Estate planning at BlackRock

To retitle an existing BlackRock mutual fund account to a trust, complete the Change of Registration Form (available as a PDF at blackrock.com/us/individual/resources/forms-and-applications). Select "Trust" as the new registration type and provide the trust name, trust date, trustee name(s), and trust Tax ID (EIN or grantor SSN for a revocable living trust). Attach the required trust documentation: first page, trustee authority pages, and signature/notary pages. All signatures on the form must be verified by a Medallion Signature Guarantee stamp, Signature Verification Stamp, or notary seal (notary may not be accepted for accounts over $100,000). Mail the completed form to: BlackRock Funds, P.O. Box 534429, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4429. IRA accounts cannot be retitled to a trust.

BlackRock direct mutual fund accounts are held directly at BlackRock and managed through the my.accessportals.com portal. For these accounts, you work with BlackRock directly to add TOD registrations, retitle to a trust, or update beneficiary designations using BlackRock's own forms. iShares ETFs and iShares LifePath ETFs, on the other hand, trade on exchanges and are held at your brokerage (such as Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard). For estate planning on iShares ETFs, you must contact the brokerage where the shares are held -- BlackRock does not maintain individual investor accounts for ETFs. The same applies to BlackRock closed-end funds, which also trade on exchanges.

Yes, a trust can be named as the primary or contingent beneficiary on a BlackRock Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP, or SIMPLE IRA. Use the IRA Change of Beneficiary Form (available as a digital form at blackrock.com/us/individual/resources/forms-and-applications). When designating a trust, provide the trust name, trustee name(s), and trust date. Attach relevant trust documentation. Note that IRA accounts cannot be retitled to a trust -- they remain in the individual's name. Married investors in community property states may need spousal consent to name a non-spouse beneficiary, including a trust.