“Financial education is just so critical for everybody, but particularly for women,” said Suzanne Dyer Wise ’62.
“I’ve always been active in my own financial planning,” Suzanne explained. “I never wanted to feel as if I had to be married to be taken care of. My financial independence has been critical to my sense of well-being and security.”
Drawing on both her experience working in financial services at Merrill Lynch and the knowledge she gained from “growing up in a family of entrepreneurs who ran their own business,” Suzanne said, “I have always been conscious of investments and tax strategies, and I have always been supportive of charities either as a volunteer or as a donor.”
All of those factors weighed in her decision to set up a Charitable Gift Annuity with Westover, which can provide the donor and/or another beneficiary with stable income for life. In addition, the donor may receive an immediate income tax deduction.
Because Suzanne is planning to move into a retirement community, she wanted to provide for a reliable source of income to help with that transition. Setting up a Charitable Gift Annuity would do just that. “I can now go into this next chapter, a more simplified life, with more financial stability,” she said.
Suzanne’s experiences at Westover and beyond shaped her philanthropic interests. “Women’s success is important to me,” she noted. “Education is important to me.” By the time she embarked on her own career, she said, “I had a level of self-confidence in my ability to become self-reliant, and part of what gave me that strength was knowing I had the education to achieve on my own. I think that is something that is critical for every young woman.”
Suzanne’s commitment to women’s education led her to eventually become a founding board member and an international financial officer for Educating Every Child, a non-profit organization that provided scholarships for high school girls in Ghana.
So, Suzanne said, establishing charitable gift annuities that would benefit both Westover and Vassar College (which she also attended) supported both her financial needs and her philanthropic goals.
Suzanne said that even though the decision for her to attend Westover was her parents’ decision, once she was at the School, she found herself working hard at her studies to get the most out of the opportunities offered to prepare her for college and beyond. “I also made lifelong friends that I cherish to this day,” she added.
“I love the direction the School has now taken,” Suzanne explained. When she and her classmates have returned for reunion, they have felt jealous when hearing about the wide-ranging opportunities today’s students are offered through Westover’s expanded programs.
“I have always given to Westover every year,” Suzanne said, but the annuity allows her to have a greater impact on behalf of the School while also providing for her own financial needs.
A West, Suzanne and her husband, John, reside in Dennis, Massachusetts. She has served as a Secretary and as a Reunion Chair for her class.