Good afternoon.
Everyone here has done very well in schooling me that I only have three minutes.
Luckily, my life can, more or less, be summed up in just one minute.
I’m proud to be an Iowa Hawkeye.
I’m even prouder to be an Iowa lawyer. I’ve been one for more than 20 years.
I’m most proud of my wife, Monica. We’ll soon celebrate 26 years of marriage.
I have my own law practice, (unimaginatively named) Gordon Fischer Law Firm.
The mission of my law firm is to promote and maximize charitable giving in Iowa.
I do estate planning, wills, trusts, from basic and simple to exceedingly complex. I also help nonprofits, including several in this room, with a wide variety of legal services.
I enjoy movies and music and reading. I’m always looking for new recommendations for books and films.
And, really, that’s about it.
One minute down. What to say in my two remaining minutes?
Rather than talk more about me, I’d much rather talk about you.
We are all aware the Rotary Foundation does tremendous good in the world. And we are all also well aware the more resources the Rotary Foundation has, the more good the Foundation can do.
So, how to increase giving to Rotary Foundation? Let me suggest two ways.
First, we can all think about including Rotary Foundation in our estate planning – in our wills and trusts. If we all left bequests to Rotary Foundation, and the other causes we hold in our hearts, think about the enormous positive difference we would make.
Second, we can all consider charitable gifts, during lifetime, of noncash assets. For example, you could gift stocks or bonds or mutual funds. Or, you could gift real estate. You could make a gift from your IRA or 401k or other retirement plan.
Sometimes when you consider all your assets, including noncash assets, and your estate plan, it allows you to be a bit more generous. Or even a lot more generous!
How to get more Iowans to consider charitable giving, both through their estate plan, and during lifetime with noncash assets? Obviously, a topic for when we have much, much more time.
But I’m really interested in starting a dialogue on these subjects. And I’d suggest a good first step — I’m doing a workshop on the topics of estate planning and charitable giving, there are flyers at your tables.
Monday, April 25, from 2:00 to 3:30.
Iowa City Senior Center.
Free and open to all.
I promise the workshop will be interesting and informative and well worth your time.
In conclusion, it’s a great honor to be a Rotarian. Thank you all for your time and attention.
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