Janet Lavine and Rick Williams credit Wharton for many things that have helped them succeed in business and in life—especially for bringing them together. Janet (WG’79) and Rick (W’78, WG’79) met at Wharton and married soon after graduation. After several years working for companies in the New York area, the couple moved to Atlanta where Janet served as treasurer of a leading media conglomerate and where today Rick is senior executive of a major insurance and asset management firm.
Parents of two children, Janet and Rick wanted to find a way to plan for their eventual retirement years, provide income to family members and help charity. They found a solution in the form of a charitable remainder unitrust. Income from a unitrust is paid to named beneficiaries for their lifetimes. In addition to a current income tax deduction for Janet and Rick, the charitable remainder unitrust also allows them to shelter assets from estate taxes. When the trust terminates many years from now, charities important to the couple will benefit, including the Wharton School.
The decision to include Wharton in their estate plan was easy. For Janet, “Wharton taught me how to acquire business savvy and gave me a wonderful network of fellow alumni.” For Rick, “the School instilled in me the self-confidence and critical thinking process necessary to be successful. We are delighted to give back to Wharton because it gave so much to us.”