The week ending on October 19 saw a number of developments, including two notices and a revenue ruling effectively putting an end to abusive uses of whole life insurance to fund welfare benefit and VEBA plans for single employers. A private letter ruling explained how a self-directed IRA can make a loan to a church secured by a life insurance policy purchased and owned by the church with the self-directed IRA the beneficiary and the IRA owner the insured. A special report by a federal advisory panel offers 33 suggestions for improving ethical standards and operational controls in charitable organizations. In short, for those of us interested in federal income taxation, it was a week like all weeks.