Jason Rager, a prominent entrepreneur and financial leader, has built a career spanning nearly three decades in technology and financial services. As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Rager Family Office, he has earned recognition for ethical leadership, strategic business development, and a commitment to long-term value creation. Born in Boise, Idaho, Rager graduated from Capital High School in 2003, earning the Presidential Education Award and achieving Eagle Scout status with the Boy Scouts of America that same year. He later pursued a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Babson College, where his passion for accounting and finance took root, shaping his professional trajectory.
In April 2025, Rager’s life will shift significantly as he and his wife, Danielle Lunger, welcome their first child—a daughter—via a scheduled C-section on April 18th. Residing in Wilmington, Delaware, Rager is enthusiastic about this personal milestone, particularly the opportunity to teach his daughter the principles of finance, accounting, and ethics that have guided his success. He views fatherhood as a chance to refine his own expertise, believing that teaching others deepens one’s mastery. This blend of personal joy and professional reflection underscores Rager’s approach as he prepares to balance family life with his leadership roles.
Early Career and Entrepreneurial Beginnings
Rager’s entrepreneurial journey began in the 1990s when, as a teenager, he built and sold computers online, turning a modest investment into a thriving operation through determination and ingenuity. This early success sparked his interest in technology, leading him to learn programming languages like C++ and C#. In 2002, he founded an online bill payment service for homeowners associations, showcasing his ability to identify and capitalize on market needs. Hiring his first employee marked a pivotal transition from solo entrepreneur to executive leader, laying the groundwork for his future ventures. This lead to the creation of Rager Capital Partners a Boston based private investment management company.
While at Babson College, Rager secured financing to buy a chain of eight retail businesses in the northeastern United States, showing his early talent for investing and growing businesses. In 2011, he wrote a guide for aspiring entrepreneurs called 13 Essential Steps for Evaluating a Franchise Opportunity, and then developed Franchise Analyzer, a software tool that helps assess franchise investments. These accomplishments showcased his growth from a tech-savvy founder to a leading expert in business strategy, paving the way for his later focus on financial services and philanthropy.
The Rager Family Office: Building Wealth with Purpose
Since 2015, Jason Rager has led The Rager Family Office, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with an additional investment office in George Town, Cayman Islands. The firm engages in direct investments, collaborating with family offices, hedge funds, private equity firms, public companies, and institutional investors. Its investment philosophy emphasizes acquiring exceptional businesses at reasonable valuations, with a preference for indefinite holding periods to foster sustainable growth and enduring value.
The Rager Family Office operates on three foundational values: relationships, professionalism, and philanthropy. It prioritizes long-term, trust-based partnerships with management teams demonstrating integrity and strong operational results. Professionalism is upheld through ethical decision-making, a principle Rager traces back to his love for the “truth in numbers” discovered during his accounting studies. Philanthropy drives the firm to use wealth as a tool for societal improvement, a mission Rager has pursued through both business and charitable efforts. His leadership, informed by decades of founding, acquiring, and selling companies, ensures the firm’s focus on disciplined asset allocation and profitable expansion.
The Rager Foundation: Strengthening Delaware Through Strategic Giving
Parallel to his business endeavors, Rager directs The Rager Foundation, a Wilmington-based philanthropic organization dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering resilient communities. The foundation targets education, technology, and economic development, opting for strategic, impact-driven solutions over short-term aid. Its initiatives include scholarships, STEM education investments, and support for local nonprofits, reflecting Rager’s belief in equipping people with knowledge and resources for lasting success.
Shining a spotlight on notable initiatives, we have the enhanced Eagle Scout Scholarships, a heartfelt mission for Rager. As an Eagle Scout, he passionately supports young leaders striving for higher education. The foundation also ignites possibilities with STEM grants for Delaware schools, coding boot camps, and digital literacy programs. These efforts prepare students to thrive in a technology-driven economy.
The foundation’s strategic partnerships with organizations such as Meals on Wheels Delaware, Hagley Museum, and Vision Academy Charter School help increase its impact. In 2024, it boosted these efforts with additional funding and new collaborations. Want to learn more about its mission? Check out The Rager Foundation’s Vision: Bridging Educational Gaps & Driving Innovation in Delaware.
Fatherhood: A New Lens on Finance and Ethics
With his daughter’s birth approaching, Rager is eager to share the financial and ethical principles that have defined his career. He plans to teach her budgeting, saving, and investing—skills honed through his work in finance and technology—alongside the values of integrity and responsibility central to The Rager Family Office and Foundation. Rager sees this as a reciprocal process: explaining these concepts to his daughter will sharpen his own understanding, reinforcing his belief that teaching fosters mastery.
This personal milestone aligns with his professional ethos. Rager anticipates that fatherhood will enhance his financial management skills, as distilling complex ideas into clear lessons mirrors the clarity he seeks in business. His excitement about raising his daughter with Danielle Lunger reflects a seamless integration of family and career, with both rooted in his commitment to long-term value and ethical leadership.
Legacy Planning: A Blueprint for Generational Success
The arrival of his daughter has intensified Rager’s commitment to legacy planning, which he considers essential for her future security. He takes ideas from resources like Planning a Legacy for Your Children to help with big life moments, education, and emergencies. He uses his professional know-how in his family life. By starting early, he can make the most of compound interest. For example, if you invest $3,000 at birth and add $100 each month with a 6% return, you could have nearly $54,000 by age 20 – and almost half of that comes from interest. Rager sees this as a practical way to give his daughter opportunities he values.
He also considers financial tools like 529 college savings plans for tax-deferred education savings, custodial accounts for tax-advantaged wealth transfer, and trusts for controlled asset distribution. Regular reviews with advisors and planning for unexpected events, such as medical emergencies, ensure flexibility. Teaching financial literacy—budgeting, philanthropy, and responsible management—completes this vision, preparing his daughter to steward resources wisely. For Rager, legacy planning is about equipping her with tools for success, mirroring his approach to business and community impact.
Professional Milestones and Community Impact
Rager’s career is marked by milestones that showcase his versatility. From his early computer business to founding tech companies and authoring a book, he has consistently transformed opportunities into multi-million-dollar enterprises. His leadership roles—as founder, investor, and board member—reflect a hands-on approach to growth and value creation. Today, he advises organizations on overcoming challenges, drawing on his extensive experience.
His community engagement extends beyond The Rager Foundation. In 2024, The Rager Family Office made significant donations, reinforcing its commitment to broad-based prosperity. Rager’s personal interests—reading, traveling, and family time—complement his professional life, grounding his efforts in a desire to improve the world for future generations, starting with his daughter.
Conclusion: A Legacy in Business and Family
Jason Rager stands at a pivotal moment. His leadership of The Rager Family Office and Foundation has solidified his reputation as a financial innovator and philanthropist, while fatherhood promises to enrich his personal and professional life. Welcoming his daughter with Danielle Lunger in April 2025, he is poised to pass down the principles of finance, accounting, and ethics that have driven his success. Through legacy planning, he aims to secure her future with the same foresight he applies to investments and community initiatives.
Rager’s story intertwines entrepreneurial achievement with personal purpose. His dedication to ethical leadership, sustainable growth, and societal good—evident in his businesses and philanthropy—now extends to raising his daughter. As he embarks on this new chapter, Rager’s legacy, both in Wilmington and within his family, continues to take shape, promising a lasting impact for generations to come.
