A Healthy Ocean for Future Generations Begins With You:

Gift planning at Bigelow Laboratory

Are you passionate about the bright ocean future that Bigelow Laboratory represents? We invite you to make perhaps the most meaningful of gifts to support our mission: a planned gift.

It’s easy to create a lasting legacy that reflects your values while helping you realize significant financial and tax benefits. Through a planned gift, you become an invaluable, long-term partner in ocean research and science education far beyond your lifetime. Here are some ways you can support Bigelow Laboratory in perpetuity:

• BEQUESTS - The easiest and most common way to make a planned gift is by naming Bigelow Laboratory in your will or estate. Bequests are exempt from federal estate taxes, and can be in the form of cash, securities, property, a stated percentage of the estate, or the estate’s residue. If your will is already written, your attorney can add a codicil. Contact us to learn more or to request suggested bequest wording.
• LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES - Naming Bigelow Laboratory as the beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of a life insurance policy you no longer need qualifies you for certain tax benefits.
• RETIREMENT ASSETS - You can also designate Bigelow Laboratory as a beneficiary of a retirement or investment account. When you leave retirement assets to Bigelow Laboratory, you avoid certain taxes and ensure that 100 percent will support the ocean mission you care about.
• DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS - Naming the Laboratory as a beneficiary of your Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a simple planned gift to support the ocean mission you care about. Contact your DAF provider to set up a succession plan naming the Laboratory as beneficiary of your fund.
• TRUSTS AND ANNUITIES - Planned gifts that provide you income allow you to make a legacy gift to the Laboratory while providing you or another beneficiary with an income stream for life. Consult with a trust and estate planner to determine if this is appropriate for you and your family.
• REAL ESTATE - If you have a real estate asset that your heirs may not want to be responsible for, you can leave your home, vacation property, commercial building, vacant land, or other property to the Laboratory in your estate plans. It is an easy gift planning option to achieve your charitable and financial goals.

We're Here to Help

If you have already established a planned gift to benefit Bigelow Laboratory, thank you! Please let us know about it through our online form here, so we can acknowledge you properly and ensure that your intentions are fulfilled. Or contact Jennifer Cutshall, Vice President for Strategic Alliances and Advancement, at jcutshall@bigelow.org or 207 315-2567 ext 112 to discuss your planned giving options today.

The benefits of making a planned gift to Bigelow Laboratory include:

• - First-hand updates from Laboratory leadership
• - Invitations to exclusive Laboratory events
• - Permanent recognition in our publications and on campus

Please note that laws governing bequests and beneficiary designations vary by state, so it is important that you talk with your attorney or financial advisor when making estate plans.

_{Image credit: Kevin Fahrman, Foreside Photography}