What to do when a Cambridge account holder dies
Report the death to Cambridge at 1-800-777-6080
When an account holder at Cambridge passes away, the next step depends on how the investment accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Cambridge (1-641-472-5100) to access and distribute the funds.
The first step is contacting Cambridge at 1-641-472-5100 with the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate in hand.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Cambridge:
Filing a claim
- If the financial professional is unavailable, call 800-777-6080 for help from a Cambridge associate (Investor FAQs).
- If the practice has closed or the professional has died, ask the Client Support Team who now services the account.
- Cambridge maintains continuity and succession arrangements for affiliated practices.
- A cover letter naming the deceased person, the date of death, each account number and your role (beneficiary, successor trustee, executor or administrator)
- A certified death certificate
- A copy of your government-issued photo ID
- The documents for the account's registration type
- Call 800-777-6080 first so the mail reaches the right service team rather than general reception.
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued ID, for the beneficiary, successor trustee, executor or administrator
- Account statementIt names the custodian (NFS, Pershing, Schwab Advisor Services or Fidelity Institutional) and the account registration. Statements are issued by the custodian holding the assets.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if there is no TOD designation and no trust registration
- Trust agreement or Certificate of Trust, and successor trustee identification, for a trust-registered account
- Small estate affidavit, where the estate qualifies under the deceased person's state law
- The custodian's inherited-IRA election forms, for an IRA beneficiary
What happens to each kind of account3
- Investment account
Cambridge holds no client assets. Brokerage accounts are held by National Financial Services LLC (NFS) or Pershing LLC, and CIRA advisory accounts may also be held at Schwab Advisor Services or Fidelity Institutional; the custodian named on the statement processes the transfer with its own forms.1
On a transfer-on-death registration, the named beneficiary provides ID and an existing or newly opened account at the same custodian, which receives the assets in kind.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee provides the trust agreement or Certificate of Trust and trustee identification, and the account continues under the trust.1
- IRA
The beneficiary completes the custodian's inherited-IRA election, which is a distribution election, not a retitling of the deceased person's IRA.1
What Cambridge's agreement and guidance say1
- Telling the institution
Cambridge has no death-claim form, claims department or claims portal; the forms, timelines and document standards belong to the custodian named on the statement. The route in is the financial professional who owns the relationship.1
Not in Cambridge's published guidance1
- How long a claim takes
Cambridge can be reached by phone at 1-800-777-6080 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Cambridge primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Cambridge death claims support
Phone
Toll-free
Mailing address
Website
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