Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-11-13
FIRST STATE INSURANCE co.
Wisconsin Now Offers Any Resident
of state Life Insurance at Cost.

The state of Wisconsin has gone
into the life insurance business and
Commissioner of Insurance Herman
l.. Ekern has announced that the
state is ready to receive applications
for insurance under the provisions
of an act passed at the last session
of the legislature. Wisconsin is the
first state in the union to offer it's
citizens life insurance.
The legislature of 1911 authorized
the issue of policies on life insur-
ance and annuity contracts by the
state through the life fund without
responsibility on the part of the state
beyond the amount Of the fund.
Commissioner Ekern issued this
statement:
Absolute certainty in the fulfill
ment of the contract is the first con-
sideration. A mathematical reserve is
provided for on the safest basis in
use by American life insurance COM
panies. Provision is made for a death
rate corresponding with the Ameri-
can experience table of mortality
The reserve is required to earn in
terest at three per cent
Applicants must be between the
ages of twenty and fifty and may
choose any of the following plans:
Ordinary life, twenty-payment life,
ten year endowment, endowment of
age sixty-five or term to age sixty
five.
Medical examination will be re-
CURED under the supervision of the
state board of health. Only nomal,
healthy lives will be accepted.
THE life insurance offered by the
state of Wisconsin will have the fol-
lowing advantages:
1T will be absolutely sound.
The element of profit is done
away with.
There are no agents commissions
to be paid.
There are no overhead charges
for officials and management, only
clerical help being paid from the life
fund.
THE addition for expenses is very
small, especially in the endowments,
which make this simple means of
saving advantageous to the insured.
Applications for insurance may
be made at home through local Of
fee.
Premiums may be paid at home
through local Offices, or the insured
may retain one per cent for sending
them direct.
THE insured may allow his prem
ium after the first, to be charged as
loan where the reserve Is sufficient
and pay it semi-annually, quarterly
or monthly.
The insured may pay as much
and as often as he pleases toward
premiums to become due in the flu
ture, and is allowed the rate of in
terest actually earned on all pay
ments to his credit for one year or
more
Dividends may be left in the fund
to draw interest on the same basis.
THE insured may take an endow-
ment maturing at the age of sixty
five when he will need the money for
bis own support in his old age.
HE may take a term expiring at
the age of sixty-fve, when ne ordi-
narily has no earning power to pro-
tecr by ideranity against death and
often has other estate or has no de-
penGents.
Gains and savings of so-ealled
dividends are paid at the end OF the
first year and every year after.
THE insured may change his pol
icy to any other PLAN
1T is to be conducted on the same
basis as all sound life insurance.
1T is the stepping stone to- an
nuities to protect old age and per-
haps, to solving other economic and
industrial problems.
''It viii increase confidence in life
insurance and encourage the exten-
sion of itS protection 10 every resi-
dent of the state and will Increase
the business of sound companies and
societies.
1.-THE insurance i2 open to any cit
zen of Wisconsin and medical ex--
must ha made in the
ss1te."