Alumni Choose a Tax-Smart Way to Leave a Legacy

John and Pat Baillieul's connection with and affinity toward UMass Amherst began in the late '60s with their undergraduate experience here on campus.

John was a mathematics major and Pat was an English major. After they graduated, Pat continued her education at Harvard University and has been enjoying a successful career in financial management. John also continued his studies and eventually became an engineering professor at Boston University where he worked for the past 27 years.

John and Pat reconnected with UMass Amherst when their son, John Paul, attended and graduated in 2008. Pat has been active on campus by serving on the Humanities & Fine Arts Campaign Committee. John has been a supporter of the Mathematics and Statistics Department.

This year, both of them made generous planned gifts to different University programs by naming UMass Amherst as the beneficiary of their individual retirement accounts (IRAs).

Pat has made a generous future gift to the HFA Dean's Undergraduate Scholarship Fund, the HFA Artists and Scholars in Residence Fund and the University Chorale. John has made a generous future gift to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

"It is important to us that our three children be the main beneficiaries of our estate, so we chose the IRA donation option to help them reduce the income taxes that would otherwise be levied," John says.

Because UMass Amherst is a tax-exempt organization, every dollar in John and Pat's IRA accounts will go toward their designated projects.

To learn more about the many different gifting strategies available, please contact Joseph K. Jayne ’21MPP at 413-577-1418 or giftplanning@uma-foundation.org.