The H.M. Riley Trust

Because someone, someone who misused their authority as financial information of such as is posted online relative to this trust is confidential communication between a financial planner, accountant, board of trustees and beneficiary of the trust; it's revealed the mutual funds owned by the Riley Trust have a "consumer staples/consumer goods" component, and one of the stocks in that component is Phillip Morris.

It's a completely immaterial amount of money and it's not generated by securities that are able to be traded, unless the entire mutual fund is sold off. 

This is another fine example of people who have an axe to grind with Jehovah's Witnesses doing a whole lot of work to produce a "smoking gun" that really is nothing of the kind.

This stems from some financial information that was released related to a lady named Henrietta Riley. Apparently a wealthy JW that made the Watchtower Society the beneficiary of the income from her trust. Ms. Riley's financial planners had only her financial interests at heart when managing her investments. 

This site has some financial information displayed:

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/politics.php 

The brokerage statement (the second image at the very bottom) reveals, not that she owned Philip Morris stock, but that she owned part of a mutual fund which held Philip Morris stock.

It's doubtful to me that Ms. Riley managed her own stock portfolio, so it's doubtful she knew every stock that made up the mutual fund displayed in that part of a brokerage statement, and impossible that she actually went out and directed her agent to buy the stock specifically.

After all she was running some sort of almost 2,000,000.00/year rental operation which made up the vast majority of the income of her trust. 

Her total revenues were $1,783,647.00 (not including capital losses) and her interest and dividend income was $63,023.00. If I'm reading that last column, the title of which is obscured, correctly, the actual income generated by the Philip Morris stock was $912.00. 

Summed up, about 3.5% of Ms. Riley's Trust's income was generated by interest and dividends, and the dividend income from PM-.05% of the income.

Tobacco companies have been sued in last 15 years prominently since Tobacco whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand, Ph.D. made some information public on 60 Minutes. 

• March 2001: The Supreme Court affirmed the Circuit Court's ruling that the Food and Drug Administration could not class tobacco as a pharmaceutical, so could not control its production through the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. (FDA v. Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp.)
• June 2002: A District Court in Kansas awarded $15 million in punitive damages against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco after calling the company's conduct "highly blameworthy and deserving of significant punishment." (David Burton vs. R.J. Reynold's Tobacco)
• June 2002: A Miami jury held three cigarette companies liable for $37.5 million in a lawsuit involving an ex–smoker who lost his tongue to tobacco–related oral cancer. (Lukacs vs. Phillip Morris)
• October 2002: A Los Angeles jury issued $28 billion in punitive damages against Phillip Morris. This was later reduced to $28 million. (Betty Bullock vs. Phillip Morris)
• 2004: A New York jury issued $20 million to the wife of a long-term smoker who died of lung cancer at the age of 57. This was the first time that a New York court had held a tobacco company liable for an individual smoker's death. (Gladys Frankson vs. Brown and Williams Tobacco Corp)

What is some of this money used for? Anti-smoking campaigns.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheTruth.com

The truth campaign was modelled after an anti-smoking campaign in Florida. Florida's Office of Tobacco Control formed the Florida Tobacco Pilot Program in 1997. The program set out to drive a wedge between the tobacco industry's advertising and a youth audience. The program not only assembled a team of advertising and public relations firms to develop the marketing portion of the campaign, but also directly polled Florida's youth. From this emerged the campaign concept of a youth movement against tobacco companies promoted through grassroots advocacy and a youth-driven advertising campaign.

The American Legacy Foundation receives the majority of its funding from payments to the National Public Education Fund established by the Master Settlement Agreement. The MSA called for payments to the fund for five years and thereafter for years in which the tobacco companies participating in the agreement collectively have a 99.05% market share. The foundation received what is likely the last guaranteed payment in 2003. The participating manufacturers’ share does not currently meet the threshold and is not expected to in the foreseeable future. As a result, the foundation and the truth campaign are now facing a serious funding challenge. Efforts are being made to raise funds to continue the truth campaign as well as continue funding the foundation’s other programs.

Phillip Morris funded or is funding an anti-smoking campaign. I see that as a good thing.

How You Can Quit Smoking - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Web Site

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000322/article_03.htm

Because someone, someone who misused their authority as financial information of such as is posted online relative to this trust is confidential communication between a financial planner, accountant, board of trustees and beneficiary of the trust, it's revealed the mutual funds owned by the Riley Trust have a "consumer staples/consumer goods" component, and one of the stocks in that component is Phillip Morris.

Please don't drink and post.

This is all one sentence?

It makes no sense.

Cardinal Health is on the list too. That's a big industry. Looks like she supported some links to the Vatican's healthcare monopoly.

It's doubtful to me that Ms. Riley managed her own stock portfolio, so it's doubtful she knew every stock that made

up the mutual fund displayed in that part of a brokerage statement, and impossible that she actually went out and directed

her agent to buy the stock specifically.....Alice in Wonderland

                                              Doubtful..Is that like Evidently?..

                                                                 Or..

                         I really don`t know what the F*ck I`m talking about..LOL!!..

                The WBT$ could just refuse to have anything to do with a tobacco company..

                   You could give up your Occult beliefs and become a Jehovah`s Witness..

                                                                      But..

                                         We both know neither is going to happen..

                                    The WBT$ loves Money and you love Satan..LOL!!..

                                                                                                      .......................... ...OUTLAW

Wait, so a little fornication is ok? Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!

This is a nice safe little issue for you Alice; a non-issue actually.

When you get your ass kicked on the big threads, I see you dig up this crap.

how can they have the balls to say No.. H(6)

This needs to be addressed.

