Stewart Network Office seeks to build team with enthusiastic individuals
who thrive in an entrepreneurial environment

SAN DIEGO – March 19, 2025 – With California consumer confidence hitting a 4-year low, financial uncertainty is at a high. To help San Diegans navigate these challenging times, the Stewart Network Office of Northwestern Mutual announced today its recruitment strategy for the year. This initiative aims to bring on over 100 new professionals in the downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Carlsbad, and Scripps Ranch offices.

As part of Northwestern Mutual's broader nationwide effort to attract more talent than ever before in 2025, the Stewart Network Office is targeting the addition of 187 financial advisors[i], over 100 interns, and insurance and investment support team members across San Diego and the Pacific Northwest to better support its community and clients. 

“Given the financial uncertainty many San Diego residents are facing, it’s understandable that they are also feeling increased anxiety about their futures. At Northwestern Mutual - San Diego, we believe that financial security is a fundamental need, especially in times like these, and our mission is to remove the barriers to financial independence, and to elevate the trajectory of people’s lives,” said Tom Stewart, Managing Partner of Northwestern Mutual - San Diego. “By expanding our team of dedicated financial professionals, we’re not only creating new career opportunities, but also empowering our community with the guidance and tools they need to build a more secure future. We’re excited to bring in talented financial professionals to ensure San Diegans have the support they need to navigate challenging times.”

Northwestern Mutual’s mission is to help Americans achieve financial security by helping them to build comprehensive financial plans combining both risk management and wealth management. At the end of 2024, Northwestern Mutual managed over $334 billion[ii] in client investments. The leading financial services company also expects to award its policy owners $8.2 billion[iii] in insurance dividends in 2025 – which is nearly triple the size of its top competitor and surpasses the company’s 2024 payout by more than $800 million.

A growing need for thoughtful, trusted advice as many advisors plan to retire 

The need for financial advice – and financial advisors – is growing. According to Northwestern Mutual’s research, the gap between people’s retirement goals and savings is widening. On average, Americans believe that they will need to save $1.46 million to retire comfortably but have just a fraction that amount saved – according to Northwestern Mutual’s Planning & Progress Study. In San Diego, with the cost of living rising to 44% above the national average, it can be difficult for residents to effectively prepare for retirement.

By increasing the number of financial professionals at the Stewart Network Office, Northwestern Mutual hopes to support more San Diegans as 64% of Americans working with an advisor said they felt financially secure, compared to just 29% without an advisor.

Additionally, a 2024 research report from Cerulli Associates found that financial advisors are retiring at a faster pace than they are being recruited and developed. The firm predicts that 109,000 financial advisors in the U.S. will retire over the next 10 years, representing nearly 40% of all advisors in the U.S. 

Work/life independence and nationally recognized training and development program 

Successful Northwestern Mutual advisors come from a wide variety of career backgrounds. In fact, many of the company’s best financial advisors came from outside of the finance sector. Northwestern Mutual provides award-winning training, professional development, and mentoring to help ensure each new advisor’s success.   

“We train our advisors to create personalized comprehensive financial plans for our clients, so they feel prepared for whatever comes their way,” said Stewart. “As the fastest growing Network Office across the Northwestern Mutual system, we continue to set the standard for excellence in the development of new and long-time advisors alike.”

Financial advisors are independent contractors running their own businesses and organizing their own schedules. That said, they’re never by themselves. Northwestern Mutual’s leaders in each local office provide continued coaching and guidance to help them realize a fulfilling career.   

Northwestern Mutual also has an award-winning college representative program. As interns, college students can help others build financial security while also building professional skills. Many of the company’s most successful local leaders – including Managing Partners and Managing Directors – started out as financial representative interns years ago.  

As noted above, the Stewart Network Office also has offices in Oregon and Southwest Washington that are part of the recruiting campaign. The firm seeks to recruit 85 new advisors across Portland, Lake Oswego, Salem, and Bend this year.

All prospective candidates, including career changers from other fields, who are highly motivated and driven to have a positive impact on clients are encouraged to apply. More information can be found at: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/office/ca/san-diego/20692047/.  

About Northwestern Mutual  

Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a comprehensive planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what's most important. With nearly $700 billion of total assets[iv] being managed across the company’s institutional portfolio as well as retail investment client portfolios, more than $38 billion in revenues, and $2.4 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to more than five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 110 on the 2024 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2025.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with "Advisor" in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.

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