Wisconsin › Finance and insurance › 5,000 to 24,999 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024
The Northwestern Mutual Employee Retirement Plan
Sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co., Milwaukee, WI
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
In the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, The Northwestern Mutual Employee Retirement Plan covered 14,379 participants and held $3.23B in net assets. The plan is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Net assets came to $224,472 per participant, well above the $87,623 median for defined benefit plans with 5,000 to 24,999 participants and well above the $119,983 median for defined benefit plans in finance and insurance. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Schedule C lists 2 service provider organisations paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $4.9M: $344 per participant, well above the same-size median of $232. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $4.9M. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $1.41B in 2009 to $3.23B in 2024 (up 129%), and participants from 7,625 to 14,379 (up 89%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $224,472 | $87,623 | $119,983 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | — | $9,468 | $7,849 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $344 | $232 | $352 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.32% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $344 | $396 | $433 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 5,000 to 24,999 participants (651 plans), finance and insurance (690) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14,379 | $3.23B | $224,472 | — | — | $4.9M |
| 2023 | 14,341 | $3.29B | $229,225 | — | — | $4.8M |
| 2022 | 14,217 | $3.07B | $215,978 | — | — | $4.9M |
| 2021 | 13,066 | $4.01B | $307,071 | — | — | $6.7M |
| 2020 | 11,922 | $3.81B | $319,341 | — | — | $35K |
| 2019 | 11,128 | $3.38B | $303,679 | — | — | $71K |
| 2017 | 10,117 | $3.11B | $307,744 | — | — | $72K |
| 2016 | 9,886 | $2.77B | $280,618 | — | — | $71K |
| 2015 | 9,327 | $2.58B | $276,587 | — | — | $2.5M |
| 2014 | 8,775 | $2.65B | $301,777 | — | — | $2.7M |
| 2013 | 8,285 | $2.44B | $294,295 | — | — | $2.6M |
| 2012 | 8,079 | $2.21B | $273,573 | $40.0M | — | $2.5M |
| 2011 | 7,849 | $1.97B | $251,009 | $235M | — | $2.9M |
| 2010 | 7,684 | $1.77B | $230,389 | $200M | — | $0 |
| 2009 | 7,625 | $1.41B | $184,838 | $75.0M | — | $0 |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$3,287,313,268
- Employer contributions—
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$0
- Total income, including investment results$83,208,558
- Benefits paid$137,895,830
- Administrative expenses$4,941,003
- Total expenses$142,836,833
- Net income−$59,628,275
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$3,227,684,993
Participants
- Active participants8,247
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits3,619
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits2,224
- Total participants, end of year14,379
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| NM Investment MGMT Co. | Investment management | $4,821,720 | $0 |
| Bellwether Consulting LLC | Consulting fees | $119,283 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Investment advisory and management fees$4,821,720
- Other administrative expenses$119,283
- Total administrative expenses$4,941,003
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Corporate debt instruments$1.54B · 47.3%
- Corporate stocks$872M · 26.8%
- U.S. Government securities$419M · 12.9%
- Partnership/joint venture interests$353M · 10.8%
- Receivables$72.1M · 2.2%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmWipfli LLP
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $95,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1ABenefits are primarily pay related3HPlan sponsor(s) is (are) a member(s) of a controlled group
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 524140: Direct Life, Health, & Medical Insurance Carriers.
Other plans of Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Agents Retirement Plan | 13,879 | $2.06B |
| The Northwestern Mutual Employee Savings Plan | 12,763 | $2.89B |
| The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Agents Persistency Fee Guarantee Fund | 8,491 | $1.42B |
Similar plans in Wisconsin
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Family Pension Plan | American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. | 16,185 | $1.25B | $77,272 |
| The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Agents Retirement Plan | Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co. | 13,879 | $2.06B | $148,343 |
| Sentry Employee Retirement Plan | Sentry Insurance Company | 6,829 | $1.40B | $205,447 |
| Associated Banc-Corp Retirement Account Plan | Associated Banc-Corp | 5,730 | $518M | $90,336 |
| WPS Pension Plan | WPS Insurance Corporation | 2,926 | $325M | $111,011 |
| Qbe Pension Equity Plan | Qbe Holdings, Inc. | 2,248 | $138M | $61,220 |
Defined benefit plans in finance and insurance closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is The Northwestern Mutual Employee Retirement Plan?
14,379 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Dec 2024, of whom 8,247 were active employees, with net assets of $3,227,684,993. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 5,000 to 24,999 participants band, which held 651 plans in plan year 2024.
What does Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co. contribute per participant?
This filing has no Schedule H financial statement, so employer contributions are not reported here.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $4,941,003 in compensation to service provider organisations, $344 per participant or 0.15% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $232 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $4,941,003. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is Northwestern Mutual Life Ins.co.. Investment advisory or management: NM Investment MGMT Co.. The financial statements were audited by Wipfli LLP. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Jan 2024 to 31 Dec 2024, received by the Department of Labor on 6 Oct 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 39-0509570, plan 003, received 6 Oct 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.