The Washington herald., 1920-12-29
RISK men HAVE
REASON TO BE
OPTIMISTIC NOW
Belief People Will Forego
Luxuries for In
surance.

TT is only natural that at time
when Industrial readjustment Is
taking place as rapidly as 1t is to-
day, when prices are falling, and
when reports of the closing Of fac
tories and the increasing number OF
men out of employment are found in
every newspaper. those engaged in
selling life insurance should ask
themselves the question. What will
be the effect of changing conditions
upon our business?" says a state
ment Of the Massachusetts, Mutual
Co, commenting on the insurance
outlook for 1921. That life insur-
ance men are willing to face this
question squarely is shown by the
many articles that have been writ
ten on the subject during the past
month; there is no cause for antici-
pating any considerable decrease IN
the volume of business done. is the
almost unanimous opinion of those
who have analyzed the situation
and expressed their views in insur-
ance journals and company papers.
Life underwriters are really opti-
mistic, not merely -whistling to keep
up their courage They are firm in
the belief that the American people
have learned that life insurance is
a necessity and that they will con-
tinue to avail themselves of its ben
efits even il in order to do so they
must forego many Of the luxuries
to which they have become accus-
toned during the past few years.
Innuenxa Taught Lesson.
The need of protection in the
event of death was taught by the
influenza epidemic, and it is a les
Importance of thrift was driven
home more forcibly than ever be-
fore by the arguments used in Lib
erty bond and war savings cam
paigns; the idea of what constitutes
an adequate amount of insurance
protection and the wisdom of month
ly income payments to beneficiaries
was impressed upon the minds of
millions of men in the army by those
who urged the buying of the gov
ernments policies: the value of in
surance as a means of saving was
demonstrated by the exposure of
Ponzi and others who promoted get
rfch-quick schemes at a great cost
to the public.
Men Of Affairs Boost II.
Never before haz our business re-
ceiVed such advertising as it has
had since 1914 Men in public life
statesmen, bankers, business men
have testified to their belief in IL. 1t
would be hard to find any business
today that is receiving such hearty
and such universal endorsement by
men in whose judgment people have
faith The men and women who sell
insurance are backed by the opinion
OF the leaders in thought and action
throughout the country.
AS in all other branches Of busi-
ness there will necessarily be a con-
siderable readjustmeat. Glasses of
prospects hitherto available are
going to be less able to increase
their insurance protection, but the
groups thus affected have never
been the ones upon whom we have
relied for the bulk of our business;
and, moreover, their places will be
taken by the many who have not
been able to buy as much Insurance
as they have realized they needed
the men and women whose salaries
have not kept pace with the in
creased living cost but who are now
beginning to find themselves with
an Increasing surplus after the
months bills are paid. As one en-
thusiastic representative says, the
trouble is not going to be to find
people who have money and need
insurance but to find the time to
see them all.
View the situation from any
angle and it is seen to be highly
favorable for the life insurance man
who is capable of studying the
changing conditions in his territory,
readjusting rapidly to conform to
them, and working steadily and