Jul 27, 2021 Newsletter #23

Hi Member, We're more than halfway through the summer months, even if summer technically lasts until the autumnal equinox on September 22. We hope you're enjoying your summer and are getting ready for your normal council activities from here on in. Call for Letters of Support A Message for Past Scholarship Winners Manual for Council Officers & Members: Section A Roy's Summer Adventures    Urgent call for letter writing Last December, we asked you to send in letters of support of the Massachusetts legislation regarding investment restrictions for fraternal societies. That legislation, which was delayed last year due to the pandemic, has been progressing and we hope will soon be due for a hearing. Can you please write some letters again to help us with our investment options? Here is a sample letter to use as a template for your own letter of support. Freel free to modify the letter with your own words and send your signed letters to the Home Office. We will gather all the letters received and forward them to the Massachusetts legislature. If you need to email them, that will work, too. There are two sample letters below, one to each of the chairmen of the committee that is responsible for the Fraternal Investment Bill H1164. These letters can be personalized by you, but we'd ask that you keep the letters focused on Massachusetts, and stay away from mentioning any specific event not located in our Home Office state; that will have the greatest impact on our state legislators. Thank you for your help!   Dear Chairman Murphy, I’m writing you in hopes of getting house bill #H1164 “An Act relative to the investments by fraternal benefit societies” on the financial services committee calendar. As a member of the Royal Arcanum, I support this bill and would like you to support it, too. Our Executive Committee has explained to us how this bill is vital to Fraternal Benefit Societies domiciled within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They explained that due to the stipulations of the current law, we have been required to sell over $600,000 from within our stock investments in 2021, not because of additional stock investments but due to the increase in stock value due to gains in the stock market. Our investments are limited to purchases of bonds, which are only providing historically low yields. This bill seeks to update the investment restrictions for fraternal organizations by changing investment restrictions limiting fraternals from investing only 25% of excess surplus in the stock market to 10% of assets. This is in line with many other states in the United States, such as Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.    Fraternal organizations have a long and important history in supporting their members and the community in which they live. We make donations to those in need and charitable institutions, using funds derived from the yields in investments. By amending this outdated investment law, fraternal societies domiciled in Massachusetts will have the ability to at least sustain Investment revenue that is used to help fund the society's initiatives.  Due to the continued low interest rates on bonds, our revenue has been greatly impacted by our limited ability to invest outside of the bond market. I am a proud member of Royal Arcanum, which was founded in Boston in 1877, and I have been active in many charitable endeavors, such as supporting the Jimmy Fund walk -- an event actively supported by Royal Arcanum. That is just one example of the more than 639,000 hours of time volunteered by Fraternals within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2019. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Please replace with your name here     Dear Chairman Crighton, I’m writing you in hopes of getting house bill #H1164 “An Act relative to the investments by fraternal benefit societies” on the financial services committee calendar. As a member of the Royal Arcanum, I support this bill and would like you to support it, too. Our Executive Committee has explained to us how this bill is vital to Fraternal Benefit Societies domiciled within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They explained that due to the stipulations of the current law, we have been required to sell over $600,000 from within our stock investments in 2021, not because of additional stock investments but due to the increase in stock value due to gains in the stock market. Our investments are limited to purchases of bonds, which are only providing historically low yields. This bill seeks to update the investment restrictions for fraternal organizations by changing investment restrictions limiting fraternals from investing only 25% of excess surplus in the stock market to 10% of assets. This is in line with many other states in the United States, such as Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.    Fraternal organizations have a long and important history in supporting their members and the community in which they live. We make donations to those in need and charitable institutions, using funds derived from the yields in investments. By amending this outdated investment law, fraternal societies domiciled in Massachusetts will have the ability to at least sustain Investment revenue that is used to help fund the society's initiatives.  