This article discusses the benefits of estate planning and the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review that are available to Scottish Rite Freemasons.

A very special benefit the Scottish Rite offers to its members is the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review, an extensive analysis performed by a financial consultant that can help members to attain their financial goals. A financial review normally would have cost approximately $1,000 or more, but through the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, this review will be provided to Scottish Rite Masons at no charge. What exactly is the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review (CEFR)? It is not a brochure-rather, it is a detailed financial analysis that is customized for each member, and it can contain up to 65 pages of valuable information to help you plan for your family's future.

The CEFR can cover the following topics, depending on what the financial consultant and you determine to be relevant to your particular situation: 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 CEFR will include an education planning section to provide financial planning for your family's educational needs. The CEFR also will include an estate section that outlines your current estate tax liability and the methods you can use to minimize estate and gift taxes. Finally, in the supplement and summary sections of the CEFR, the review will address the specific strategies you need to discuss with your attorney and other professional advisors to implement your plan. Remember, this is not a preprinted brochure or report. The CEFR is done specifically for you, after an in-depth conversation with the financial consultant that is working with the Scottish Rite. It is not a sales presentation, but a free and confidential service provided by a Scottish Rite Mason who is our consultant. If you would like to receive a free CEFR, please call our Development Office at 1-800-486- 3331, ext. 163 or ext. 143.

There are many reasons to consider estate planning for your family. Estate planning, when properly done, can help to eliminate or reduce your estate and gift taxes, ultimately leaving more assets for your heirs. With estate planning, you may find that a structured charitable gift made now may have benefits currently and in the future. For example, a charitable remainder trust could provide an upfront charitable deduction, a stream of income for you and your spouse over time, and gifts to your favorite charitable causes in the future. Estate planning may help you to identify assets that are not performing well enough to meet your long-term financial goals. If, for example, you have suffered in the stock market, perhaps you need to have your portfolio reassessed because it has not protected you sufficiently. Or, perhaps you want to leave a legacy through the Scottish Rite Foundation, but you are not sure about what you have to do to provide the gift. The estate plan can help you choose the best gift vehicle for you, given your financial and other needs.

Of course, one of the greatest concerns for most of our members is providing for their loved ones. Through proper estate planning, even the most complicated situations can be addressed. Laws change, and, consequently, it is necessary to review your estate plan on an ongoing basis. A plan you adopted five years ago may have to be revised to take into account changes in the tax laws today. By setting up a carefully considered estate plan to provide for you and your family's financial needs, you and your family will have peace of mind.

If you already have an estate plan and want to make a charitable gift, we have a brochure that can help you. The Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction's brochure, "A Circle from Childhood to Childhood," can explain to you the basic differences between the following types of gifts:

1. Bequests in Wills
2. Gifts of Life Insurance Policies
3. Gifts of Stocks or Securities
4. Gifts through the Scottish Rite
Foundation Pooled Income Fund
5. Gift Annuities
6. Charitable Remainder Annuity
Trusts, and
7. Charitable Remainder Unitrusts.

The brochure can help you determine the type of gift that best fits into your estate plan. One of the basic rules in planned giving is to take care of your personal needs and your family's needs before making any planned giving commitments. While we welcome gifts to our Foundations, we also want the best results for our donors. We have another brochure designed to answer questions about the Scottish Rite Foundation Pooled Income Fund, one of the gift vehicles that you can choose. If you would like an analysis of a gift to the pooled income fund, please contact us at 1-800-486-3331, ext. 143 or ext. 163. We also can provide an analysis of a gift to the Foundation through a charitable gift annuity or a charitable remainder trust.

It is our goal to provide Scottish Rite members and the many friends of the various Scottish Rite Foundations with the most current and accurate information on estate planning. In keeping with this intention, our Development Office is currently scheduling estate-planning seminars in selected Scottish Rite Valleys. To find out more about these seminars, just give us a call. Please remember, however, when contacting our office, we are not in a position to give any legal or accounting advice. We always recommend that you use your own attorney or accountant for advice before making any financial decisions.

We want to thank all of our previous donors and let everyone know that our Scottish Rite Donor Recognition Program is continuing to grow rapidly. The contributions from our donors have enabled us to increase to 164 the number of our RiteCare Childhood Language Programs and to help about 50,000 children each year.

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.

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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.