Thomas M. Boles, 33°, G.C. Director of Development 1761 East Woodcrest Avenue La Habra, California 90631-3260 Tel . 562-691-4227; Fax 562-691-5327

Earl E. Ihle, Jr., 33° Director of Major Gifts 1733 Sixteenth St., Washington, DC 20009–3103 Tel. 202-232-3579, Ext. 143, Fax 202-387-1843 Or call 800-486-3331, Ext. 143 council@srmason-sj.org

We have great news for our shoppers! Effective immediately, you will be able to designate a LOCAL Scottish Rite Foundation as the remainder beneficiary in a new Scottish Rite Foundation Pooled Income Fund and the new Scottish Rite Charitable Gift Annuity Program. The Scottish Rite Foundation's Pooled Income Fund in the past could only accept contributions in the name of the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction. Our Development Office researched the possibility of naming a local Scottish Rite Foundation in the existing Pooled Income Fund and found that we could not designate a local Scottish Rite Foundation as the remainder beneficiary. The only way to accomplish this was to establish a new Pooled Income Fund.

Recently this new Declaration of Trust was established and named the Scottish Rite Foundation and Its Affiliated Foundations Pooled Income Fund. A contributor to this new fund can name any Scottish Rite Foundation as the remainder beneficiary. The contributor can also split the gift in any percentage among Scottish Rite Foundations. 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 a local Scottish Rite Foundation as the 100% beneficiary.

There are many benefits to making a contribution to a Pooled Income Fund. The donor will receive a tax deduction on a portion of his gift depending on the age of the donor and the age of any additional beneficiaries. The Pooled Income Fund is also an excellent tool to donate appreciated assets such as securities. The minimum contribution is $5,000. Our Development Office will provide potential donors with an analysis of the benefits of participating in the Pooled Income Fund.

Another new program we are offering is the Scottish Rite Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity. This new tool for our donors also allows local Scottish Rite Foundations to be named as the remainder beneficiary. Once again, you will be able to split the remainder beneficiary, between Scottish Rite Foundations, in any percentage you choose. A charitable gift annuity is an agreement between a qualified charity and an individual. You can make a wonderful contribution to our foundations while benefiting from lifetime payments, professional management of assets, and tax savings. The Scottish Rite Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity Program will pay a fixed income for the life of one or two people. The minimum contribution to the Scottish Rite Foundation Gift Annuity Program is $5,000.

This new gift annuity is available to Scottish Rite members and friends. One of the benefits of the Scottish Rite Charitable Gift Annuity Program is that the rate of return can be very attractive to prospective donors. Our Development Office will run an analysis of this program so you can evaluate the benefits and make an educated decision.

The Charitable Gift Annuity Program is straightforward and consists of a simple agreement between the Scottish Rite Foundation, Southern Jurisdiction, and an individual. The individual transfers cash or securities to the Scottish Rite Foundation, and the donor receives fixed quarterly payments for the rest of his or her lifetime, and an additional beneficiary may be added, if desired. 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. 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 more favorably. The income stream 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.

One of the most beneficial tools we offer to our Scottish Rite members and friends is the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review. These reviews are provided for Scottish Rite Masons at no charge. The completed review would generally cost between $1,000 to $2,000. We have already received more than 200 requests to produce a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review, and we are getting more requests everyday. These reviews have already resulted in gifts being made, and all indications suggest many of our inquiries will result in significant gifts to a variety of Scottish Rite Foundations, local and national. 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. Since this program has been so successful, we would like to explain the Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review in more detail.

First, the review is an individualized report. This program is provided by First Union Securities. The participant will have to provide financial information and discuss his personal financial goals to have a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review completed. Any financial information provided by our members to First Union Securities is held in strict confidence. To date we have completed approximately 50 Comprehensive Estate and Financial Reviews, and all of the feedback from this has been extremely positive.

The financial review consists of approximately 65 pages of valuable information. The topics covered in this review 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 customized for the individual participant. Once again, there is never any charge to prepare this information. We will be happy to arrange a Comprehensive Estate and Financial Review for you or your friends.

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, he will take the necessary time to properly designate the beneficiaries. For example, if you would like your beneficiary to be a non-profit organization, please 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, you will eliminate the chance of your estate being distributed improperly. 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.

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.