Leading the Way with Values Based Planning

College of Management Professor Dr. Susan Misterek and her late husband Kinney Misterek held firmly to the belief that education, especially higher education, was the key to building a better life for oneself and one's family. In 2016, when Kinney Misterek passed away at the age of 61, Dr. Susan Misterek challenged herself to put their belief in higher education into action. She quickly realized that the answer was right under her nose at the campus she visits every day. She would honor Kinney through a gift to Metropolitan State University.

The Mistereks would not describe themselves as wealthy. She is an academic and he was an officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis who taught accounting at local universities in the evenings. In spite of having some knowledge of the basics of personal finance, estate planning was a task they hadn't undertaken, but she knew it was important to have a plan and choose where her assets would go. As Susan thought about her plans, she asked herself "What are my values, and what is important in society?" She knew that supporting higher education and university students was important to her. She created a living trust and dedicated a future gift to Metro State's College of Management.

In addition to her gift through her living trust, she has established an endowed scholarship in Kinney's honor, to support students right now. She sees the need first-hand with the students and wants to support them on their academic journey.

Susan encourages everyone to be prepared with a will or estate plan. She firmly believes that your spending and giving choices are personal decisions. For her, supporting Metro State students today and funding the College of Management with a future gift was the right way to honor her husband's life and her work.