Due to the continued low interest rates on bonds, our revenue has been greatly impacted by our limited ability to invest outside of the bond market. I am a proud member of Royal Arcanum, which was founded in Boston in 1877, and I have been active in many charitable endeavors, such as supporting the Jimmy Fund walk -- an event actively supported by Royal Arcanum. That is just one example of the more than 639,000 hours of time volunteered by Fraternals within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2019. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Please replace with your name here      Reaching Out to Past Scholarship Winners We are looking to follow up with past scholarship winners. If you or your council has had a scholarship winner in the past, can you drop us a line with their contact information? We would like to follow up with these stellar Royal Arcanum members and hear how they are doing. Many, we know, have moved on from their parents' homes, so we have been unable to follow up with them. Please, send us an email with their contact information. Thank you!    Officer & Member Manual: Section A Last newsletter, we introduced the Manual for Council Officers and Members and provided an overview of this resource. We'll dive a bit deeper into it now, this time highlighting Section A, which covers some general information about the Royal Arcanum. Note that this article is not intended to replicate the information in the manual; it is highlighting the reference information that is available to councils and members. It also provides some updates for those who already have the June 2015 printing of the manual, as any printed information can become outdated over time. Contact Information The Home Office contact information matches the information provided at the bottom of this and every newsletter. Please note one update: the mail email contact for the Royal Arcanum is info@royalarcanum.com (the manual lists infor@royalarcanum.com, with an extra "R" before the "@" sign).   Fraternal History A short history of fraternals explains the reasons fraternals were formed, and what defines a fraternal benefit society. included in that history is the American Fraternal Alliance, of which the Royal Arcanum is the sole remaining founding member (when it was called the National Fraternal Congress of America). The AFA has moved their headquarters, and can best be reached from their website at https://fraternalalliance.org or their new address: American Fraternal Alliance PO Box 68700 Indianapolis, IN 46268-0700 A beautiful, brief history of the Royal Arcanum touches on key dates and changes, from its founding on June 23, 1877, through the acceptance of women as members in 1958. It goes on to describe the symbols and signs that are part of our society, and which are kept secret from non-initiated members. "Arcanum" is defined in the dictionary as "secret", after all. There is even a rendering of two of the Royal Arcanum's trademarked logos, noting that use of them requires authorization. Please contact the Home Office should you want to use the logos for your council.   Plans of Protection and Products The next few sections provide an overview of the value of Royal Arcanum membership and the States and Provinces where we are licensed. We have been growing, and the current list of places we are licensed is on our website. A brief note on the dividends paid on eligible certificates is followed by a list of the products offered, with a short description of each product, riders that may be available, and a discussion on certificate loans. As this information can change due to new regulations or filings, please see our website or contact the Home Office for the most up-to-date information.      Roy's Corner Has anyone taken vacations this summer? Any chance they brought Roy along for some vacation pictures? Drop us a line and we'll share his adventures in a future newsletter.

 

Jul 13, 2021 Newsletter #22

Hi Member, We hope you're enjoying the summer. Here are a few topics you might find interesting as you sip your iced tea in the shade: Home Office News Product Focus: Simplified Issue Member Highlight: Officer & Member Manual Save the Date for the Session    Home Office News Nick Benoit, our Chief Operations Officer, is pleased to announce that Home Office associate Travis Scofield has been promoted to the role of Claims Supervisor. Travis was hired in February of 2019, previously working for the John Hancock Insurance Company. His continuous strong performance handling many tasks within the operation has earned him this advance. If you happen to speak with him in calling the Home Office, be sure to congratulate him.    Product Focus: Simplified Life Simplified Issue Plan   What is Simplified Life Insurance? The Royal Arcanum Simplified Issue Plan is permanent whole life insurance for those aged 20 - 85 (may be limited in some states). Full underwriting is not required: there are only 7 medical questions, without a medical exam being required.   Benefits Once issued, premiums will never increase, and the death benefit will never decrease. Cash values accumulate over time. The full face amount is payable in the first year.   Face Amounts The minimum face amount is $2,500 for ages 20 - 85 (the maximum issue age for the state of Washington is age 65). The highest face amount is $50,000 for those through age 69. The maximum for ages 70 - 85 is $25,000.   