Generosity gets the creative treatment

How to give generously and to what is serious business for alumnus Jeffery Chaddock, BSC ’88, and his partner Mark Morrow. The pair have planned to give 97 percent of their estate to charity.

Their commitment will create an endowment at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio to support Athens-area charities, including OHIO. Their estate also includes commitments to The Ohio University Foundation for Student Affairs, the arts, and scholarships.

A wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial, Chaddock asks clients to get creative and consider the eulogy test.

“A eulogy should reflect your passion, your obsession, your drive,” he said. “Through planned giving, the integrity of your life is not broken by death. I want people to know that it’s okay to plan for their death early and to be bold.”

Ohio Today talked with Chaddock about his passion for getting creative when making plans that make a difference.

What’s the first step?
Some folks feel overwhelmed with planning because they’ve not started. When you start a project, you think you want to do it all at once. You have to plan it. It takes time. It’s a lot of building blocks to get the plan in perfect order—just like maintaining a home.

Why give to this region?
I grew up in Belpre, Ohio. [My giving] has a great deal to do with just knowing and realizing gaps, getting a sense of the culture, and really having my heart and soul in Appalachia.”

Your advice for thinking big?
It starts small. (An OHIO Phonathon caller) was pushing for the $25-50 gift. I said, “Well, what about if I’d like to do more?” If it’s quarters you’re looking for, how about dollars? That’s a spirit of thinking bigger and trying to get folks excited.

What about planning?
Detail is critical. You control the controllable. Carefully crafting a financial plan—like in remodeling or landscaping—is a matter of detailing.

What about giving 10 percent to charity?
In many cases, the philanthropic side of [long-term financial] planning is greater than 10 percent, and the family is still able to transfer major wealth. For those folks who don’t have major wealth, still 10 percent is a meaningful number. I love making that challenge.

Creativity is not a word often associated with financial planning. Belpre, Ohio, native and OHIO alumnus Jeffery Chaddock, BSC ’88, and his partner Mark Morrow are determined to change that. The pair has committed 97 percent of their estate to regional charities, supporting many University and local arts programs. Zenner House, a historical home in Athens designed in 1929, is among the estate gifts Chaddock leaves to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. In this video, Chaddock draws a parallel between the creative and detail-oriented nature of home and landscape design, and that of financial planning.