Estate planning at Betterment
How to protect 12 Betterment accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust online, and file claims through Betterment's Trust Accounts
Customer Support
Betterment LLC, 450 West 33rd Street, FL 11, New York, NY 10001
Estate / Deceased Customer Transfers
Betterment Transfers, PO Box 207691, Dallas, TX 75320-7691 (overnight: Betterment Transfers, 2975 Regent Blvd, Suite 100, Lockbox Services 207691, Irving, TX 75063)
Betterment has 12 investment accounts, each with different rules for what happens when the account holder dies. Of those, 12 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. The right combination of beneficiary designations and trust ownership can keep the entire portfolio out of probate.
Betterment lets account holders update beneficiary designations online, typically taking 10-15 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle brokerage accounts into a trust.
Betterment has documented procedures for both preparing accounts during your lifetime and handling claims when an account holder passes away.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust online, and review 12 account types at Betterment.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Betterment's Trust Accounts to file a claim. 7-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Email inquiries can be sent to trusts@betterment.com.
Frequently asked questions
Betterment requires only the trust title page (showing trust title, TIN, date of establishment, and state of organization) and the signature page(s) with all authorized trustee signatures. A full copy of the trust agreement is not required. Alternatively, a notarized trust certificate is accepted. The trust must be a US domestic trust, previously established, and in good legal standing.
Betterment can assist with an asset transfer from your personal account to your trust account, provided the EIN associated with your trust is identical to the Social Security number of the personal account owner. To proceed, email trusts@betterment.com. Note that you must first open a separate trust investing account through the Betterment web interface before assets can be transferred.
Trust Cash Reserve accounts are FDIC insured up to $4 million individual / $8 million joint through Betterment's program banks, with Betterment allocating no more than $250,000 at each program bank ($500,000 for joint). This coverage applies irrespective of any additional FDIC coverage for which the trust may be eligible based on beneficiary count. Importantly, Betterment does not guarantee more than $250,000 of FDIC insurance per program bank across a client's multiple Cash Reserve accounts if you hold both individual and trust accounts. To transfer funds from an individual or joint Cash Reserve to a trust Cash Reserve, contact trusts@betterment.com.
Sources
Data sourced from Betterment primary sources (29 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Support
Betterment LLC, 450 West 33rd Street, FL 11, New York, NY 10001
Estate / Deceased Customer Transfers
Betterment Transfers, PO Box 207691, Dallas, TX 75320-7691 (overnight: Betterment Transfers, 2975 Regent Blvd, Suite 100, Lockbox Services 207691, Irving, TX 75063)
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Betterment accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
