Pros
Northwestern Mutual is a top notch company. Northwestern Mutual prides itself on the idea of Mutual Respect. This "Respect" is not only for its employees and financial representatives but also for its policy owners. Northwestern Mutual calls itself the "Policy Owners Company." You will never have to appologize for Northwestern Mutual because Northwestern Mutual always does the right thing. It is a company you can be proud to work for. Northwestern Mutual has been voted the Most Admired Company for 26 straight years by its peers in the financial world in Fortune Magazine. The other great thing about working for Northwestern Mutual is the Work/Life Balance. The ability to work your own schedule allows a financial representative to attend important family events, help out at your children's school, or take that vacation you have planned without having to worry about the "boss" making you stay for a big meeting. Northwestern Mutual also has a sales training program that is second to none. Even if a career with Northwestern Mutual does not work out, the training you receive will be invaluable in any future endeavor.
Cons
A financial representative at Northwestern Mutual is a contracted employee and is paid strictly on commission. This makes it very difficult for someone who does not have a lot of savings to get through the first few years of small commission checks. Most sales will take 60-120 days from first sales call to actually getting compensated and this long lag time creates a lot of hardship for financial representatives who don't have any savings to turn to. Another issue with Northwestern Mutual is their harsh underwriting. Many times you will submit an application and think that you have made a pretty good commission only to learn that your case has been highly rated (usually involving a much higher premium that your client is unwilling to pay) or straight up declined. These cases are disheartening and there is zero financial support from Northwestern Mutual if this occurs.