The Principal Financial Group and Weight Watchers Pair to Help Customers Fight Obesity, Get Healthy

Business Wire, March 23, 2005

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Taking action to address the nation's obesity and related health issues, the Principal Financial Group(R) has launched a new program in cooperation with Weight Watchers of North America, Inc. This program provides the more than 1.6 million health care customers of The Principal(R) access to discounts on Weight Watchers' services, whether the customer participates in a Weight Watchers' program during a local meeting, online or at home. Savings vary by program, but can include free registration and discounts on enrollment and meeting fees of up to ten percent.

"Our foremost concern is the health and wellness of our customers. Even a few extra pounds can have a significant impact on a person's cholesterol, blood pressure and increase their risk for diabetes and heart conditions," said Carey Jury, senior vice president of the Health Division for the Principal Financial Group. "By providing them added incentives to lose weight in a balanced, nutritious and sensible way, we are encouraging our customers to head off any potential problems now, before serious conditions develop."

As one of the nation's most trusted names in weight loss, Weight Watchers offers several options for customers of The Principal interested in participating in a program, including:

--Local meetings - Meeting coupons provide prepaid admission to local Weight Watchers meetings, with savings on weekly fees and free registration.

--Online - Weight Watchers online provides a set of robust, personalized tools to help participants stay on track.

--At home - The Weight Watchers At Home Kit is a convenient weight-loss system that contains 12 weeks of program materials with simple step-by-step instructions delivered to the participant's home. A deluxe package is also available, which includes twenty-six weeks of telephone support, a pedometer, a cookbook and the popular Weight Watchers' books Complete Food and Dining Out Companion.

"The best defense is a strong offense when it comes to warding off serious health conditions and risks. We're encouraging our customers to take action before weight-related problems arise, which can lead to - among other things - sizable healthcare bills," noted Jury.

For more information about the Weight Watchers program discounts available to health customers of the Principal Financial Group, visit www.principal.com/health.> About the Principal Financial Group

The Principal Financial Group(R) (The Principal (R))(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 $168.7 billion in assets under management(2) and serves some 14.9 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, 2004