Principal Retirement Income EdgeSM was named winner of the RIIA 2009 Defined Contributions Advisor Communications category for Excellence in Communications. The awards program recognizes "best-in-class communications initiatives and materials that are found to be some of the most impactful and unique retirement income communications found¦across the industry," according to the RIIA.

Principal Retirement Income Edge is a comprehensive program of education, tools and other resources to help financial professionals meet client needs and grow their retirement income planning business.

PLANSPONSOR magazine sponsored the Advisor Communications award category and was responsible for selecting the winner.

In describing why The Principal® was chosen, Nevin Adams, editor-in-chief of PLANSPONSOR and PLANADVISER magazines said, "The operative word here is comprehensive. This is exactly the sort of breadth and depth that advisors need to handle their clients' often diverse needs and financial information demands."

"We are honored to receive recognition from such a highly respected industry publication and industry association for this critically important program," said Ron Danilson, senior vice president of retirement and investor services at The Principal. "Millions of baby boomers are looking to financial professionals for help with the complex task of turning a nest egg into a lifetime income. That is why we have dedicated significant resources to provide financial professionals with tools to help them respond to this growing demand."

The Principal Retirement Income Edge program includes:

Prospecting and marketing materials

Retirement income planning seminars for financial professionals and their clients

Retirement planning checklists

Educational materials and thought capital

One piece of thought capital, "Sustaining Income through Retirement: Four Strategies for Retiring Clients"”available at www.principal.com/research --was named runner up in the RIIA Advisor Communications awards category in 2008.

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.

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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

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.