How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Americo
Beneficiaries are managed by mail. Trust paperwork is taken by mail
Estate planning with Americo policies centers on beneficiary designations—the single most important step for ensuring life insurance proceeds and annuity benefits reach the intended recipients without probate involvement. Unlike bank or brokerage accounts, insurance products are not retitled into trusts; instead, trusts are named as beneficiaries when estate tax planning or controlled distributions are needed.
Americo has 16 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support beneficiary designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others pass through the estate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
- Americo supports three tiers - Primary, Contingent, and Tertiary - and the form requires a primary beneficiary even when you are only changing a contingent or tertiary beneficiary
- For each beneficiary: legal/trust/company name, address, relationship to the insured, date of birth or trust date, Social Security number or TIN, phone, email, and share of 100%
- If no percentages are entered, proceeds are divided equally among the primary beneficiaries
- For trusts: provide the trust name, trust date, and trust address; for a Testamentary Trust, mark it as such and do not enter a trust date
- Only the policy owner may change the beneficiary
- If an irrevocable beneficiary was previously named, that person must also sign
- If the owner is a trust, the trustee(s) sign with their title(s); if the owner is a corporation, partnership, or business, two officers sign with titles; a sole proprietor signs personally
- A joint owner must also sign, and on a qualified 403(b) annuity the owner's spouse must sign
- Americo states that a notary is highly recommended: if the form is not notarized and the signatures do not appear to match, Americo will require notarization before approving the change
- Email as a PDF to: forms@americo.com
- Fax to: 800.395.9238
- Mail to: Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Required Documents
- Beneficiary Change Request (Form 18-164-1), signed
- Each beneficiary's legal, trust or company name and address
- Each beneficiary's relationship to the insured
- Date of birth, or the trust date for a trust
- Social Security number or TIN
- Each beneficiary's phone and email
- Each beneficiary's share of 100%. All percentages within each tier must total 100%
- Trust name, trust date and trust address (when naming a trust). For a testamentary trust, mark it as such and do not enter a trust date
- Copy of the trust documents (when naming a trust, if sent in advance). Americo can keep a copy on file. Trust documents are required to process a death claim; a Certificate of Trust can be submitted in place of the full trust document
- Select "Trust" as the New Primary Owner type and enter the trust name, trust date, trust address, and the trust's Social Security number or Tax ID
- A Contingent Owner may also be named; the contingent owner takes control of the policy if the primary owner dies before the insured
- Include a copy of the Certificate of Trust or the relevant trust pages showing the trust name and acting trustee(s)
- The current policy owner signs; a joint policy owner must also sign; a trustee signs with title
- In a community property state (Arizona, California, Guam, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington or Wisconsin) your spouse must sign
- If you are divorced, enclose a copy of the divorce decree showing the spouse gave up all rights; if the spouse is deceased, enclose a copy of the death certificate
- A notary acknowledgement block is printed on the form; notarization is highly recommended and is required if the signatures do not appear to match
- Email as a PDF to: forms@americo.com
- Fax to: 800.395.9238
- Mail to: Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Required Documents
- Ownership Change Request (Form 18-162-2)
- Certificate of Trust, relevant trust pages, or the full trust document. Relevant trust pages show the trust name and acting trustees. Americo takes a Certificate of Trust, those pages or the full trust document
- Trust name, trust date and trust address
- Trust Tax ID (EIN) or Social Security number
- Trustee government-issued identification
- Spouse's signature (if the owner lives in a community property state: AZ, CA, Guam, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA or WI). The form states the request cannot be processed without it. A divorce decree, or the spouse's death certificate, takes its place
What Americo says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Americo's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Who can be named3
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Americo supports three tiers: primary, contingent and tertiary. All percentages within each tier must total 100%, and a primary beneficiary must be listed even when only a contingent or tertiary beneficiary is changed.1
If no percentages are entered, proceeds are divided equally among the primary beneficiaries.1
What a designation takes to be effective
- All accounts
Only the policy owner may change the beneficiary; a joint owner and an irrevocable beneficiary named earlier also sign. A trust owner's trustees sign with their titles, a corporation, partnership or business by two officers with titles, and a sole proprietor personally.1
Americo states that a notary is highly recommended. If the form is not notarized and the signatures do not appear to match, Americo will require notarization before approving the change.1
- Annuity
On a qualified 403(b) annuity, the owner's spouse must sign.1
Beneficiary forms Americo issues1
- Beneficiary Change Request (Form 18-164-1)
Completed by the policy owner. Available to download.1
Return to
Email: forms@americo.com
Fax: 1-800-395-9238
Mailing address: Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
What Americo's agreement says about beneficiaries2
- A minor as beneficiary
Americo recommends naming a trust rather than minor children themselves, because benefits are payable directly to minors in only limited situations.2
- Changing the owner of a policy or account
A contingent owner may also be named. The contingent owner takes control of the policy if the primary owner dies before the insured.3
Which accounts a trust can hold2
Trust account forms Americo issues1
- Ownership Change Request (Form 18-162-2)
Completed by the current policy owner. Available to download.4
Return to
Email: forms@americo.com
Fax: 1-800-395-9238
Mailing address: Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
What Americo says about trust accounts1
- Who signs for the trust
Once the trust is owner, every future policy change requires the trustee's signature with title. If multiple owners are named, all of them must sign later requests.3
Not in Americo's published guidance2
- An online way to name a beneficiary
- An online ownership-change tool
Sources
Data sourced from Americo primary sources (21 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Americo instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Americo primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Americo estate support
Policyholder Services
Phone
Medicare Supplement policy service
Great Southern Life Insurance Company
National Farmers Union Life Insurance Company
United Fidelity Life and the legacy companies
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Americo accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
New Baby or Adoption
Your family is growing. Your protection should too. Guardian nominations, trusts for minors, beneficiary updates, and the documents new parents need in place.
Learn more
Marriage
What married couples need in place: one joint trust or two, wills, beneficiary updates, and the spousal rights your state grants you automatically.
Learn more
New Home
How to put your house in a revocable trust: the deed you record, what it does to your mortgage and property taxes, and when a TOD deed is simpler.
Learn more
Retirement
Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.
Learn moreForms for Planning Your Estate
Free forms for planning your estate: a will, living trust, pour-over will, both powers of attorney, living will, and TOD deed.
Revocable Living Trust
Create a revocable living trust to avoid probate, protect privacy, and control asset distribution.
Last Will and Testament
Name your heirs, guardians, and final wishes. Free for every state.
Transfer on Death Deed
Transfer real property to a beneficiary upon your death without probate. Available in 34 states and the District of Columbia.
Tools for Planning Your Estate
Free tools for planning your estate: what a will or trust costs, whether you need a trust or TOD deed, and how documents are signed.
How Much Does a Revocable Living Trust Cost?
Compare revocable living trust costs across providers including online services and attorneys.
How Does SimplyTrust Compare to LegalZoom, Trust & Will, and Other Services?
Compare what it costs to make a trust official across SimplyTrust, LegalZoom, Trust & Will, Rocket Lawyer, and Quicken WillMaker.
Do I Need a Revocable Trust?
Find out if a revocable trust makes sense based on your state, estate value, and family situation.
Trust or Will: Which Costs Less?
Compare the cost of probate vs a trust for your state and estate value.
What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?
Compare costs across estate planning providers including online services and attorneys.
How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?
Calculate your life insurance needs based on income, debts, and family situation.
