Northwestern Mutual Training and Development Programs Among Best in the U.S.

MILWAUKEE, Feb. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual today announced that the company's training and development programs have been named among the best in the country, according to Training Magazine's "Training Top 125" list.  The honor recognizes the financial security company's excellence in training and leadership development for both its thousands of financial representatives across the country and corporate employees. The rankings were unveiled at the Training 2014 Conference & Expo on February 3 in San Diego, CA.  

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"Our motto is the 'best must get better' and one way to do that is to continually improve the training and development opportunities we make available to both our financial representatives and our corporate employees," said Steve Mannebach, Northwestern Mutual's vice president of field growth & development. "Delivering expert guidance to clients means having highly-trained representatives who work with clients to guide them toward meeting their long-term financial goals and aspirations."

Among the company's award-winning training and development programs is the 84-year old "Fastrack Academy" – a blended learning program that provides financial representatives with an interactive forum combining independent study and interactive classroom work designed to develop the confidence and skills needed to become successful representatives of Northwestern Mutual.

Other professional skills training includes the company's "Financial Representative Learning Path," an online training program for financial representatives working in offices around the country.

For the company's corporate employees, the employee-development program, "Our Mutual Experience," provides an in-depth and consistent approach that seeks to guide and foster employee development – from the first day they join the company through all phases of their career.

"Northwestern Mutual has a long history of strength and stability, and our employees and financial representatives know that our commitment to providing exceptional training will take them to where they want to go, both professionally and personally," said Jo Eisenhart, Northwestern Mutual's senior vice president of human resources.

Eisenhart added that corporate employees focus on training that emphasizes orientation, career counseling and leadership development in departments across the company.

Training Magazine's "Training Top 125" list is based on an annual survey of employer-sponsored training and leadership development programs and is based on a variety of factors including financial development, scope of training programs offered and how closely the programs link to the company's business goals.

Company Receives Numerous Honors
Northwestern Mutual received numerous honors in 2013, among them being named one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies by FORTUNE® magazine. (Feb. 28, 2013).

Other recognitions include:

• Ranked first in the industry and 11th overall among service companies in Selling Power Magazine's annual "50 Best Companies to Sell For Now" list. (Oct/Nov/Dec 2013).
• Awarded highest financial strength ratings to any life insurer by all four of the major credit rating agencies: A.M. Best Company, A++ (highest) April 2013; Fitch Ratings, AAA (highest), January 2014; Moody's Investors Service Aaa (highest), July 2013; and Standard & Poor's AA+ (second highest), June 2013. Ratings are subject to change.
• Recognized as a top 10 independent broker-dealer, as measured by total annual revenues, in leading investment industry publications Investment Advisor magazine (June 2013), Financial Planning magazine (June 2013) and Financial Advisor magazine. (April 2013)

More information about Northwestern Mutual can be found at www.northwesternmutual.com.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual is among the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2013 according to FORTUNE® magazine and has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 156 years. As a mutual company with $1.4 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual has no shareholders. The company focuses solely and directly on its clients and seeks to deliver consistent and dependable value to them over time.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual