Talk:Northwestern Mutual

message: 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.” 
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northwestern-mutual-celebrates-grand-opening-of-the-tower-and-commons-300507000.html
http://www.wisn.com/article/wisconsin-s-second-tallest-building-in-the-state-is-now-open/12045216
http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2017/08/21/eyes-on-milwaukee-inside-northwestern-mutual-tower/ 
http://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2017/08/18/doors-set-open-northwestern-mutuals-state-of-the-art-skyscraper-milwaukee/577502001/ 
Under the “Financial Standings” section, the industry ratings that need to be updated are: 
Fitch Ratings AAA (highest), 11/2016 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moodys-and-fitch-affirm-northwestern-mutuals-financial-strength-ratings-300508121.html
Moody’s Investor Service, Aaa (highest), 1/2017 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/moodys-and-fitch-affirm-northwestern-mutuals-financial-strength-ratings-300508121.html 
S&P Global Ratings of AA+ (second highest), 6/2017 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/standard--poors-recognizes-northwestern-mutuals-financial-strength-competitive-position-and-long-term-commitment-to-mutuality-and-policyowners-in-latest-ratings-report-300472515.html 
Currently, it states that NMIS is ranked 6th among independent broker-dealers. This should be changed to 5th to reflect their 2017 report. https://www.financial-planning.com/broker/fp50-broker-dealer-data-2017 
Thank you.
Zeljannm (talk) 15:59, 29 August 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: 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)
thread_title:  New updates 

message: 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. https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/  https://news.northwesternmutual.com/fact-sheets 
Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ and is recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2019 https://fortune.com/worlds-most-admired-companies/2019/northwestern-mutual/.
------
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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_organization. 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. (https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/detailed-financial-results/
Northwestern Mutual’s core product is permanent life insurance, which offers lifelong protection that builds cash value over time  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_insurance#Permanent_life_insurance . 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  https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/detailed-financial-results/ and introducing the Planning Experience, enabling clients to see their entire financial picture anytime, anywhere. https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2018/10/30/introduction-new-online-financial-planning-tool-customers-northwestern-mutual-life-insurance-co-has/1822943002/
------
Thank you,
NM-MediaRelations (talk) 21:15, 8 November 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  2019 updates 

message: * 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.
Regards,  Spintendo  23:17, 19 November 2019 (UTC)
thread_title: Reply 19-NOV-2019

message: 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.
https://www.northwesternmutual.com/northwestern-mutual-subsidiaries/
William at Northwestern Mutual (talk) 18:50, 25 January 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  2020 updates 

message: 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. http://www.choosemilwaukee.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=LeadingIndustries&category=OpenforBusiness https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/subscriber-only/2019/03/22/largest-milwaukee-area-securities.html
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. https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2020/02/25/northwestern-mutual-company-has-record-year-30-billion-surplus/4858996002/ https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/ https://news.northwesternmutual.com/fact-sheets 
Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2020. https://fortune.com/worlds-most-admired-companies/2020/northwestern-mutual/
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
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/73076/000119312506068667/dex211.htm https://www.financial-planning.com/list/independent-broker-dealer-2018-revenue-ibd-elite?brief=00000153-6773-d15a-abd7-efff45d10000 https://www.northwesternmutual.com/northwestern-mutual-subsidiaries/
Kosterberg (talk) 18:45, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: 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)

text: Zoozaz1 (talk) 15:26, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

text: 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)
thread_title:  May 2020 - COI editor requesting page updates 

message: Northwestern Mutual (The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company) is a financial services firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. http://www.choosemilwaukee.com/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=LeadingIndustries&category=OpenforBusiness https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/subscriber-only/2019/03/22/largest-milwaukee-area-securities.html
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. https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2020/02/25/northwestern-mutual-company-has-record-year-30-billion-surplus/4858996002/ https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/ https://news.northwesternmutual.com/fact-sheets 
Northwestern Mutual ranks 111 on the 2019 FORTUNE 500 https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2020. https://fortune.com/worlds-most-admired-companies/2020/northwestern-mutual/
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
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/73076/000119312506068667/dex211.htm https://www.financial-planning.com/list/independent-broker-dealer-2018-revenue-ibd-elite?brief=00000153-6773-d15a-abd7-efff45d10000 https://www.northwesternmutual.com/northwestern-mutual-subsidiaries/
Kosterberg (talk) 18:45, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  About Northwestern Mutual 

