Rethinking and Rebuilding Retirement: The Principal to Address Advisors

As the dust settles from one of the worst economic slides in American history, now is the time for financial professionals to step in and help Americans rebuild. That is the message from Daniel Houston, president of retirement and investor services at the Principal Financial Group^®, in the opening keynote address to the 2nd Annual Retirement Income Symposium, Oct. 19 – 20 in Chicago, Ill.

Sponsored by the Summit Business Media Group, the theme of the conference is "Solutions for the New Retirement Reality,” a look at the newest resources for financial professionals to address the issue of retirement income.

Houston’s presentation, "Rethinking Retirement,” will focus on what Americans need and want from advisors in the wake of the financial crisis.

"My message to financial professionals about investors is ‘you have their attention.’ The economic downturn has been a big wake-up call. Americans are rethinking their spending and saving habits as well as their dreams and hopes for retirement,” said Houston. "Advisors can play a critical role in helping individuals refocus on savings and rebuild financial confidence: the first steps toward creating a secure retirement income.”

For more information about Houston’s comments or to set up an interview, please contact Terri Hale, 515-283-8858, hale.terri@principal.com.

About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group^® (The Principal^®)¹ is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $257.7 billion in assets under management² and serves some 18.8 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

#8067102011

¹ "The Principal Financial Group” and "The Principal” are registered service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

² As of June 30, 2009