How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at American Heritage

Beneficiaries are managed online, in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch, by phone or by mail

Estate planning at American Heritage means getting each account set up so it transfers automatically when you die—either through a POD beneficiary or trust ownership. Because American Heritage is a membership-based institution, trust retitling must maintain the membership eligibility requirement. Without one of these in place, accounts may require probate before your family can access the funds.

Across 20 product types, American Heritage accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Payable on Death (POD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.

Beneficiary form at American Heritage

Add a Beneficiary to an Individual Account (for payable-on-death accounts), Add a Beneficiary to a Joint Account (for payable-on-death accounts), Change/Update Beneficiary on an Individual Account (for payable-on-death accounts), Change/Update Beneficiary on a Joint Account (for payable-on-death accounts), Beneficiary Removal on an Individual Account (for payable-on-death accounts), Beneficiary Removal on a Joint Account (for payable-on-death accounts) and IRA Change of Beneficiary Form (for IRAs).

Open the form →

Totally-Free Checking AccountIdentity Protection Checking AccountVIP Checking AccountPlatinum Checking AccountCash Management Checking AccountLegacy Club CheckingShare Savings AccountHoliday Club AccountVacation Club AccountIdentity Protection Savings AccountHigh-Yield Savings AccountMoney Market AccountVIP Money Market AccountPlatinum Money Market AccountShare CertificateBump-Up Certificate

Go to the Account Maintenance Request Forms page

Under "Add a Beneficiary to your Account", "Beneficiary Change/Update" or "Beneficiary Removal", select the Individual or Joint Account version that matches how the account is titled; submitting the wrong one will not update the account

Complete the DocuSign PowerForm with beneficiary details:

Full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship
Percentage allocation if naming multiple beneficiaries

Sign and submit electronically; no branch visit is required

For an IRA, use the "IRA Change of Beneficiary Form" in the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Account Forms section of the same page

Online Portal →

Required Documents

Each beneficiary's full name and relationship
Each beneficiary's date of birth
Each beneficiary's Social Security number
Percentage allocation for each beneficiary (when naming more than one beneficiary)
Signed beneficiary form (by mail or at a branch)

Visit any American Heritage branch with your trust documentation, or use a Video Advisor session

Provide trust details:

Trust pages showing trust name, date, grantor(s) and trustee designations, or a Certificate of Trust
SSN or EIN for the trust
Government-issued ID for each trustee

Complete the trust account application or Member Services Request Form

Confirm with the representative that the Trust Document or Certificate of Trust is placed on file; the FAQ states it will be required before the account can later be closed if it is not already on file

Required Documents

Trust agreement pages or Certificate of Trust. The pages show the trust name, date, signatures, grantors and trustee designations. A Certificate of Trust is accepted in place of the full agreement
SSN or Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the trust
Government-issued ID (for each trustee)
Member Services Request Form (for retitling or closing an existing account)

Traditional IRARoth IRAIRA CertificateCoverdell Education Savings Account (ESA)

Go to the Account Maintenance Request Forms page

Complete the DocuSign PowerForm with beneficiary details:

Full name, date of birth, Social Security number, and relationship
Percentage allocation if naming multiple beneficiaries

Sign and submit electronically; no branch visit is required

For an IRA, use the "IRA Change of Beneficiary Form" in the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Account Forms section of the same page

Online Portal →

Required Documents

Each beneficiary's full name and relationship
Each beneficiary's date of birth
Each beneficiary's Social Security number
Percentage allocation for each beneficiary (when naming more than one beneficiary)
Signed beneficiary form (by mail or at a branch)

What American Heritage says about beneficiaries and trusts

Each section is American Heritage's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.

Which accounts take a beneficiary2

Payable-on-death account

POD designations are available on checking, savings, money market and certificate accounts.¹

IRA

IRAs use a separate IRA Change of Beneficiary Form, and Account Services assists with it.¹

IRA disbursement varies depending on whether a beneficiary was elected and the relationship of the beneficiary.¹

How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split

All accounts: When naming more than one beneficiary, the owner gives a percentage allocation for each.¹