message: As a mutual organization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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. https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/northwestern-mutual-expects-record-dividends-for-policyholders-115569.aspx https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2018-annual-report/detailed-financial-results/
One of the company’s primary products is permanent life insurance,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_insurance#Permanent_life_insurance which is distributed by Northwestern Mutual financial advisors. https://www.usnews.com/life-insurance/northwestern-mutual
In 2018, Northwestern Mutual reduced underwriting time and introduced an online digital platform for clients. https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/02/20/northwestern-mutuals-surplus-investment-portfolio.html https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2018/10/30/introduction-new-online-financial-planning-tool-customers-northwestern-mutual-life-insurance-co-has/1822943002/
Kosterberg (talk) 18:50, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Operations 

message: * 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 
https://fortune.com/fortune500/2019/northwestern-mutual/ https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2019/09/25/northwestern-mutual-life-insurance-announces-senior-leadership-changes/2443158001/ https://news.northwesternmutual.com/2019-09-25-Northwestern-Mutual-Aligns-Senior-Leadership-for-Continued-Success
Kosterberg (talk) 18:51, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Northwestern Mutual Leaders 

message: 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 https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/northwestern-mutual-top-in-financial-strength--am-best-167466.aspx, Fitch https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/northwestern-mutual-earns-top-marks-from-fitch-168884.aspx, Moody’s https://www.moodys.com/credit-ratings/Northwestern-Mutual-Life-Insurance-Company-credit-rating-562500 and S&P https://www.standardandpoors.com/en_US/web/guest/ratings/entity/-/org-details/sectorCode/INS/entityId/322955
Kosterberg (talk) 18:49, 1 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Financial Ratings 

message: 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. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/northwestern-mutual-life-insurance-company-history/ 
In 1864, the company paid its first dividends to policy owners. https://www.lifeinsurancetypes.com/northwestern-mutual-life-insurance-review/
It again paid dividends in 1867 and 1870, and has done so annually since 1872. https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2018/11/06/northwestern-mutual-expects-biggest-dividend.html
 
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. http://media.nmfn.com/flash/historical-timeline/content/nm_hist_timeline_page1.htm
In 2015, Northwestern Mutual began construction of Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons, which opened in 2017. https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/2017/08/18/doors-set-open-northwestern-mutuals-state-of-the-art-skyscraper-milwaukee/577502001/
Kosterberg (talk) 16:14, 1 May 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Company History 

message: 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)
thread_title: Reply

message: * 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)
replies: text: 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)

text: Zoozaz1 (talk) 15:26, 15 September 2020 (UTC)

text: 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)
thread_title: Reply to Editor feedback

message: === 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.”
 https://biztimes.com/northwestern-mutual-tops-2-trillion-in-life-insurance-for-policyowners/ 
 https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2021/02/18/northwestern-mutual-ends-2020-record-revenue-surplus-and-assets/6786566002/ 
 https://insurancenewsnet.com/innarticle/northwestern-mutual-announces-record-2020-financial-results 
 https://news.northwesternmutual.com/2021-02-18-Northwestern-Mutual-Delivers-Record-Results-Company-is-Exceptionally-Strong-and-Growing 
=== 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.
 https://www.forbes.com/best-large-employers/#5707801dfb3e 
=== 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)
replies: text: Done   Caius G. (talk) 11:55, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

text: , thanks, fixed it. Caius G. (talk) 14:18, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  March 2021 - COI editor requesting page updates 

message: 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)
replies: text: Done   Caius G. (talk) 11:55, 15 March 2021 (UTC)

text: , thanks, fixed it. Caius G. (talk) 14:18, 15 March 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Request for section to be removed: Annual Meeting performers 

message: === 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.  https://fortune.com/fortune500/ 
=== 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) https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2020-annual-report/detailed-financial-results
* Net Income: $425 million USD (2020) https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2020-annual-report/detailed-financial-results
* Employees: 6,700+ (2021) https://news.northwesternmutual.com/fact-sheets
Kosterberg (talk) 16:45, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Done. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:10, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

text: You're welcome. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:28, 25 August 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  August 2021 - COI editor requesting updates 

message: 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) https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2020-annual-report/detailed-financial-results
* Net Income: $425 million USD (2020) https://www.northwesternmutual.com/2020-annual-report/detailed-financial-results
* Employees: 6,700+ (2021) https://news.northwesternmutual.com/fact-sheets
Kosterberg (talk) 16:45, 24 August 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: Done. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:10, 25 August 2021 (UTC)

text: You're welcome. Heartmusic678 (talk) 16:28, 25 August 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  Section to be updated: Company Facts box 

message: 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)
thread_title:  Great Lakes shipping history