Above: Jason Salomon, estate attorney and Chair of the Professional Advisory Group (PAG) of the Jewish Foundation of Memphis, where he also serves on the board of directors, chats with Jewish Foundation Donor Advised Fund holder Evelyn Makowsky. The PAG is made up of professionals in various legal, financial, and insurance fields who support the mission of the Foundation by encouraging charitable giving, supporting partner agency development, and helping to build and sustain a vibrant Jewish community.
Are you an estate planning attorney? An accountant? A Financial Advisor? A life insurance agent? Do you interact with clients who have an interest in philanthropy? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then consider joining the Professional Advisory Group (PAG) at the Jewish Foundation of Memphis.
The Jewish Foundation of Memphis has a robust Professional Advisory Group (PAG) made up of professionals in various legal, financial, and insurance fields. These individuals support the mission of the Foundation: encouraging charitable giving, supporting partner agency development, and building and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community. The Jewish Foundation was established in 1995 and has granted over $100 million to hundreds of diverse charities over the last twenty-four years. The advisors support the Jewish Foundation by promoting charitable planned giving, assisting with educational programs and consulting with and providing direction to the Foundation regarding technical tax and legal issues. The Jewish Foundation engages over four hundred philanthropic families each year, runs an award-winning B’nai Tzedek teen philanthropy program and has approximately $80 million in assets.
As part of the year-long 25th anniversary celebration in 2020, the Jewish Foundation of Memphis will be publishing a printed directory of Professional Advisory Group (PAG) members. The directory will include the advisor’s name, firm information, services provided and his/her certifications. A $50 donation to the Jewish Foundation is required to be a part of the directory. This will help off-set the costs of a professionally printed directory. Fill out the online form before the deadline, Sunday September 22, 2019.
Chaired by Jason Salomon, estate planning attorney at Harkavy Shainberg Kaplan PLC, the PAG currently has one hundred members. “Being a part of the PAG is a great opportunity for any advisor to get exposure in the Memphis community. We also have fantastic events that offer ways to network with other professionals and receive continuing education credits,” said Jason. To help plan these events, Jason leads a steering committee that includes Morrow Bailey, Senior Vice President at Diversified Trust; Scott Bendure, Managing Director at Suntrust Private Wealth Management; Mark Kaplan, New York Life Insurance Agent; John May, Partner at Dixon Hughes Goodman; and Shelby Paranich, Director of Community Engagement at Start Co.
By joining the PAG, advisors must agree to: inquire as to whether Jewish clients have considered making gifts to charitable organizations, synagogues or schools; discuss tax benefits of charitable giving; explore ways the Jewish Foundation may be able to help simplify giving and achieve their charitable objectives; and when appropriate, call upon the Jewish Foundation to work with clients who have indicated an interest in including philanthropy in their financial and estate planning.
The Jewish Foundation hopes to get full participation in the directory from its one hundred current PAG members. New PAG members are also encouraged to sign up. This is a great way for advisors to get their names out there, as more people move to Memphis and seek financial or legal advice. The directory will be available in the Jewish Foundation offices and delivered to the Foundation’s four hundred donor advised fund holders. All questions regarding the PAG should be directed to Sarah VanderWalde, Endowment Development Manager at the Jewish Foundation of Memphis. She can be reached at svanderwalde@jcpmemphis.org or 901-682-4328.