Guaranteed Death Benefit Your chosen beneficiary will receive the full face amount of your policy as long as your premium payments are current.   Membership The insured will become a member of the Royal Arcanum and provide full membership benefits, including social functions, charitable event participation, and access to the Royal Perks program. Details are available here.   Convenient Payment Plans Premiums may be paid quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Monthly payments can be paid with automatic checking account withdrawals with Check-o-matic or by credit card. This is a great way to become a member of the Royal Arcanum without the requirement of a medical exam. Please contact the home office to find out more about this or any of our other products.    Member Highlight: Officer & Member Manual The Home Office is always available to help you to make the most of your membership in the Royal Arcanum. Your Executive Committee has worked to create and maintain resources for your benefit and keep you informed of information that you may need as a member and as an officer in your council. Today we'll begin to explore one of those resources: the Manual for Council Officers and Members. This manual was created to provide information in an easily accessible manner to our members and officers, so they will be aware of the membership benefits, programs, awards, guidance for officers, and answer other questions that have been often asked. In future newsletters, we'll dig deeper into this valuable resource.   Purpose The Manual for Council Officers and Members was published in 2015 in response to our members and officers questions on the many benefits and procedures in the Royal Arcanum. Even members who have reached the level of a Supreme Council Officer have sometimes found themselves unaware of some of the rich history and plentiful benefits of Royal Arcanum membership. Members who are thinking about becoming first-time officers, or moving to a new office, are sometimes worried about the needs of the position and decline to run for office not out of a lack of desire to help their council, but out of a lack of confidence that they can adequately serve. This manual covers the few key responsibilities for each office, making the position more well known and hopefully a more attractive service option for our members.   Outline The manual is composed of four sections, each only a dozen or so pages long; the entire manual is only about 60 pages. Each section has a table of contents that outlines every topic in the section, and the manual has an index in the back. Forms are also included for changing your name, address, or beneficiary; a few other forms are also included. Some of these forms are also availableonline at our website.   Section A - General Information The first section provides general information about the Royal Arcanum, its history, contact information, symbols and signs used in our society, and information about membership and our products.   Section B - Programs & Procedures The Royal Arcanum has created and maintained many programs to help councils with their social and charitable activities. Some programs also provide financial awards to councils for participation. Programs are reviewed regularly by the Executive Committee and revised as needed, and new programs are created when circumstances indicate it will be a benefit to our membership. This section also describes procedures for writing reports, and working as a volunteer recommender (and how to earn recommender awards).   Section C - Age Related Items The Royal Arcanum is happy to accept members shortly after their birth, and has provisions for benefiting our members throughout their life. This section covers information about our Junior Department and programs designed for our pre-adult members, including our generous Scholarship and Grant programs. It also covers the conversation of members from Juniors to Adults, and programs to recognize members who have been Arcanians for 25 years and more.   Section D - Councils and Officers The final section describes awards to Subordinate and Grand Councils, Production Awards, restrictions on the use of production award money, a summary of the duties of officers, and common forms used by our members. As you can see, there's a vast amount of information packed into those 60 pages! We'll be exploring some of the key points of this manual and other resources we have available for you in the future so you can keep your council a fun and active place.    Save the Date for the Session Save the date for the Royal Arcanum Session on March 27 - 31, 2022 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. Our pandemic-delayed Session will focus on our business and elections of new officers, but also includes the usual array of ceremonies, dinners, and area attractions. It's not too early to begin to think about attending, and consider running for Supreme Council offices that will help guide our Society into the post-pandemic times. The end of March in Annapolis historically has temperatures nearing 60 degrees. Future weather is a bit harder to predict these days, so it'll be best to check in on the predictions as the time gets closer. Expect sunrise just before 6 am, and sunset just before 6:30 pm, giving us more than 12 hours of sunlight. We're looking forward to seeing you there!