New financial programs benefit local Scottish Rite Foundations.

Great news! During the recent Leadership Con-ference, the Development Office presented information about several programs that allow individuals to contribute to their local Scottish Rite Foundations. First, a donor can designate a LOCAL Scottish Rite Foundation as the remainder beneficiary in the Scottish Rite Foundation's Pooled Income Fund. There are many benefits to making a contribution to the Pooled Income Fund. The donor will receive a tax deduction on a portion of his or her gift depending on the age of the donor and the age of any additional income beneficiaries. The Pooled Income Fund also is an excellent tool to avoid capital gains on appreciated securities. The minimum contribution to the Pooled Income Fund is $5,000. The donor can split his or her contribution among several Scottish Rite Foundations in any percentages he or she desires. For example, a contributor could name the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, as a 50% beneficiary and a local Scottish Foundation as a 50% beneficiary. The contributor can also designate his or her local Scottish Rite Foundation as the 100% beneficiary. Our Development Office will be happy to provide potential donors with an analysis of the benefits of participating in the Pooled Income Fund.

Another chance for a donor to benefit a local Foundation is through the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction's Charitable Gift Annuity Program. In this program, the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, and a donor enter into an agreement that provides for the donor to transfer cash or securities to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, in exchange for which the donor will receive fixed quarterly payments for the rest of his or her lifetime. An additional income beneficiary may be added, if desired. Upon the death of the donor and income beneficiary, the assets left are paid to the remainder beneficiary or beneficiaries, one or more of the Scottish Rite Foundations. As with the Pooled Income Fund, a donor can divide his or her contribution among the local and/or national Scottish Rite Foundations in any percentage he or she chooses. For example, a donor can provide for 25% of the remainder to go to the Scottish Rite Foundation of Oregon; 25%, to the Scottish Rite Foundation of Florida; and 50%, to the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. Through the gift annuity, a donor can make a wonderful contribution to our foundations while benefiting from lifetime payments, professional management of assets, and tax savings. The gift annuity is available to Scottish Rite members and friends. The minimum contribution to the Scottish Rite Foundation Gift Annuity Program is $5,000.

One of the benefits of the Scottish Rite Charitable Gift Annuity Program is the rate of return for prospective donors; it can be much higher than the return on CDs or other investments. Another benefit is the tax savings the donor can get. For instance, if a donor uses appreciated securities, he or she may be able to avoid the tax on a portion of the capital gain in the security. Or, a donor may give a low-yielding asset to increase his or her income, since a charitable gift annuity may have a higher yield and be taxed in a more favorable manner. The income stream to a donor and income beneficiary from the gift annuity is based on the age of the people receiving lifetime payments. A part of this quarterly lifetime income stream is a tax-free return of principal. Our Development Office will run an analysis of this program so donors can evaluate the benefits of a gift annuity and make an educated decision about whether it makes sense as an investment and gift vehicle for them.

Many individuals would like to give a gift to a Scottish Rite Foundation, but they are not sure what type of gift and what gift amount is most suitable for them, given their individual circumstances. To help our Scottish Rite members and friends with these decisions, we offer a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review. These reviews are provided by UBS PaineWebber for Scottish Rite Masons AT NO CHARGE. Generally, a professional financial company would charge an individual between $1,000 and $2,000 to do such a review. So, it's a great benefit for our members.

The Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review is not a brochure-it's a customized report that is prepared by UBS PaineWebber for each participant. The review consists of approximately 65 pages of valuable information. The topics covered in the review may include: Wills, Trusts, Power of Attorney, Reducing Income Taxes, Avoiding Estate Taxes, Long- Term Care Planning, College Funding Analysis, Income Tax and Cash Flow Analysis, Retirement Security Review, Charitable Gifting Analysis, and a complete Estate Planning Review. Since all of these topics are not of interest to all of our members, each Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review is tailored to the individual participant. That is why it is such a beneficial planning tool.

If an individual chooses to have a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review done, he or she will have to provide financial information and discuss his or her personal financial goals with the UBS PaineWebber representative, who completes the review. Any financial information provided by participants to UBS PaineWebber is held in strict confidence by the company, so the only people who know the details are the participant and the UBS PaineWebber representative. To date, we have completed about 200 Comprehensive Estate and Financial Reviews, and all of the feedback from this program has been extremely positive. Some of the completed reviews have resulted in the establishment of Charitable Remainder Trusts, contributions to the Pooled Income Fund, and participation in the Charitable Gift Annuity Program of the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. All indications suggest the reviews will continue to result in significant gifts to a variety of Scottish Rite Foundations, local and national. Once again, there is never any charge to prepare this information, and we will be happy to arrange a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review for you or your friends. Just fill in and mail the coupon below, and we will contact you with all the appropriate information.

One of the essential decisions a person has to make with estate planning is to establish the designation of the beneficiaries of the estate's assets. Hopefully, the donor will take the necessary time to properly designate the beneficiaries of his or her estate. If a donor wants the beneficiary to be a non-profit organization, the donor must find out the exact name of the organization, its address, and, most importantly, its Tax ID Number. Many non-profits have similar names, but they have a unique Tax ID Number. By using the proper name of the non-profit organization, its address and the Tax ID Number, the donor will eliminate the chance of his or her estate being distributed improperly. The Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, can help a donor who wants to make a bequest to a Scottish Rite Foundation in his or her will but doesn't have the proper information to do so. Our Development Office will be happy to provide you with the proper name, address, and Tax ID Number for any of the 47 Scottish Rite Foundations of the Southern Jurisdiction. Estate planning requires time and effort, but it will produce peace of mind and many other benefits, financial and personal. We are always willing to help our members achieve their estate-planning goals.

Barbara Golden is the Director of Planned Giving for the Development Office of the Supreme Council. Barbara is an attorney with experience in tax, corporate, and commercial real estate law. She managed a non-profit legal services organization for several years and has extensive experience in fundraising, grant writing, and program operations.

To learn more about the Scottish Rite Pooled Income Fund, click here. For a chart illustrating Scottish Rite Foundation, S.J., USA, Charitable Gift Annuity Rates–Single Life, please click here.

Scottish Rite Foundations, Southern Jurisdiction Pledge Form

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Scottish Rite Foundations, Southern Jurisdiction Pledge Agreement

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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.