You Can Leave a Long-Remembered Legacy

Making a difference is important to you… Giving is an important part of your life and your core values... You want to use your resources in service to Meher Baba…

A future planned gift to Meher Mount achieves your goals.

The good news is you don’t have to be tremendously wealthy to create a meaningful legacy. People from all walks of life and income levels can make a difference with a planned gift. 

With your planned gift, you’ll know that Meher Mount will have a sound financial footing.

Your thoughtfulness will preserve and protect Meher Mount as a Meher Baba place of pilgrimage.

And you will be opening the gates for a future visitor like you to experience Meher Baba’s eternal presence.

What Is a Legacy or Planned Gift?

A planned gift is the gift of an asset (such as, cash, real estate, securities, retirement benefits, annuity, or life insurance) to Meher Mount during your lifetime or as part of your estate plan or will.

This forward-thinking approach to giving is “planned” because you are preparing now for a future gift.

The odds are that your assets will not be fully spent at the time of your passing.  Some remainder will be left.  What would you like to happen to your remaining assets? 

A charitable planned gift to Meher Mount is an option for part of or all your estate.

Thoughtful estate planning gives you peace of mind regarding your own financial affairs and provides the opportunity to support what is meaningful to you.

A planned gift is usually given through your will or other written document taking into consideration your needs, your heirs, and the tax consequences that can affect your heirs.

• A planned gift works together with other family priorities. Planned giving is not an “all or nothing” option. Your planned gift can exist side-by-side with other gifts that consider your beneficiaries and personal priorities.

• Planned giving is straightforward and easy to do.  You don’t have to be wealthy to make a planned gift. Your gift can involve assets you might never think of. A life insurance policy. Real estate. Stocks. Business holdings. A checking or savings account. All these assets can be planned gifts. Many of these gifts often do not affect cash flow during your lifetime.

• Planned giving can also provide important tax benefits. Depending upon the type of gift, short-term and/or long-term tax benefits may apply.  Donors at a variety of income levels can benefit. Be sure to consult with your accountant, financial or estate planner for more specifics.

With preparation, a planned gift can benefit you and your heirs and support Meher Mount. Consider the following steps as your start the process.

STEP#1 — Get Started by Asking the Right Questions

Think about what you want to accomplish.

Make planning easy. Start today by looking at the questions below and thinking about your responses:

• What values have I lived by and want to carry forward beyond my lifetime??

• Which people and places hold the most meaning for me?

• What people and organizations do I want to benefit from my estate?

• What are my resources? What are all my assets – retirement funds, life insurance, savings, investments, property, collectibles – that could be used for a gift?

• What are my financial, family and tax concerns? Do they include cost, tax implications, taking care of my heirs and family, the complexity of a gift, confidentiality?

What Needs to Happen?

What event needs to happen before you make a will and determine the distribution of assets?  Nothing.  In fact, you can do it right now.

The truth is, the sooner you make these decisions and put them on record, the more secure and relieved you will feel. With a planned gift, you can do the planning and set it up now.  If circumstances change, then you can change your plans.

STEP #2 — Consult Your Personal Advisor

Give yourself peace of mind. Contact your tax or legal advisor and discuss your options. A professional, personal advisor can guide you in making the decisions that fit your desires and are the most financially savvy options for your circumstances.

The information provided in this guide is not to be construed as tax or legal advice and could change as tax laws change. You are advised to consult with your legal advisor, tax advisor, accountant, or professional estate planner to determine which options are best suited to your individual situation.

STEP #3 — Decide How You Would Like to Give

Easy Ways to Make a Planned or Legacy Gift

You will need this information to make a gift to Meher Mount:

Legal Name: Meher Mount Corporation
Designation: Meher Mount General Fund or Agnes Baron Endowment for Meher Mount
Address: 9902 Sulphur Mountain Road, Ojai, CA 93023-9374
Telephone: 805-640-0000
Federal Tax ID: 77-0236525
Status: 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization

• A Gift in Your Will.  One of the easiest ways to make a planned gift is to simply name Meher Mount as a beneficiary in your will or living trust. A bequest – a gift in your will or trust – can be a percentage (most common) or a specific amount of your estate. Here’s sample language for your will:

I [name], of [city, state ZIP], bequeath bequeath [ ] percent of my estate or the sum of $[ ] to Meher Mount Corporation, a tax-exempt, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization at 9902 Sulphur Mountain Road, Ojai, CA 93023-9374. Federal Tax ID: 77-0236525.

Resource: If you don’t already have a will, here’s a well-regarded, free resource online for creating your will: Freewill.

Also, you may want to read this article outlining the straightforward steps to creating a will: U.S. News & World Report, 11 Steps to Writing a Will.

• Beneficiary Designation.  You can make a planned gift – without adding to or changing your will – with a beneficiary designation.  Retirement plans, life insurance policies or annuities are all options.  You can specify all or a percentage of the value, the entire amount or a lesser amount.

To designate Meher Mount as a beneficiary, contact your plan administrator or insurance broker to obtain a beneficiary designation form.  Here is the information you need to know:

Beneficiary Legal Name: Meher Mount Corporation
Designation: Meher Mount General Fund or Agnes Baron Endowment for Meher Mount
Address: 9902 Sulphur Mountain Road, Ojai, CA 93023-9374
Telephone: 805-640-0000
Federal Tax ID: 77-0236525
Status: 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization

• Appreciated Securities. Giving appreciated securities often allows you to make a bigger charitable impact than might otherwise be possible. Click here for more information on donating appreciated securities.

• Donor-Advised Funds.  You can make current and future gifts from a Donor-Advised Fund. Click here for more information on donor-advised funds.

• Qualified Charitable Distribution.  You can make a future gift from your IRA which may have tax benefits for your heirs.

  And you can also lower taxable income now. If you are 70.5 or older, you can give up to $100,000 per year from your IRA. If you are subject to a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), an IRA gift can help you meet your RMD while lowering your taxable income. Click here for more information on making a donation from your IRA.

STEP #4 — share Your Plans to Ensure Your Legacy

Once you have discussed your options with your advisors and decided to make a planned gift to Meher Mount, please share these plans with us. We can provide you and your advisors with sample language, if needed. And Meher Mount will make sure your gift is used exactly as you wish.

If you have already included Meher Mount in your plans or intend to, please contact us. We would like to make sure your wishes are understood and that your gift will be used exactly as you intend.

Questions Or Need More Information?

Contact Meher Mount for a confidential discussion that implies no obligation to discuss your plans and answer your questions.