Many of us look forward to a long and active retirement. You spend your working years accumulating assets (your home, property, vehicles, savings plans, investments) in order to carry on your livelihood and work toward a comfortable retirement.

Your financial security will make it easier for you to enjoy your retirement years.

Life Insurance
Life insurance should be considered the foundation and most conservative element in assessing your needs—the money that absolutely has to be there, no matter what the economic cycle or climate.

A Northwestern Mutual permanent life insurance policy offers a death benefit and adds cash value to the money you have targeted for retirement. Cash value you can choose to have available for your use in retirement through policy loans, conversion of a policy into an annuity, or by surrendering part or all of the policy.

When surrendering a policy, the surrender value may be less than the cash value due to surrender charges or other fees. Taking out a policy loan can have a significant impact on your policy's performance and future dividends and should you die before the loan is paid off, any outstanding balance and interest will be deducted from the death benefit. Consult your tax advisor for the tax implications on the use of your policy.

Disability Insurance
Preparing for the financial impact of a disability is crucial because the money you earn provides the base for your retirement plan. If those earnings suddenly cease to exist, you may be at risk.

Expenses for a mortgage, rent, groceries and other necessities continue and may even rise if a wage earner cannot work. Many people turn to their employers, assuming they will be taken care of by their company's disability plan. Or, they believe that the government-provided Social Security program will cover their expenses.

Company group plans may fall short in their coverage and even though you may apply for Social Security benefits, you may not qualify to receive benefits.

Individual disability income insurance from Northwestern Mutual may provide you income protection to safeguard your retirement funds.

Long-Term Care Insurance
With the advances in medical science, most of us will live well into our golden years. It's important to think in terms of the "quality" of that longer lifetime. When it comes to the quality of our lives, maintaining control over our own circumstances will become more and more meaningful with every passing year.

Long-term care insurance is used to protect you and your family from the financial risk associated with paying significant medical and care costs over time. Policies are available through the Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company, a subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company.