Estate planning at Cambridge

Cambridge does not maintain custody of client funds or securities. Brokerage accounts are cleared and custodied at National Financial Services LLC (NFS, a Fidelity subsidiary) or Pershing LLC (a BNY Mellon subsidiary). Advisory accounts through CIRA may also be custodied at Schwab Advisor Services or Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services (FIWS). Your statements come from the custodian holding your assets.

Cambridge is a broker-dealer for independent financial advisors, not a direct-to-consumer platform. If you do not know your advisor, call Cambridge reception at 800-777-6080 or the local Fairfield, Iowa office at 641-472-5100 for assistance locating the advisor affiliated with your account.

The Insured Bank Deposit Program (IBDP) is the cash sweep vehicle for eligible brokerage accounts. Cash balances are automatically deposited at FDIC-insured banks through the R&T Deposit Solutions network. For individual accounts at NFS, up to $246,500 is placed at any one program bank, and cumulative coverage across all program banks is currently $1.5 million ($3 million for joint accounts). Revocable trust accounts are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per named beneficiary, provided beneficiaries are natural persons and account records disclose all trust beneficiary names.

Cambridge investors access accounts through one of two custodian portals: Wealthscape Investor for accounts custodied at National Financial Services (NFS/Fidelity), or NetXInvestor for accounts custodied at Pershing. Registration guides, eDelivery setup, and tax document instructions for both portals are available at https://www.joincambridge.com/investors/investor-resources-and-tools/. Contact your Cambridge-affiliated financial advisor or call 800-777-6080 for login assistance.

Yes. A trust can be named as beneficiary on IRA accounts (Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs). Contact your Cambridge-affiliated financial advisor to obtain the appropriate beneficiary designation form from the clearing firm. You will need to provide the trust name, date established, and tax identification number. IRAs themselves cannot be retitled to a trust -- beneficiary designation is the only transfer method.

Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. clears brokerage transactions on a fully disclosed basis through National Financial Services LLC (NFS, a Fidelity subsidiary) and Pershing LLC (a BNY Mellon subsidiary). Investment advisory accounts through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. (CIRA) may also be custodied at Schwab Advisor Services or Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services (FIWS). Your financial professional typically uses one primary custodian.

Contact your Cambridge-affiliated financial advisor to initiate the retitling process. Your advisor will provide the appropriate account retitling or new trust account forms from the clearing firm (NFS or Pershing). You will need to provide your trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, government-issued ID for all trustees, and the trust EIN (if irrevocable) or grantor SSN (if revocable). Allow 1-3 weeks for the clearing firm to process the retitling.

Yes. Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. is a member of SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation). SIPC protects customers of SIPC-member broker-dealers if the firm fails financially. SIPC coverage is up to $500,000 per customer, including up to $250,000 for cash. SIPC does not protect against market losses. Cash balances in the Insured Bank Deposit Program are separately covered by FDIC insurance.