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OverviewPreparing your estateWhen someone dies
OverviewPreparing your estateWhen someone dies
SimplyTrust forms
Letter of Instruction
Home→Financial Institutions→Auto-Owners Life→Preparing your estate

How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Auto-Owners Life

Covers 6 insurance, and 1 retirement accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch

Auto-Owners Life

Subsidiary of Auto-Owners Insurance Group

auto-owners.com→
Auto-Owners Life logo
Phone1-517-323-1200
Toll-Free1-800-346-0346
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Insurance, PO Box 30660, Lansing, MI 48909

Payments
1-800-288-8740
WebsiteLearn more→
Phone1-517-323-1200
Toll-Free1-800-346-0346
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Insurance, PO Box 30660, Lansing, MI 48909

Payments
1-800-288-8740
WebsiteLearn more→

Claims Department

Phone1-800-346-0346
Toll-Free1-888-252-4626
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company, 6101 Anacapri Blvd., Lansing, MI 48917

WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026

Estate planning with Auto-Owners Life 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.

Each of Auto-Owners Life's 7 policies has different rules for how it transfers at death. The sections below explain the options for each.

Auto-Owners Individual Retirement Annuity (IRA)
1
Contact your independent Auto-Owners agent
2
Request a Beneficiary Change Request form
3
Complete the form with required information:
  • Policy number and insured information
  • Primary beneficiaries with full legal names, dates of birth, relationships, and percentage allocations totaling 100%
  • Contingent beneficiaries if desired
4
If naming a trust as beneficiary, provide trust details:
  • Full legal trust name
  • Date the trust was established
  • Trust EIN
5
Sign and date the form
6
Your agent will submit the form to Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company for processing

Required Documents

  • Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)

Special Requirements

  • All beneficiary changes must be submitted in writing on the official form
  • Beneficiary changes cannot be made online
  • Percentage allocations must total 100% for each beneficiary tier
  • Beneficiary designations override instructions in a will
  • Only the policy owner can change beneficiary designations
  • Contact your independent agent for assistance with the form
SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·Updated July 12, 2026

Sources

  • auto-owners.com
  • customercenter.auto-owners.com

Data sourced from Auto-Owners Life primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.

Download these Auto-Owners Life instructions

Download instructions for the whole estate→

A printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Auto-Owners Life primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.

Auto-Owners Life

Subsidiary of Auto-Owners Insurance Group

auto-owners.com→
Auto-Owners Life logo
Phone1-517-323-1200
Toll-Free1-800-346-0346
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Insurance, PO Box 30660, Lansing, MI 48909

Payments
1-800-288-8740
WebsiteLearn more→
Phone1-517-323-1200
Toll-Free1-800-346-0346
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Insurance, PO Box 30660, Lansing, MI 48909

Payments
1-800-288-8740
WebsiteLearn more→

Claims Department

Phone1-800-346-0346
Toll-Free1-888-252-4626
Fax1-517-323-8796
Mailing Address

Auto-Owners Life Insurance Company, 6101 Anacapri Blvd., Lansing, MI 48917

WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026

Estate planning articles

Learn how to protect your Auto-Owners Life accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.

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New Baby or Adoption

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Marriage

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New Home

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Retirement

Retirement

Retirement changes your financial picture. Healthcare directives, beneficiary reviews, long-term care planning, and protecting what you've built.

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