This week, Dutch insurance company NN Group shared its big financial plans for the year 2028. The company, which owns Nationale-Nederlanden, says it’s aiming to make more money and grow steadily over the next few years. But while the future looks exciting on paper, not everyone is cheering just yet — especially when some still remember what went wrong in the past.
At a special investor event in The Hague, NN Group said it wants to increase the amount of cash its business generates each year. Right now, that number is expected to be about €1.9 billion in 2025, but the company hopes to raise it to €2.2 billion by 2028.
They also plan to grow their free cash flow (which is basically the money left after expenses) from €1.6 billion in 2024 to €1.8 billion in 2028.
These targets are based on the hope that their insurance business will keep growing — especially in Europe, the Netherlands, and Japan. NN says it’s aiming for about 7–8% growth each year.
Analysts (financial experts) say these goals are “ambitious,” meaning they’re aiming high. But the company’s stock price didn’t really move after the announcement. That could mean people are unsure if NN Group can actually hit those targets.
But Let’s Not Forget What Happened Before- while NN Group is looking ahead, many people still remember something that hurt a lot of families: the “woekerpolis” incident.
Between 1990 and 2008, hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands were sold investment-based savings policies. These were supposed to help people save up a big lump sum over 20 or 30 years. But many didn’t realize they were paying high hidden fees, and in the end, they got far less money than they expected.
This problem came to light in 2006 thanks to a consumer TV show called Radar, and the Dutch financial watchdog (AFM) confirmed that people had been misled.
Earlier this year, NN Group agreed to pay €360 million to settle claims from customers who were affected. Another insurer, ASR, also paid €250 million in a similar case.
It’s clear that NN Group wants to move forward and grow. They’re setting big goals, investing in their business, and promising strong returns. But for many everyday people, especially those who were hurt by the old savings policies, trust doesn’t come back overnight.
The company may be trying to build a better future, but how they treat people now matters just as much. Numbers can look good on a slide, but customers want honesty, fairness, and transparency — not just big promises.
At a special investor event in The Hague, NN Group said it wants to increase the amount of cash its business generates each year. Right now, that number is expected to be about €1.9 billion in 2025, but the company hopes to raise it to €2.2 billion by 2028.
They also plan to grow their free cash flow (which is basically the money left after expenses) from €1.6 billion in 2024 to €1.8 billion in 2028.
These targets are based on the hope that their insurance business will keep growing — especially in Europe, the Netherlands, and Japan. NN says it’s aiming for about 7–8% growth each year.
Analysts (financial experts) say these goals are “ambitious,” meaning they’re aiming high. But the company’s stock price didn’t really move after the announcement. That could mean people are unsure if NN Group can actually hit those targets.
But Let’s Not Forget What Happened Before- while NN Group is looking ahead, many people still remember something that hurt a lot of families: the “woekerpolis” incident.
Between 1990 and 2008, hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands were sold investment-based savings policies. These were supposed to help people save up a big lump sum over 20 or 30 years. But many didn’t realize they were paying high hidden fees, and in the end, they got far less money than they expected.
This problem came to light in 2006 thanks to a consumer TV show called Radar, and the Dutch financial watchdog (AFM) confirmed that people had been misled.
Earlier this year, NN Group agreed to pay €360 million to settle claims from customers who were affected. Another insurer, ASR, also paid €250 million in a similar case.
It’s clear that NN Group wants to move forward and grow. They’re setting big goals, investing in their business, and promising strong returns. But for many everyday people, especially those who were hurt by the old savings policies, trust doesn’t come back overnight.
The company may be trying to build a better future, but how they treat people now matters just as much. Numbers can look good on a slide, but customers want honesty, fairness, and transparency — not just big promises.
