Estate planning at Alight

Alight is a B2B administrator that serves large employers. Each employer plan has its own dedicated service center and phone number. Visit alight.com/find-your-hr-website to locate your specific plan's contact information. The corporate number (224-737-7000) is for general inquiries only, not participant account services. Hours for the corporate line are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST.

Introduced in December 2024, the Alight IRA is designed for individuals leaving employer-sponsored defined contribution plans who want to roll over their retirement savings. It is available in two models: self-managed through Alight Financial Solutions, LLC, or professionally managed through Alight Financial Advisors, LLC (a registered investment adviser that acts as a fiduciary for investment decisions within the Alight IRA).

For ERISA-covered qualified plans (such as 401(k) and defined benefit plans), federal law requires written spousal consent if you name someone other than your spouse as the primary beneficiary. The spouse must sign the consent in the presence of a plan representative or notary public. IRAs and nonqualified plans generally do not require spousal consent, though state laws may vary.

Alight Financial Solutions, LLC is a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer that provides self-directed brokerage accounts (SDBAs) within employer-sponsored qualified retirement plans. It also administers the self-managed version of the Alight IRA for individuals who have left employer plans. Alight Financial Solutions has its own customer service line at 800-890-3200 (Monday-Friday 9am-7pm EST, automated 24/7) and forms available at alightfinancialsolutions.com/forms_download.htm. Your employer plan benefits portal is separate and found at alight.com/find-your-hr-website.

Trusts can be named as beneficiaries on Alight-administered retirement plans per plan documents. Log in to your Alight Worklife portal and navigate to the beneficiary management section. Select "Trust" as the beneficiary type and provide the trust's full legal name, date of trust, and EIN. You may also need to submit a Certificate of Trust or full trust copy. For ERISA-covered plans such as 401(k) and pension plans, married participants must obtain spousal consent if naming a trust (rather than the spouse) as primary beneficiary. Naming a trust as beneficiary has distribution timeline implications under SECURE Act 2.0.