Anyone else feel betrayed????

H(6)???? REALLY

"Wait, so a little fornication is ok? Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!"

No, but once a death certificate has been issued by the government and the person's assets are left to a beneficiary, they have a responsibility to handle the matter appropriately. I don't know for sure what would happen if the assets were rejected by the organization, but I assume they would be seized by the federal government. If the society can put the money to better use, it's perfectly acceptable for them to do so.

HA HA HA!

you said, "SMOKING GUN"!

I guess money is money, and the WT doesn't look a gift dollar in the mouth.  I guess by that logic as long as a cigarette company or a weapons manufacturer pays me money to do a job or as a contractor, it's not a big deal either. 

Alice, here's a couple of things for you. First, something you're misinformed about: noone misused their authority, afaik funds must be transparent. Which is why 6 months ago when I was researching the HR fund I easily found their IRS 990 forms online on the site http://www2.guidestar.org. Go there, register for free, and you have access for the last 3 years.

Secondly: let's assume the whole Phillip Morris thing was an overlook on their part. It was found out, people were stumbled, etc. All well, they should go and do their best not to stumble further. True enough, while digging through the IRS forms, Phillip Morris is not on the list any more. So they did the right thing? Phah! Guess what is in there instead of a tobacco company: Armor Holdings Inc (http://www.armorholdings.com). Hurray for beating our swords into plows!

No, but once a death certificate has been issued by the government and the person's assets are left to a beneficiary, they have a responsibility to handle the matter appropriately. I don't know for sure what would happen if the assets were rejected by the organization, but I assume they would be seized by the federal government. If the society can put the money to better use, it's perfectly acceptable for them to do so.

Wrong. This woman, as a supposed JW in good standing, was responsible for what was in her portfolio. Also, the legal dept. at Bethel should have ensured that no shares of this stock came into possession of the WTS.

For example, as a Catholic, I participate in Ave Maria Funds. These are all stocks that perform well (let's hope) but aren't in opposition to Church moral teaching. For instance, when E. I. Lilly began manufacturing oral contraceptives, the Ave Maria Fund dropped them from their list of approved funds because using artificial contraception is a sin. This is called Socially Responsible Investing and it is the responsibility of every investor to know what they are putting their money into. Perhaps the WTS should try it. 

So it looks, once again, like the WTS just can't maintain the high moral standards of the Catholic Church.

i was a 22 year old kid working in a drug store and my conscience was acute enough according to WTS standards, as preached in the holy pages of the WT, that i questioned the elders as to whether i could in good conscience order and sell tobacco products.  it's the old bs, the almighty wts can take blood money when they want, and ignore their own rules and pronouncements when it suits them.  glad i'm out........eleven years and counting, and nary a regret as to leaving.

CAW!!!!

I see that Alice the Troll is baaaack.

If the WTS wasn't so high and mighty and continually riding its high horse declaring LAW to it's minions and attempting to excercise control in ALL areas of our lives, we wouldnt react so harshly when inconsistencies and double standards occur, ... but as it is, they preach one standard and will happily (though quietly) break it when it financially suits them to do so.

Remember Watergate? Maybe not, but seen the film right and educated yourself? Small things seemed very insignificant at 1st didnt they? ...but in the end it got real messy thru all the lies didnt it? ...As Deepthroat said "Follow the money". Same applies here sadly. The WTS is ALL about the money.

Cheers

No, but once a death certificate has been issued by the government and the person's assets are left to a beneficiary,

they have a responsibility to handle the matter appropriately. I don't know for sure what would happen if the assets were rejected by the organization,

but I assume they would be seized by the federal government.

If the society can put the money to better use, it's perfectly acceptable for them to do so......OccultAlice in Wonderland

               Where did you get that nonsense from?..Your Ouija board?..

JW families have had to give up tobacco farming..Or..Face the wrath of the WBT$..

                                                                                                                           ........................ ...OUTLAW

I don't agree with you alice but thank you for resurrecting the issue so many new posters can see the WTS' duplicity

Is this a good time to let the new readers here know about the Watchtower's ownership of 50 percent of the stock of Rand Cam warfare technology?

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=watchtower+rand+cam+warfare+technology&btnG=Google+Search

I'll bet if a dub went to work for them though they'd face a tribunal in the Sanhedrin....

~PS

Firstly - thank you AIW for bringing this to my attention - I was not aware of this before.

I'm curious about why its bad that this information was leaked to the public yet you also quote on the whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand. One has leaked information about the hypocrisy of an organisation that has killed members by it's products (printed policies on blood, Malawi/Mexico etc) and the other has killed is customers by it's products. I don't see how one deserves to be protected and other outed?

You bring up the point about materiality (and quite rightly in my opinion). The Church of England clearly defines materiality in terms of it's defence investments:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:u3Rbj2v-sIUJ:www.cofe.anglican.org/info/ethical/policystatements/defence.doc+materiality+as+a+defence&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

The WTS is not transparent about materiality because we would all assume it's investments are "ethical" based on it's own teachings. Have I made a correct assumption about this or does it state anywhere that it wouldn't hold non ethical investements?

Do you think that the society was a) wrong to accept these in the first place, b) should have liquidated the portfolio upon receipt but kept the money c) it's not material so no wrong has been done d) we should not judge our brothers at the WTS and no-one should ever leak any information about them?

I worked for a company that received money from Phillip Morris for it's anti-smoking campaigns. Do you see what Phillip Morris does as hypocritical in any way or simply a good thing (aside from the fact it is a legal requirement)?

Thanks

MMXIV