SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                               ------------------



                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT



                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                          Date of Report: MARCH 9, 2006
                        (Date of earliest event reported)



                         PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


           DELAWARE                     1-16725                 42-1520346
 (State or other jurisdiction    (Commission file number)    (I.R.S. Employer
       of incorporation)                                  Identification Number)


                     711 HIGH STREET, DES MOINES, IOWA 50392
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                                 (515) 247-5111
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
    230.425)
[ ] Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17  CFR
    240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to  Rule 14d-2(b) under the
    Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
    Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

                               ------------------


<PAGE>





ITEM 5.02 DEPARTURE OF DIRECTORS OR PRINCIPAL  OFFICERS;  ELECTION OF DIRECTORS;
          APPOINTMENT OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS

(d)  The Board of Directors of Principal  Financial Group,  Inc. (the "Company")
     elected  Michael T. Dan as a new  director of the Company and of  Principal
     Life Insurance Company.  Mr. Dan will join the Board at its May 15-16, 2006
     meeting.  There is no arrangement or understanding  between Mr. Dan and any
     other person pursuant to which Mr. Dan was selected as a director.  Mr. Dan
     has no material interest in any prior,  existing or proposed transaction or
     series of transactions  with the Company or its  management.  The Board has
     not yet taken formal action to appoint Mr. Dan to a Board committee, but it
     is  anticipated  that  he will  become  a  member  of the  Human  Resources
     Committee.  A press  release  announcing  Mr.  Dan's  election  is included
     herewith as Exhibit 99.


ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

Exhibit 99 Press Release  Concerning  Election of Michael T. Dan dated March 15,
           2006.


                                    SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                         PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.


                         By:    /S/ JOYCE N. HOFFMAN
                               -------------------------------------------------
                         Name: Joyce N. Hoffman
                         Title:Senior Vice President and
                               Corporate Secretary

Date:    March 15, 2006



<PAGE>


Release: On receipt, March 15, 2006                                  EXHIBIT 99
Contact: Eva Quinn, the Principal Financial Group, 515-247-4907,
         QUINN.EVA@PRINCIPAL.COM or Rhonda Clark-Leyda, 515-247-6634,
         CLARK-LEYDA.RHONDA@PRINCIPAL.COM


    THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP NAMES MICHAEL T. DAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Des  Moines,  Iowa)  - The  Principal  Financial  Group(R)  (NYSE:  PFG)  today
announced  Michael T. Dan will join the company's  Board of Directors at its May
15-16, 2006 meeting.

     Dan is  chairman,  president  and chief  executive  officer of The  Brink's
Company (NYSE: BCO), a global leader in business and  security-related  services
through  its  two  operating  units:  Brink's,  Incorporated  and  Brink's  Home
Security.  Prior to joining  Brink's in 1982, Dan served as president of Armored
Vehicle Builder, Inc.

     Dan is a member of the  Business  Roundtable  and  serves as  sub-committee
chairman on the Security Task Force.  He also serves on the 2006 Kennedy  Center
corporate  Fund Board as vice  chairman.  He studied  business and accounting at
Morton College in Cicero,  Ill. and completed the advanced management program at
Harvard Business School.

     "Michael   Dan's  keen  business  sense  and  experience  in  working  with
successful  international and diverse  operations make him an asset to our Board
of Directors," said J. Barry Griswell, chairman and CEO, the Principal Financial
Group.

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 $195.2  billion in assets under  management(2)  and serves some 15.6 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, 2005
[{"type": "8-K", "sequence": "1", "filename": "newdirectordan.txt", "description": "FORM 8-K", "secsgml_size_bytes": 5994}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC", "cik": "0001126328", "assigned-sic": "6321", "irs-number": "421520346", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "8-K", "act": "34", "file-number": "001-16725", "film-number": "06689085"}, "business-address": {"street1": "711 HIGH STREET", "city": "DES MOINES", "state": "IA", "zip": "50392", "phone": "5152475111"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "711 HIGH STREET", "city": "DES MOINES", "state": "IA", "zip": "50392"}}
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                               ------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
                         SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

                          Date of Report: MARCH 9, 2006
                        (Date of earliest event reported)

                         PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

           DELAWARE                     1-16725                 42-1520346
 (State or other jurisdiction    (Commission file number)    (I.R.S. Employer
       of incorporation)                                  Identification Number)

                     711 HIGH STREET, DES MOINES, IOWA 50392
                    (Address of principal executive offices)

                                 (515) 247-5111
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Check  the  appropriate  box  below  if the  Form  8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
    230.425)
[ ] Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17  CFR
    240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement  communications  pursuant  to  Rule 14d-2(b) under the
    Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
    Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

                               ------------------
ITEM 5.02 DEPARTURE OF DIRECTORS OR PRINCIPAL  OFFICERS;  ELECTION OF DIRECTORS;
          APPOINTMENT OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS

(d)  The Board of Directors of Principal  Financial Group,  Inc. (the "Company")
     elected  Michael T. Dan as a new  director of the Company and of  Principal
     Life Insurance Company.  Mr. Dan will join the Board at its May 15-16, 2006
     meeting.  There is no arrangement or understanding  between Mr. Dan and any
     other person pursuant to which Mr. Dan was selected as a director.  Mr. Dan
     has no material interest in any prior,  existing or proposed transaction or
     series of transactions  with the Company or its  management.  The Board has
     not yet taken formal action to appoint Mr. Dan to a Board committee, but it
     is  anticipated  that  he will  become  a  member  of the  Human  Resources
     Committee.  A press  release  announcing  Mr.  Dan's  election  is included
     herewith as Exhibit 99.

ITEM 9.01 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

Exhibit 99 Press Release  Concerning  Election of Michael T. Dan dated March 15,
           2006.

                                    SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                         PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.

                         By:    /S/ JOYCE N. HOFFMAN
                               -------------------------------------------------
                         Name: Joyce N. Hoffman
                         Title:Senior Vice President and
                               Corporate Secretary

Date:    March 15, 2006
Release: On receipt, March 15, 2006                                  EXHIBIT 99
Contact: Eva Quinn, the Principal Financial Group, 515-247-4907,
         QUINN.EVA@PRINCIPAL.COM or Rhonda Clark-Leyda, 515-247-6634,
         CLARK-LEYDA.RHONDA@PRINCIPAL.COM

    THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP NAMES MICHAEL T. DAN TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(Des  Moines,  Iowa)  - The  Principal  Financial  Group(R)  (NYSE:  PFG)  today
announced  Michael T. Dan will join the company's  Board of Directors at its May
15-16, 2006 meeting.

     Dan is  chairman,  president  and chief  executive  officer of The  Brink's
Company (NYSE: BCO), a global leader in business and  security-related  services
through  its  two  operating  units:  Brink's,  Incorporated  and  Brink's  Home
Security.  Prior to joining  Brink's in 1982, Dan served as president of Armored
Vehicle Builder, Inc.

     Dan is a member of the  Business  Roundtable  and  serves as  sub-committee
chairman on the Security Task Force.  He also serves on the 2006 Kennedy  Center
corporate  Fund Board as vice  chairman.  He studied  business and accounting at
Morton College in Cicero,  Ill. and completed the advanced management program at
Harvard Business School.

     "Michael   Dan's  keen  business  sense  and  experience  in  working  with
successful  international and diverse  operations make him an asset to our Board
of Directors," said J. Barry Griswell, chairman and CEO, the Principal Financial
Group.

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 $195.2  billion in assets under  management(2)  and serves some 15.6 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, 2005