Life Insurance And Annuities From The Buyer’s Point Of View by William J. Matteson and E. C. Harwood, 1957 🇺🇸💰📜

This is a top-shelf specialized pamphlet and a foundational piece of Post-War American financial documentation.

The guide was published by the influential American Institute for Economic Research (AIER), providing a consumer-centric analysis of the rapidly expanding insurance and annuity markets of the mid-20th century.

The publication is a concise, data-driven artifact that directly addresses the emerging complexity of personal financial planning in a time of unprecedented American prosperity. Its value lies in its function as a primary source document for economic and cultural historians.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The item is a softcover academic pamphlet printed on bright red cardstock, reflecting the simple, direct design aesthetics of specialized economic publications. The text is an objective guide to the world of life insurance and annuities.

The content provides detailed analysis on complex topics such as The Annuity Principle, the application of life insurance, and how to choose the best companies. It contains specific, historical financial data, including the 1947 Standard Ordinary Table based on 10,000 individuals, offering a factual glimpse into the actuarial science of the era. The final section includes a list of other available publications from the AIER, providing valuable bibliographical context on contemporary economic research.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ The guide was produced by William J. Matteson and E. C. Harwood, and published by the American Institute for Economic Research. E.C. Harwood was the founder and long-time director of the AIER, establishing the nonpolitical, noncommercial organization in 1934.

Harwood was an MIT-educated civil engineer and economist known for his unorthodox, buyer-centric approach to financial analysis. His mission was to provide consumers with objective, unbiased information on complex financial topics, directly opposing the subjective advice prevalent in the insurance industry. This guide is a direct product of Harwood's philosophy, positioning the AIER as an academic critic of the insurance system and an advocate for the consumer.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 This edition was published in 1957, a year that fell directly in the middle of the Post-War American economic boom. The period was defined by the mass expansion of the middle class, suburbanization, and the rising culture of consumer debt and personal financial planning.

Life insurance evolved from a simple indemnity product to a complex investment tool, creating a need for objective educational resources. The AIER’s guide directly responded to this complexity, offering the educated consumer the analytical tools required to secure their future. The guide serves as a functional time capsule of the era’s financial anxieties and aspirations, offering a direct, quantitative view into the specific actuarial and investment theories that governed the lives and economic stability of millions of American families.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This item is an essential document for a curator of 20th-Century Economic History and Consumer Americana.

It is ideally suited for a buyer who specializes in the financial history of the Mid-Century era or the history of American public policy institutes. The item possesses a clear academic pedigree and is a verifiable primary source for understanding post-war consumer education. Its presence establishes the owner’s discerning taste for specialized, non-fiction cultural artifacts that document pivotal economic shifts.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This specialized pamphlet is 68 years old, having survived the casual discarding typical of utility paperbacks.

Its Bibliographical Scarcity is low to moderate; while the book went through many printings, these specialized academic publications were often printed in smaller batches than general trade editions. Its value is secured by its Historical Context Premium and its clean, structurally sound condition. The publication is a document of financial authority from a recognized, non-commercial institute, positioning it as a valued acquisition for researchers and dedicated collectors of economic history.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The object is deemed to be in Very Good Vintage Condition, with wear consistent with a paperback of its age.

• Cover: The red cardstock covers are fully intact with sharp corners, showing expected edge-rubbing and light soiling .

• Binding: The binding is structurally sound and the staples (or stitching) are tight .

• Interior Pages: The pages are clean, white, and fully intact, showing no markings or underlining .

• Text Block: The text block is tight to the spine.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The AIER Mission: The American Institute for Economic Research was founded in 1934 to provide the public with factual, unbiased economic research and financial education, operating strictly as a nonpolitical, noncommercial organization.

• Historical Data: The book includes a full "1947 Standard Ordinary Table" detailing the number of people living versus the number dying per year, a specific actuarial table used by all major life insurance companies in the U.S. at the time.

• Benjamin Franklin’s Press: The booklet was Printed in the United States of America by The Ben Franklin Press, INc. in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. This is a charming connection to a printer bearing the name of one of America's original and most famous financial thinkers.

• Price Sticker: The cover price is clearly listed as One Dollar, providing a tangible, verifiable detail of the commodity value of specialized financial advice in 1957.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Academic Pamphlet / Consumer Finance Guide

• Title: Life Insurance And Annuities From The Buyer’s Point Of View

• Author/Maker: William J. Matteson and E. C. Harwood

• Year/Period: 1957 (Final Copyright Date)

• Publisher/Foundry: American Institute for Economic Research / The Ben Franklin Press, INc.

• Place of Origin: Great Barrington, Massachusetts / Pittsfield, Massachusetts

• Format/Binding: Softcover Pamphlet (Red Cardstock)

• Edition/Printing: Late Issue (23rd Copyright Year)

• Verbatim Transcription (Title Page): Life Insurance and Annuities From the Buyer's Point of View / BY / WILLIAM J. MATTESON / AND E. C. HARWOOD / Published by / AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH / a nonpolitical, noncommercial organization / GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS / PRICE: ONE DOLLAR