Tom Graf to Retire as Senior Vice President of Investor Relations at The Principal

The Principal Financial Group^® announces that Tom Graf, senior vice president of investor relations, will retire at the end of May 2010 after more than 38 years with the company.

"Tom has made enormous contributions to The Principal^® throughout his long career. He has been a very strong leader and champion of the company in his investor relations role,” says Larry Zimpleman, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We thank Tom for his years of service and wish him only the best as he enters the next chapter of his life.”

Graf joined The Principal in 1972 as an actuarial student and has held several senior level positions including chief actuary and chief information officer. Named to his current position in 2001, Graf has been responsible for leading, developing and maintaining relationships with analysts, representing The Principal to investors, and earnings reporting.

John Egan has been named vice president of investor relations and will assume the role effective April 12, 2010. Egan comes to The Principal with more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. He has held a number of leadership positions with a strong background in finance, accounting, capital markets and investments. Most recently Egan was vice president of investor relations at Assurant, Inc. Prior he served for more than a decade as vice president, financial analyst –Assurant Asset Management.

"John brings a solid blend of technical expertise and investor relations experience. He is a strong, proven communicator and an ideal fit for The Principal,” said Terry Lillis, senior vice president and chief financial officer at The Principal. "We look forward to having his leadership and deep expertise.”

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 $284.7 billion in assets under management² and serves some 18.9 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.

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 December 31, 2009