Simple Ways to Leave Your Legacy

Bequests
Remembering Music@Menlo with a bequest from your estate will help sustain and strengthen the festival and institute for years to come, while retaining control of and use of your assets during your lifetime.

A bequest is a simple way to make a gift from your estate—a transfer of cash, securities, or other property made through your estate plans. You may make a bequest by including language in your will or trust leaving a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the residual of the estate after you have made bequests to your family. Bequests to Music@Menlo may reduce your estate taxes.

Sample Bequest Language To Review With Your Attorney
“I, [name], of [city, state, zip], give, devise, and bequeath [written amount or percentage of estate] to Music@Menlo, a program of the Menlo School (tax ID # 94-3204137), located at 50 Valparaiso Avenue, Atherton, California, 94027, to support general operations.”

Estate Plan Gifts
A gift of your retirement plan or life insurance policy can be made by designating Music@Menlo as a beneficiary. To do so, contact your retirement plan administrator or life insurance company and complete the appropriate beneficiary designation form.

Gifts That Pay You Income

A life income gift provides you and/or your family with income for a period of time before giving assets to Music@Menlo. You may make a life income gift by transferring securities, cash, or other property to Music@Menlo or a trustee. There are several kinds of life income gifts you may wish to consider:

Charitable Gift Annuities
Charitable gift annuities allow you to make a significant gift to benefit Music@Menlo while receiving fixed payments to you and/or your family for life, regardless of the economic climate. A charitable gift annuity is a simple contract. When the contract ends, the remainder is used to support the work of the Festival and Institute.

Charitable Remainder Trusts
This trust provides either fixed or variable annual payments for you and/or your family for life and/or a term of years. This trust provides tax benefits and at the end of the term, the remainder of the trust assets go to Music@Menlo for the purposes you designate.

Pooled Income Funds
Your gift goes into an investment pool that functions like a mutual fund. Investment returns are paid to you and/or your family for life, after which your gift is withdrawn and used to support your designated purpose at Music@Menlo.

Gifts You Make Today

Charitable Lead Trusts
A charitable lead trust makes annual income tax-deductible gifts to Music@Menlo for a period of years, and at the end of the term, the remaining assets go to your family or other beneficiaries.

Assets to Give

Whether you are making an outright gift or a planned gift, Music@Menlo welcomes many types of assets. Options include cash, publicly traded securities, non-publicly traded assets, real estate, retirement plans, life insurance policies, gifts in kind such as personal property, and other possibilities.

For more information on the Isaac Stern Circle or to become a Member, please contact Edward P. Sweeney, Executive Director, at edward@musicatmenlo.org or 650-330-2138.

Music@Menlo and Menlo School are not engaged in rendering legal, financial or tax advice. Charitable giving has complexities that cannot be adequately detailed in brief descriptions. Individual personal situations may vary. Please contact your financial or legal advisor.