Company Description
Principal Financial Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PFG) is a global financial company that focuses on improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. According to company disclosures, Principal has been in business for 146 years and supports tens of millions of customers who look to the firm to help them plan, protect, invest, insure, and retire. The company is associated with the finance and insurance sector and is linked to direct life insurance activities through Principal Life Insurance Company and Principal National Life Insurance Co.
Principal Financial Group describes itself as having approximately 20,000 employees who work to serve customers and support the communities where the company does business. It is recognized in various communications as a global organization, with Principal Asset Management identified as its global investment solutions business. The company’s common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol PFG, as confirmed in multiple SEC filings.
Business segments and activities
Based on company materials and segment reporting, Principal operates across several key areas of financial services. The Polygon description notes that Principal Financial Group and its subsidiaries operate through reportable segments that include Retirement and Income Solutions, Principal Asset Management (also referred to as Investment Management), and Benefits and Protection. Additional segment disclosures in earnings materials reference International Pension, Specialty Benefits, Life Insurance, and a Corporate segment.
The Retirement and Income Solutions segment is described as the largest contributor to revenue. According to the Polygon summary, this segment provides workplace savings and retirement solutions, banking, trust and custodial services, individual variable annuities (including registered index-linked annuities, or RILAs), pension risk transfer, and investment services to businesses, their employees, and other individuals. These activities align with the company’s stated focus on helping customers plan and retire.
Principal Asset Management is identified in company communications as the investment management arm of Principal Financial Group. It manages assets for institutional clients and for the Principal general account. In a partnership announcement with Barings, Principal stated that Principal Asset Management manages approximately 95% of the Principal general account portfolio and serves as the dedicated in-house asset manager for the company. Principal Asset Management is described as having public and private market capabilities across asset classes, and as managing assets for more than 1,100 institutional clients in numerous markets.
The Benefits and Protection area encompasses businesses such as Specialty Benefits and Life Insurance. Company disclosures describe Specialty Benefits as providing group products like group life, group disability, and group dental coverage, with segment commentary highlighting underwriting performance and incurred loss ratios. The Life Insurance segment is reported separately, with references to premium and fee growth and mortality experience. Insurance products are issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in New York) and Principal Life Insurance Company.
Global investment and retirement focus
Principal emphasizes its role in both U.S. and international retirement and pension markets. The International Pension segment is reported with assets under management and operating margins, indicating a focus on pension-related services outside the United States. Company disclosures also highlight Principal Asset Management’s real estate strategies and their performance against global ESG benchmarks, such as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), where Principal’s real estate strategies have received high ratings over multiple years.
In addition to retirement and pension services, Principal engages in asset management for a broad range of institutional clients. Principal Asset Management is described as managing assets across public and private markets and as seeking to align investment practices with sustainability considerations, including ESG and biodiversity guidelines in real estate strategies. These activities reflect the company’s focus on long-term value and risk management within its investment operations.
Recognition and corporate characteristics
Principal Financial Group notes in multiple communications that it has been recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere and as a "Best Places to Work in Money Management" by Pensions & Investments. These recognitions are cited as part of the company’s identity and culture, alongside references to building an inclusive workforce and supporting the communities where it operates.
The company’s disclosures repeatedly describe its purpose as helping people and businesses improve their financial well-being. This includes planning, protecting, investing, insuring, and retiring. Principal also publishes recurring research, such as the Principal Financial Well-Being Index, which tracks business sentiment and financial health measures for U.S. businesses, reflecting its engagement with employers and decision makers.
Capital markets presence and reporting
Principal Financial Group’s common stock is registered on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol PFG, as confirmed in several Form 8-K filings. The company regularly reports financial results, including net income, non-GAAP operating earnings, assets under management (AUM), and assets under administration (AUA). An 8-K filed in October 2025 disclosed that assets under management for Principal Financial Group were $784.3 billion as of September 30, 2025, with $601.6 billion managed by Principal Asset Management – Investment Management and $150.7 billion managed by Principal Asset Management – International Pension.
Principal also communicates its capital management actions, such as common stock dividends and share repurchases, through earnings releases and SEC filings. These disclosures provide insight into the company’s financial condition, segment performance, and capital allocation decisions over time.
Governance and leadership context
Corporate governance developments are disclosed through SEC filings and news releases. For example, an 8-K filed in August 2025 reported that the Board of Directors elected Deanna D. Strable, the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, to the additional position of Chair of the Board, effective September 2, 2025. The same filing noted the conclusion of service on the Board by the prior Executive Chairman.
Principal’s governance communications emphasize continuity of leadership and experience in its core businesses, including Benefits and Protection and asset management. These details are relevant for investors assessing oversight of the company’s multi-segment financial services operations.
How Principal fits within finance and insurance
Within the broader finance and insurance sector, Principal Financial Group combines retirement and pension services, asset management, and insurance-based benefits and protection. The company’s activities span retirement and income solutions, investment management, international pension operations, specialty benefits, and life insurance, with a corporate segment supporting these businesses. This structure reflects a diversified approach within financial services while remaining focused on wealth and well-being for individuals, businesses, and institutional clients.
Key structural features for investors
- Sector and listing: Finance and insurance sector; common stock listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol PFG.
- Core segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Principal Asset Management/Investment Management; Benefits and Protection (including Specialty Benefits and Life Insurance); International Pension; Corporate.
- Customer focus: Individuals, employees, businesses, and institutional clients seeking retirement, investment, insurance, and protection solutions, as described in company materials.
- Insurance entities: Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in New York) and Principal Life Insurance Company issue insurance products referenced in company disclosures.
- Research and insights: The Principal Financial Well-Being Index provides recurring research on business sentiment and financial health measures for U.S. businesses.