2014 was another strong year financially and fraternally for Rock Island-based Modern Woodmen of America. Life insurance in force grew by nearly $1 billion for the fourth straight year, and assets surpassed the $14 billion mark.  

"Modern Woodmen continues to demonstrate notable financial strength and stability, and our fraternal contributions remain an important part of our organization," said W. Kenny Massey, president and CEO of Modern Woodmen. "Our fraternal member benefits and programs have truly enriched the lives of our members, their families and their local communities, and I am proud to report that we contributed over $19 million in fraternal expenditures in 2014."  

Continued growth in life insurance in force  

Life insurance in force, the total amount of life insurance owned by members to protect their families in case of premature death, increased to over $37 billion.  

"Protection is key for the American family," said Massey. "Through the personalized, knowledgeable support of our financial representatives, members can gain the life insurance coverage they need to protect their loved ones."  

Assets exceed $14 billion  

Modern Woodmen's assets increased 5.5 percent over 2013, reaching over $14.1 billion. Assets are primarily invested in high-quality, low-risk corporate and government bonds.  

"Fiscal responsibility is essential to our continued success," said Massey. "It allows us to protect the promises made to our members nationwide. For that reason, it is our first obligation."  

Annuity assets under management equaled $8.1 billion.  

Total life insurance, annuity and other certificate reserves, which are funds held to guarantee future benefits to members, increased 5.6 percent to slightly over $11 billion.  

Strong operational results

Total premium income was $1.07 billion in 2014.

Compared to 2013, variable annuity certificate sales increased 17 percent, and variable annuity premiums increased by 28 percent.

Payments and benefits to members in 2014 increased 6.1 percent to $803.4 million. This includes death benefits, annuity payments and surrender benefits. An additional $14.8 million in dividend payments was refunded to life insurance and annuity certificates.

Net gain from operations after dividends was nearly $16.2 million with a total net income of $85.4 million.

Total surplus and special reserves were $1.48 billion in 2014. Surplus and special reserves provide additional safety for members and ensure Modern Woodmen's ability to meet unforeseen events, continue the organization's fraternal programs and provide funds for future growth. To protect and enhance the impact of these funds and strengthen the commitment to members, Modern Woodmen set aside additional reserves in 2014.

Modern Woodmen's solvency ratio of 111.69 percent means that for every $100 of liabilities (promises made to members), Modern Woodmen has $111.69 of assets to back up those promises.

Fraternal programs support communities nationwide

Modern Woodmen has a nationwide membership of nearly 770,000. Fraternal expenditures supporting Modern Woodmen's family-oriented member benefits and programs totaled over $19 million. These benefits and programs include disaster relief assistance, college scholarships, social and volunteer service programs by adult chapters and youth service clubs nationwide, and educational programs for schools and youth groups.

Key fraternal results included: 

- More than 1.5 million people attended social, educational and volunteer events sponsored by Modern Woodmen chapters.

- 173,205 hours of volunteer service were recorded by youth service club members and 263,548 hours of volunteer service were reported by adult chapter members.

- 2.3 million children were educated through free Modern Woodmen youth educational programs. 

- $10.8 million was contributed through Modern Woodmen's Matching Fund Program. The Matching Fund Program meets needs in member communities across the country. The fundraising projects, matched by Modern Woodmen, were conducted by the organization's 2,717 adult chapters, 263 Summit chapters (for members age 55 and older) and 790 youth service clubs.

Fear & Close-mindedness Are Arguably The Real Tragedy Of Death, Says Franciscan Renaissance Man

There are those who just know how they'll react if and when they have to confront their own mortality. They will freely admit that they'll be petrified, and others are confident that they won't be scared at all.

"Perhaps they're right, or perhaps they're projecting how they think they're supposed to feel; in my case, neither fear nor bravery were the dominant notes, but rather one of spiritual and intellectual curiosity and edification," says Ron Walter, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, successful businessman and advocate of ecumenical Franciscan spirituality.

"I recently  had to face my own mortality once again as I dealt with effects of multiple myeloma and ensuing chemotherapy treatment. The encounter led me to a spiritual trek through philosophy, theology and science. In our evolutionary world, I suggest a view of death for we humans as yet another transition into a new form of being."

How does someone become so circumspect when facing death? Walter, author of "Theory of Everything: Franciscan Faith and Reason," (RonaldWalter.com), offers guidance.

•  Allow your spiritual intuitions to unfold. Most people have some kind of belief system on spiritual matters, which may remain untested for years and even decades. Whether you're a devout Catholic, Orthodox Jew, secular Buddhist or one of the growing numbers of "spiritual but not religious," facing death forces a renewed and often harsh look at one's true beliefs. As fallible as the mind can be, it is often attuned to signals emergent from deeper truth when faced with significant circumstances. Do not ignore those signals.

•  Appearances are often misleading. Are reason and faith at odds? How do we really know what will happen to us in death? We might find a clue in death as many of the faithful have in life. Many see the universe entailing a nearly infinite sequence of random events, leading to phenomena such as life on Earth. Most others, however, see a rhyme and reason beyond apparent chaos. Likewise, the apparent silence of death may be just that - apparent. For the spirit experiencing death, a new and unfathomable life may be emerging.

•  Obsessed with one religion, denomination or knowledge base? Death's proposition may have you looking elsewhere. "I find Franciscan theology and spirituality as well positioned to integrate other fields of knowledge and spirituality," Walter says. "While others prefer specific spiritual traditions, I hope they are not blind to the possibilities posed by other traditions. I believe every religion possesses only a  glimpse of God, and disciplines such as science and philosophy capture some of God's content and significance."

"When we hear 'death,' we're conditioned to tremble within," Walter says. "But when we see it for its deeper truth - involving the transformation of body, mind and spirit, recognizing the interchangeability of matter and energy - I think most of us can come away from the inevitable with greater equanimity."

About Ron Walter

Ron Walter (RonaldWalter.com) is an author, commentator and guest speaker with expertise in human spirituality, business management and military leadership. A retired corporate executive with more than 20 years active military service, Colonel Walter currently serves on Boards of Directors for the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Vesuvius Press Inc. in Phoenix. He is a Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM). "Theory of Everything: Franciscan Faith and Reason," recounts Walter's spiritual awakening following chemotherapy in the winter of 2012/2013. It explores the natures of God, humanity and the cosmos from the perspectives of noted philosophers, theologians and scientists. A major conclusion of the book is that finite beings emerge within Trinitarian relations of divine Love.

Governor Bruce Rauner issued the following statement:  

"I want to thank President Cullerton, Speaker Madigan, Leader Radogno and Leader Durkin for their leadership in fixing this year's fiscal crisis. With their help, a bipartisan group of legislators sent a strong message that the culture in Springfield is changing for the better.  

As promised, we are eliminating a $1.6 billion deficit without borrowing or increasing taxes on hard-working Illinois families. By choosing to make difficult decisions on a bipartisan basis, the General Assembly is helping set a new tone for what can be achieved in Springfield. 

While today's action is an important start, many more tough votes and challenging decisions must be made in the weeks ahead to complete the first steps of an Illinois turnaround. I look forward to continuing to partner with the legislature to enact policies that will create more jobs, increase local control and deliver value for taxpayers."

Governor Rauner plans to sign the legislation as soon as possible.   

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