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Principal Financial Group

Engaged Employer

They support success and invest in your training - Financial Services Representative Principal Financial Group Employee Review

5.0
Feb 27, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Principal Financial Group is a great insurance and investments company. They have a good corporate culture and everyone - from support staff to underwriting, lead generation, marketing, and division leads - will go out of their way to help you become a success. The benefits are very good and the opportunities are almost endless.

Cons

If you are entering the financial services market for the first time, as a sales representative, then you may become one of many who enter the field and decide to move on. It takes a special person to survive and thrive in a commission's only position. Few do. It doesn't matter what your college degree was, or what your career path has been, if you can understand and explain the product, understand what the clients/prospects are looking for, ask for and get the sale, and provide fabulous customer service, you can make it. There are those who are mega-successes who once were teachers, actors/stuntmen, etc. And there are those with business degrees who don't know how to sell or maintain relationships with clients. It all depends on the individual. It's just a high turnover industry. And by the way, I stayed for only 18 months before I knew I wasn't meant for a Financial Services Representative (sales) position. But that doesn't negate how good of a company Principal Financial Group is.

Explore other reviews about Principal Financial Group

5.0
May 28, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Three years in and still LOVE it. Great leadership. Work-like balance. Principal invests in their employees with training and professional development. It's very telling when literally thousands of employees have been there for 20-25-30+ years.

Cons

First time in a large company. Sometimes it is tricky to find the right internal partner to get the answer you need.

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Principal Financial Group Response
2w
We appreciate your feedback! Hearing that you felt supported reinforces what we're proud of—the strong community we've built together.
2.0
Jun 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Decent work life balance and benefits. Principal offers a pension which is unheard of in today’s age.

Cons

Pay is below average and Principal does not offer inflation raises. Once you hit the midpoint of your salary, you will get a 0% raise until you’re promoted, which will take multiple years regardless of performance. Performance reviews are vague and often used against employees to avoid promotions. At least in my department, I’ve yet to see any of the remote workers be promoted. This is starting to affect attrition and we’re already starting to see people leaving. It’s well known at this point that the best way to get promoted is to leave Principal and get rehired, which even leadership has stated publicly. This is a huge frustration and blow to morale, as it starts to feel like employees need to compete against their co-workers for raises.

1
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Principal Financial Group Response
4d
We appreciate you sharing your feedback. As a leader in retirement solutions and employee benefits, we strive to provide our employees with a competitive benefits package. Our global pay philosophy is guided by market-driven principles. and we leverage third-party market data to ensure our base salary and incentives remain appropriately competitive.
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