Part 79

A free Comprehensive Estate and Financial Planning Review is available through the Scottish Rite.

In November 1999, the Development Office of the Supreme Council introduced a new service available to Scottish Rite Masons and friends, a free Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review. This free service is provided by the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. To date, we have received over 500 requests for this review, and we have contacted those who have completed this process. We are happy to report an overwhelming satisfaction in the final product. In fact, the program has been so successful we have had to ask two national financial organizations to help us with the numerous reviews. If you made a previous call to inquire about our free Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review and did not receive the information you requested, please give us a call as this program is now in full operation. Of course, we are also ready to help with new requests for this free service; you can reach the Development Office at 1–800–486–3331, ext. 143.
We would like to remind everyone that the review is an individualized report, not a pre-printed booklet. To complete a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review, it will be necessary to discuss your financial goals with a registered financial consultant. Any financial information you share with either of these financial institutions will be kept in strict confidence. We hope this member benefit will prove to be an extremely valuable tool for you and your family. This financial review would normally have an approximate cost of $1000, but will be provided to Scottish Rite Masons and friends at no charge. The analysis contains approximately 65 pages of valuable information to help you plan for your family’s future.
Since we get many requests for information on charitable giving and estate planning, we believe a free Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review will prove to be a great benefit to a number of our members and friends. It is our goal to provide our Scottish Rite members and the many friends of our various Scottish Rite Foundations with the most current and accurate information on estate planning. Please remember when contacting our office that we are not in a position to give any legal or accounting advice. We always recommend using your own attorney and/or accountant to advise you before making any financial decisions.
You will find the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review to be a detailed analysis to help you attain your financial goals. Some of the areas covered in the review include the following: a detailed balance sheet and asset allocation, an income tax and cash flow analysis, a life insurance needs analysis, and a charitable giving module. If necessary, the financial analysis will include an education planning section to provide financial planning for your family’s educational needs. The Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review will include an estate tax section outlining your current estate tax liability and what methods you can use to minimize these taxes. Finally, the supplement and summary sections will address the specific strategies you need to discuss with your attorney and other professional advisors to assist you in implementing your plan.
There are many reasons to consider estate planning for your family. Proper estate planning can help to eliminate or reduce estate taxes. With estate planning, you may find that a structured charitable gift made now may provide benefits for your family today and in the future. Estate planning may help you identify assets that are not performing to meet your long-term financial goals. Of course, one of the greatest concerns is providing for your heirs. Through proper estate planning, even the most complicated situations can be addressed. Laws continue to change, and these changes create a necessity to review your estate plan on an ongoing basis. In general, you and your family will benefit by having peace of mind with a carefully thought out estate plan to provide for your family’s financial needs.

Ill. Thomas M. Boles, 33°, G.C. (left in photo) has worked extensively in fund-raising for children's programs throughout our Fraternity. For more information on planned giving, call Bro. Tom at 562–691–4227 (Fax 562–691–5327) or the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., at 202–232–3579, ext. 143. Ill. Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33°, is our development team's Director of Major Gifts. He has been a member of the Fraternity for 25 years and served in 1978 as Master of Lafayette Lodge, No. 111, Baltimore, Maryland. He is also a member of Boumi Shrine Temple in Baltimore, the York Rite, and a dual member of the Scottish Rite Valleys of Baltimore and Washington, D.C. You can reach Bro. Ihle toll free at 1–800–486–3331, ext. 143.