Estate planning and settlement at Avantax
Name beneficiaries in branch, fund a trust in branch, and report a death at 1-888-406-5444
Avantax is now part of CeteraAcquired, effective November 2023
Cetera Holdings completed its acquisition of Avantax on November 27, 2023, and states it retained Avantax's legal entities, brand, core technology, product offerings and existing clearing and custody relationships. The Avantax brand remains in active use as "a distinct community within Cetera Wealth Services, LLC," so this page stays the right starting point for an Avantax statement. The broker-dealer behind it has changed: Avantax Investment Services, Inc. (CRD #13686) shows as Terminated on FINRA BrokerCheck with a firm status date of December 9, 2025, and avantax.com now states that registered representatives offer securities through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC. A survivor holding older Avantax statements should expect the current paperwork, support line, and disclosures to name Cetera Wealth Services. Advisory accounts held through Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. face a further change: Cetera launched Cetera Planning Partners on April 28, 2026 by rebranding The Retirement Planning Group, and disclosed that on or about September 30, 2026 Avantax Planning Partners is expected to assign its advisor contracts to that firm, subject to required approvals.
How your Avantax investment accounts transfer at death depends on how each one is titled and whether a beneficiary is on file. Of those, 12 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Getting these details right keeps assets out of probate and ensures they reach the intended recipients.
Avantax lets account holders update beneficiary designations in branch and by mail. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle brokerage accounts into a trust.
Avantax has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 13 account types at Avantax.
Preparing your estate →Death claim process
Report the death to Avantax at 1-888-406-5444. The page lists the steps and the documents to send.
When someone dies →For questions about any of these procedures, contact Avantax at 1-888-406-5444.
Sources
Data sourced from Avantax primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Avantax customer support
Cetera Wealth Services client support (Avantax accounts)
Phone
Avantax Planning Partners, Inc. (advisory accounts)
Mailing address
Website
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