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HARRIS HELPFUL HINTS

During the Holiday Season, Make Sure Your Charitable Gifts Count

CHICAGO, December 17, 2008 –Charitable gift giving in the United States traditionally reaches its peak each year in the weeks between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Many people find themselves inspired to give simply due to the nature of the holiday season. For others, the December 31 deadline to qualify for a tax deduction serves as ample motivation.

Due to the challenging state of our economy this holiday season, many charitable organizations find themselves in greater need of gen erosity than ever before. Many experts expect charitable giving to decrease as the demand for donations rises. This means that those donating should take greater care than ever before to ensure their gifts are used as effectively as possible.

Making Your Gift Count

The following guidelines with help givers determine which charities are the best choices for gift giving. For further resources regarding the evaluation of charitable causes, visit www.charitynavigator.org or www.charitywatch.org .

Research Charity's Budgets – Make sure your charity of choice will use the vast majority of your gift to support its cause rather than for funding administrative costs and over-compensating the fund's CEO. The best charitable organizations earmark at least 75 percent of donated funds for the actual cause.

Give to the Least Fortunate Charities – While there are numerous outstanding options for those who wish to make donations, some are more in need of generosity than others. For example, due to the economic uncertainty facing our nation, human services organizations like food banks find themselves in greater need of support than ever before.

Give Gifts that Give Back – Many retailers offer programs that match dollars spent and contribute those funds to charitable organizations. One successful example of this type of program is "Product Red" – www.joinred.com .

Use the Web – In addition to facilitating research and making the donation process as convenient as possible for the giver, electronic donations are also cheaper for charities to process than traditional credit card or check payments.

Check Current Tax Information – If you are planning to claim a tax deduction for a charitable contribution, be sure you check into current requirements, visit http://www.irs.gov/charities/contributors/index.html for updated information.

About Harris

Harris is an integrated financial service organization providing more than 1.2 million personal, business and corporate clients with banking, lending, investing and wealth management solutions. The organization is a member of the BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), which also provides corporate and investment banking services in the U.S. under the BMO Capital Markets name.

Harris^® is a trade name used by various financial service subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Banking products and services are provided by Harris N.A., The Harris Bank, N.A. and their bank affiliates. Members FDIC. Brokerage products are offered through Harris Investor Services, Inc. (HIS), a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA/SIPC, and SEC registered investment adviser. Insurance and annuities are offered through Harris Bancorp Insurance Services, Inc. (HBIS). Securities are provided by BMO Capital Markets Corp. (BMOCM), a registered broker dealer and member NYSE, FINRA and SIPC. HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are affiliated companies and are wholly owned subsidiaries of Harris Financial Corp. Products offered by HIS, HBIS and BMOCM are Not Insured by the FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by Any Bank or Bank Affiliate, May Lose Value. The purchase of insurance or an annuity is not a condition to any bank loan or service. Financial planning and investment advisory services are provided by Sullivan, Bruyette, Speros & Blayney, Inc., an SEC registered investment adviser. Family Office Services are provided by Harris myCFO, Inc. Investment advisory services are offered by Harris myCFO Investment Advisory Services LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser and wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris myCFO, Inc. Not all products and services are offered in every state and/or location.