Northwestern Mutual Insurance Review 2025
Written by
Christine Lacagnina has written thousands of insurance-based articles for TrustedChoice.com by authoring consumable, understandable content.
Reviewed by
Cara Carlone is a licensed P&C agent with 20 years of experience. She has her P&C license in RI and TX and holds CPCU, API, and AINS designations.
Trusted Choice's Northwestern Mutual Insurance Score
2.5 Stars
We award Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company a final rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars. While Northwestern Mutual has an outstanding rating by AM Best, its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating is lower than many carriers. The insurance company is not accredited by the BBB and has also had dozens of customer complaints filed against it in recent years through the organization.
Northwestern Mutual was founded in 1857, giving the carrier well over a century of experience in the insurance industry. Today, Northwestern Mutual focuses on providing life, disability, long-term care, and annuity solutions to its customers. Coverage is not offered in all states. Northwestern Mutual is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.
The insurance company's poor BBB rating, coupled with the many customer complaints and negative reviews, causes us to give it a fairly low score. Overall, we recommend working together with your independent insurance agent to survey your other options for life insurance and other related products. If you're looking for a reliable carrier that delivers on its coverage promises to customers, you may want to skip Northwestern Mutual altogether.
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Northwestern Mutual Insurance Products by Type
Northwestern Mutual is a specialized insurance company, with a focus on life insurance, disability insurance, long-term care, and annuities. The carrier offers the following insurance products:
Life insurance & Annuities:
- Whole life insurance
- Universal life insurance
- Variable universal life insurance
- Term life insurance
- Annuities
Other Insurance:
- Long-term care insurance
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance
Northwestern Mutual offers a full range of life insurance products, including term life insurance, whole life insurance, universal life insurance, and variable universal life insurance. The carrier's term life insurance policies can be either level premium or annual renewable. Northwestern Mutual also offers two different types of universal life insurance.
Northwestern Mutual Whole Life Insurance
Northwestern Mutual's whole life insurance offers level premiums for the policy's life, meaning the customer's premium never changes. This coverage is available for customers up to age 85.
- Minimum coverage amount of $50,000: Customers must purchase at least $50,000 of whole life insurance coverage.
- Survivorship whole-life policy: This option comes with a minimum coverage of $250,000, so customers must purchase at least whole life insurance to get this type of policy.
Northwestern Mutual Universal Life Insurance
Northwestern Mutual also offers two different options for universal life insurance. This coverage is also available for customers up to age 85.
- Single premium policy: This policy includes just one lump-sum payment.
- Custom universal life policy: This policy allows customers to customize the death benefit amount and premiums if their financial situation shifts.
Northwestern Mutual Term Life Insurance
Northwestern Mutual also offers two forms of term life insurance. Coverage is available in increments of 10 or 20 years, but policies can be renewed. Depending on the policy chosen, customers can renew their term policies up to age 80.
- Annual renewable term life insurance policy: This policy starts with low premium amounts, but premiums increase annually throughout the policy's life.
- Level premium term life insurance policy: This policy starts with higher premium amounts, but these premiums remain the same throughout the policy's life.
- Convert to whole life insurance option: Customers can convert their term life policies to whole life coverage through Northwestern Mutual without taking a medical exam.
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Average Prices
Northwestern Mutual does not publish information about its average life insurance prices. Policy premiums can vary considerably based on many factors, including your age, location, health status, occupation, and more.
You can ask an independent insurance agent for more information and to obtain a quote from Northwestern Mutual. To get an estimate of how much a life insurance policy might cost you, check out our life insurance calculator.
Other Northwestern Mutual Insurance Coverage
Northwestern Mutual offers more than just life insurance. Customers can also get coverage for disabilities or long-term care. The carrier offers the following:
- Disability insurance: This coverage can reimburse a percentage of income if someone gets injured or is too ill to continue working.
- Long-term care insurance: This coverage can help reimburse the costs of home nurses or health aides, assisted living facilities or adult day care centers, nursing homes, or hospice care.
- Annuities: This option allows the policyholder to receive periodic payments after retiring, so they don't risk outliving their income.
What Discounts Does Northwestern Mutual Offer?
Northwestern Mutual does not make information about its specific discounts readily available. An independent insurance agent can provide better discount information and premium quotes for coverage through Northwestern Mutual. When it comes to coverage, independent insurance agents work hard to help to get you the most for your money.
Northwestern Mutual Customer Service
Northwestern Mutual offers online claims reporting for its policyholders. The carrier provides the following customer service options and availability:
- Phone
- Online bill pay
The customer service phone department has the following hour restrictions:
| Days | Hours (CST) | ||
| Monday-Friday | 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. | ||
| Saturday | CLOSED | ||
| Sunday | CLOSED |
The best way to guarantee a great customer service experience is to work with an independent insurance agent. Independent insurance agents can help handle claims and other matters so you can relax and enjoy your coverage.
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Northwestern Mutual Insurance FAQs
Northwestern Mutual offers claims reporting through a couple of mediums. Claims reporting is available online at any time. The insurance company strives to follow up with claims within 2-3 business days.
Northwestern Mutual allows customers to file claims online or by phone. The insurance company offers extended customer service hours by phone Monday through Friday. The carrier’s social media presence extends across Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, which makes it more available to customers.
Northwestern Mutual offers a couple of options for claims reporting. In addition, the insurance company explains its claims process in detail via video on its official website. If customers have questions about filing or the claims process itself, they can contact the carrier via phone, online form, or get in touch with their independent insurance agent.
Northwestern Mutual’s official website is easy to use and lists all of its products and services online. The carrier provides detailed YouTube videos of its claims process. Online bill pay is available, as is claims reporting online or by phone. Overall, Northwestern Mutual does provide a user-friendly experience.
Northwestern Mutual offers several different rider options for customers, including the additional purchase benefit rider that lets customers increase their coverage without needing to submit further proof of being insurable or having to reapply for coverage. The carrier's waiver of premium rider continues to pay a customer's premiums as long as they are disabled.
The long-term care rider acts as a type of accelerated death benefit that grants customers access to a portion of their death benefit early, typically on a monthly basis, if they need additional help paying for their current care. Northwestern Mutual has other riders available as well, and an independent insurance agent can provide further details.
Yes, customers can borrow against their life insurance policy's accrued value. Customers must have either a universal life insurance policy or a whole life insurance policy to do this. Borrowing against a life insurance policy is basically a loan from Northwestern Mutual. Loan interest fees are billed annually and continue accumulating until a customer pays the loan back, which they may do at any time.
Northwestern Mutual has an excellent official rating by AM Best. It is a longstanding carrier that offers several critical life insurance products. However, the BBB has also rated Northwestern Mutual poorly, and many customer complaints have been filed against it. Overall, it may be up to individual interpretation whether the carrier can be considered a good insurance company.
https://www.northwesternmutual.com/who-we-are/
https://www.bbb.org/us/wi/milwaukee/profile/insurance-services-office/northwestern-mutual-0694-16000070
https://ratings.ambest.com/CompanyProfile.aspx?AltSrc=10&AmbNum=006845