268 million Employees (2020) -- 6,000+

Kosterberg (talk) 15:23, 14 September 2020 (UTC)
 * ✅ Zoozaz1 (talk) 15:26, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

Three more small requests please:


 * 1) In the "Key people" section that is now in the infobox, can we list only the CEO (John Schlifske) and remove the other two names?
 * 2) Can we remove the "Marketing" section. NM no longer sponsors the Rose Bowl Game, and the 'top-level' domain information seems irrelevant to the average reader
 * 3) Can "Technology" be called "Technology and Innovation" given the content pertains not just to tech per se but to innovation more broadly given the VC investment activity?

Thank you Kosterberg (talk) 14:49, 24 September 2020 (UTC)


 * I agree that the marketing pertains more to investment, so I've moved it to investment and innovation to be a bit more neutral. I've deleted the marketing section and moved the content to the history section, and I've removed the two key people. Zoozaz1  talk 23:07, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Section to be updated: History
Current text: As of 2020, the company had $290.3 billion in assets, $29.9 billion in revenues, and $1.9 trillion worth of active life insurance protection and the company worked with more than 4.6 million clients. They managed $161 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses.

Requested update: “As of 2021, the company had $308.8 billion in assets, $31.1 billion in revenues, and $2 trillion worth of active life insurance protection and the company worked with more than 4.75 million clients. They managed $200 billion of investments owned by its clients and held or managed through its wealth management and investment services businesses.”

Section to be updated: Awards and honors
Forbes has updated its rankings. Northwestern Mutual is now ranked #368.

Suggested new text: Northwestern Mutual was ranked #368 among America's Best Large Employers 2021 by Forbes.

Request for section to be removed: Annual Meeting performers
Can this section please be removed? There is no sourcing for it, and the Annual Meeting is not a public event so it has little to no relevance for the general Wikipedia audience.

Kosterberg (talk) 13:20, 11 March 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes check.svg Done  Caius G. (talk) 11:55, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Thank you Caius G.. One small edit was missed -- the Forbes ranking is now 2021 (not 2019). Kosterberg (talk) 13:49, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
 * , thanks, fixed it. Caius G. (talk) 14:18, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Thanks again Caius G. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kosterberg (talk • contribs) 15:05, 15 March 2021 (UTC) Kosterberg (talk) 15:09, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

Section to be updated: Intro paragraph
Current text: Northwestern Mutual ranked No. 111 in the 2019 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue

Requested update: Northwestern Mutual ranked No. 90 in the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations by total revenue and is in the top 30 by assets held.

Section to be updated: Company Facts box
Current text:


 * Revenue	$29.855 billion USD (2019)
 * Net income	$1.268 billion USD (2019)
 * Number of employees	6,000+ (2020)

Requested update:


 * Revenue: $31.1 billion USD (2020)
 * Net Income: $425 million USD (2020)
 * Employees: 6,700+ (2021)

Kosterberg (talk) 16:45, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
 * ✅ Done. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:10, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

Thank you Heartmusic678

Kosterberg (talk) 16:14, 25 August 2021 (UTC)
 * You're welcome. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:28, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

Great Lakes shipping history
The Northwestern Mutual was such a huge investor in shipping concerns on the Great Lakes for so long that this probably deserves to be noted in the article. This was not just a typical passive insurance company investment. For example, the famous ore ship Edmund Fitzgerald was named for a Northwestern executive. This wasn't typical of insurance company investment, either in the industry or the level of involvement. This probably would require the participation of a "COI " editor from the company with the assistance/supervision of a Wikipedia admin (or two) not to become too adlike, but would be a fine addition IMO. 2600:1004:B109:BB50:C83B:65DE:7249:2B60 (talk) 18:48, 4 September 2021 (UTC) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________