Why We Give

I attended the annual LDS Philanthropies Gift Planning Council conference in Salt Lake City last week.  As usual it was a great conference.  The conference this year was titled “By Small and Simple Things.”  It was a reminder that whether large or small, we can all contribute and make this world a better place.  We can be charitably minded in ways that still allows us to leave something to our family.  More importantly, we can create a legacy of giving within our own families.  My take away from the conference is that to really receive the benefits of giving, you need to find something that “connects your heart.”  We learned of how this happened in Armenia to businessman and philanthropist Jon Huntsman.  So, as a Client, I would encourage you to engage your advisors about how you can engage in charitable giving.  If you are an advisor, I would encourage you to take the time to really talk with your clients about this important principle and help them find ways to make those connections.  I would also encourage advisors to watch out for the conference next year and attend.  It is a real treasure.  If you are interested in seeing some of the archived material from prior conferences you can find it here.