180 Horsepower Annuity

When it came to planning their future, Robert and Delores Nusbaum were just plane smart.

Bob and Dee are both licensed airplane pilots. She was a widow and he was a widower when they met at an FAA event sponsored by the Indiana Dunes chapter of The Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots to which Dee belonged. Bob remembered, "She asked me if I had a plane. I did. I asked her if she wanted to go flying. She did." In 1993, they added a wedding license to their pilot licenses.

Before their marriage, Bob had traded up for a more powerful plane, a Piper Cherokee 180, so named because of its powerful 180 HP engine. Bob and Dee flew to every public airport in Indiana (in alphabetical order, no less). There are 109, and they traveled 13,765 nautical miles in seven years. There were other trips as well, to distant locations such as Ottawa and Maine. But always, the return flight home to Union Mills was special.

"The town is a very caring place," Dee said. "People have put a lot of time and energy and money into projects here. It's a great place to live."

In the past few years, the Nusbaums were flying less and less, and thinking more and more about their future. Dee said, "We knew about the Unity Foundation. I read an article about someone I had known who had promoted it, and I valued her choices."

The Nusbaums decided to invest in an annuity through Unity when they realize they could name the Union Mills Conservation Fund as their beneficiary. Dee said, "We would be able to funnel our annuity to the Mill Park Fund, which is near and dear to us. People of this town have worked hard on it, and helping it would be ultimately appreciated in the future."

So, about three years ago, the Nusbaums sold their beloved Cherokee 180. The proceeds from the sale powered their annuity. Dee said, "It gives us extra income, but primarily, we thought it was a good charitable donation."

Bob said, "I don't' know if I ever thought about leaving a legacy behind until I spoke to Maggi [Spartz of Unity]. I told her that I was interested in the rate. And Maggi said, 'If that's what you're interested in, it might be better to put your money in an insurance company.' I said, 'You mean some company would get the money when we die?' She said yes. I said, 'I don't want to do that.' She said, 'See, you are a philanthropist!'".