Northwestern Mutual's Industry-Leading Internship Celebrates 50th Anniversary Milestone

Only Company Recognized in the Vault's Top 10 Internship Rankings for 21 Straight Years

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May 10, 2017, 09:02 ET

MILWAUKEE, May 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This month, Northwestern Mutual marks the 50^th anniversary of its industry-leading financial representative internship program. Since it began, more than 50,000 students nationwide have participated in the internship program. As a metric of the program's success, one third of interns who are college seniors are expected to pursue a full-time career with Northwestern Mutual after graduation. Additionally, more than half of those leading Northwestern Mutual offices around the country are former interns, while even more are among the company's most successful financial representatives.

"Our internship program has been instrumental in attracting, cultivating, and retaining the next generation of leaders," said Michael Van Grinsven, internship program director. "As a result, Northwestern Mutual has built a robust talent pipeline prepared to meet the growing demand for holistic financial solutions."

Distinguished by the immersive, real-world experience it provides, the internship program has earned consistent accolades in key rankings. Northwestern Mutual is the only firm to be named to the top 10 of the Vault's Top 50 Internships List for 21 consecutive years. In 2016, the internship earned the No. 1 position for financial services and No. 4 overall across all industries. Additionally, the company ranks second for career development opportunities and 10th in the U.S. in terms of positive office culture, flexibility and work-life balance.

"The opportunity in financial advice is significant --- and growing. According to our proprietary research, there is a strong appetite, especially among Millennials for financial guidance," continued Van Grinsven. "Northwestern Mutual's internship program enables talented and diverse professionals to explore an exciting and lucrative career path with access to best-in-class training, mentorship, and digital capabilities."

Participating in Northwestern Mutual's internship program has broad benefits. A recent survey of former interns revealed positive impact on personal and professional development as well as financial well-being, namely:

Three quarters say they still use what they learned during the internship
8 in 10 say the internship helped them identify what they are good at
83% noted that it increased their confidence in making financial decisions, and, because of it, they feel financially secure

"We're extremely proud of this milestone and our strong track record for helping develop business and community leaders for our company, industry, and the world-at-large," said Van Grinsven. "We look forward to even more success in the next 50 years as our company and industry continue to evolve."

Interested applicants can visit the Northwestern Mutual website to learn more about available internship opportunities.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping families and businesses achieve financial security for 160 years. Through a distinctive, whole-picture planning approach including both insurance and investments, we empower people to be financially confident so they can live life differently. We combine the expertise of our financial professionals with a personalized digital experience to help our clients navigate their financial lives every day. With $250.4 billion in assets, $28.2 billion in revenues, and more than $1.6 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than 4.4 million people who rely on us for life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, brokerage and advisory services, trust services, and discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company holds more than $100 billion of client assets as a part of its wealth management company and investment services. Northwestern Mutual ranks 100 on the 2016 FORTUNE 500 and is recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2017. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a comprehensive approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, life insurance with long-term care benefits, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (fiduciary and fee-based financial planning services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance).

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual