Steve Thrasher Uses a CGA to “Give Back” for a Rewarding Career and Support Tomorrow’s Students

The years that Steve Thrasher taught in Pacific Lutheran’s School of Business were the most rewarding of his career. Meanwhile, his university retirement plan allowed him and his wife Jena to enjoy two wonderful post-teaching decades living in Idaho. For these reasons and more, Steve has established a charitable gift annuity (CGA) to help PLU and its students far into the future.

Steve’s tenure at PLU was richly “rewarded by teaching hard-working, creative, and willing-to-accept-a-challenge students,” he says. The university also gave Jena, who sadly passed away of a stroke in mid-June, the opportunity to complete her MBA as a returning student in her 40s.

“It was always my intention to give back to PLU for the bountiful career that I enjoyed,” Steve says. Now he is doing just that with a CGA, a gift he says offered several advantages—including:

• Removing the need to determine the value of his estate 
• Freeing Jena (had she lived) from estate-related complications 
• An age-calculated annuity payment as long as he lives 
• Cementing his commitment to PLU with a gift today

“The CGA was a win-win,” Steve says. “My hope is that it will make college admission easier for deserving students. Also, I would regard my gift as well-spent if it made it a bit less necessary for students to work outside of the classroom or do so in moderation. The college years should not be double duty, to the detriment of having some ‘me’ time for reflection and fun.”