HR Block 2005 Annual Report Download - page 29

H&R BLOCK, INC.
PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2005 ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING
The Board of Directors (the ‘‘Board of Directors’’ or ‘‘Board’’) of H&R Block, Inc., a Missouri corporation (‘‘H&R Block’’ or the
‘‘Company’’) solicits the enclosed proxy for use at the annual meeting of shareholders of the Company to be held at 9:00 a.m. (CDT), on
Wednesday, September 7, 2005 in the H&R Block City Stage Theater at Union Station located at 30 West Pershing (corner of Pershing
and Main Street), Kansas City, Missouri. This Proxy Statement contains information about the matters to be voted on at the meeting and
the voting process, as well as information about our directors and executive officers.
WHY DID I RECEIVE THIS PROXY STATEMENT? HOW DO I VOTE?
The Board of Directors is soliciting your proxy to vote at the If you are a shareholder of record, there are four ways to vote:
annual meeting because you are a shareholder at the close of 쐍by toll-free telephone at 1-800-435-6710 and following the
business on July 5, 2005, the record date, and are entitled to vote instructions on the proxy card;
at the meeting. This proxy statement, the proxy card and Annual 쐍by Internet at http://www.eproxy.com/hrb/ and following the
Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2005 are instructions on the proxy card;
being made available to shareholders beginning on or about 쐍by completing and mailing your proxy card; and
August 12, 2005. This proxy statement summarizes the 쐍by written ballot at the annual meeting.
information you need to know to vote at the annual meeting. You If you vote by Internet or telephone, your vote must be
do not need to attend the annual meeting to vote your shares. received before 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the day before the annual
meeting. Your shares will be voted as you indicate. If you do not
indicate your voting preferences, the appointed proxies (Louis W.
WHAT AM I VOTING ON? Smith, Rayford Wilkins, Jr., and Henry F. Frigon) will vote your
You are voting on three items of business at the annual meeting: shares FOR items 1, 2 and 3. If your shares are owned in joint
쐍The election of four Class I directors (nominees are names, all joint owners must vote by the same method and if joint
Thomas M. Bloch, Mark A. Ernst, David Baker Lewis and owners vote by mail, all of the joint owners must sign the
Tom D. Seip) to serve until the 2008 annual meeting and until proxy card.
their successors are elected and qualified; If your shares are held in a brokerage account in your broker’s
쐍The approval of the H&R Block Executive Performance Plan, name (this is called street name), you should follow the voting
as amended; and directions provided by your broker or nominee. You may
쐍The ratification of KPMG LLP as independent accountants complete and mail a voting instruction card to your broker or
for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2006. nominee or, in most cases, submit voting instructions by
telephone or the Internet to your broker or nominee. If you
WHO IS ENTITLED TO VOTE? provide specific voting instructions by mail, telephone, or the
Shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 5, 2005 Internet, your broker or nominee should vote your shares as you
are entitled to vote at the annual meeting. Each share of H&R have directed.
Block Common Stock is entitled to one vote. We will pass out written ballots to anyone who wants to vote at
the annual meeting. If you hold your shares in street name, you
WHAT ARE THE VOTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE must request a legal proxy from your broker or other nominee to
BOARD OF DIRECTORS? vote at the annual meeting. It is important that your shares are
Our Board of Directors recommends that you vote your shares represented at the meeting, whether or not you attend the
‘‘FOR’’ each of the Class I nominees named in this proxy standing meeting in person. To make sure that your shares are
for election to the Board, ‘‘FOR’’ the approval of the H&R Block represented, we urge you to vote as soon as possible by Internet,
Executive Performance Plan, as amended and ‘‘FOR’’ the telephone or mail by following the instructions in this
ratification of KPMG LLP as our independent accountants. proxy statement.
H&R BLOCK 2005 Proxy Statement
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