Roy Goldman
Actuaries are a rare breed, and if you’ve never met one, you aren’t alone. It took until my final year in graduate school to hear about the field, when I was already well on my way to becoming a mathematics professor instead.
I have my wife to thank for enlightening me. Her choice to become an actuary clued me in and I knew quickly that it was the appropriate field for me as well — the “right answer,” so to speak. Finding that answer changed my life.
Actuarial science is a compelling mixture of math, finance and law, all steeped within one’s ability to speak and write persuasively. Combined, you have the power to find solutions to complex questions that can improve peoples’ lives.
It is simple enough to find the right answer mathematically, but convincing others requires verbal and written persuasion skills that one acquires from a liberal arts education at a school like F&M.
Franklin & Marshall College gave me a strong liberal arts background which I view as the backbone of my success. The chance to think critically, speak freely and study a variety of topics made me well-rounded. It also gave me the ability to see the full picture, which is what an actuary does — we find the right answers. In doing so, we help society thrive.
I set up a gift through a donor advised fund (DAF) grant to fund the Roy Goldman '69 Actuarial Sciences Support Fund because I view it as another right answer. Many students aspiring to be actuaries struggle to land an entry-level position in the actuarial field after graduation. My solution sounds simple — create a fund that will support qualified students in acquiring internships that employers value.
I hope my reasoning for establishing support at Franklin & Marshall inspires you to do so as well. If the ultimate right answer is to pay it forward to help someone else, why not?
A gift through a donor advised fund (DAF) is a meaningful way to help future Franklin & Marshall students. Our free resource, Centralize Your Giving With Donor Advised Funds, outlines the ease of opening a donor advised fund (DAF) — plus the advantages. You can create a lasting legacy by naming Franklin & Marshall College the beneficiary of the entire account or a percentage of the fund. With a percentage, you can create a family legacy of giving by naming loved ones as your successor to continue recommending grants to charitable organizations.
Contact Mary Ann M. Cooke, J.D., '90 at 717-358-4821 or mcooke@fandm.edu with questions about creating your Franklin & Marshall legacy.