What to do when a Carson account holder dies
Contact Carson's Estate planning support (Advanced Planning Team, engaged through your advisor) — 7-step process, 10 required documents, and set by the custodian, not by carson. a clean tod or ira beneficiary claim at fidelity or schwab typically moves in a few weeks once the certified death certificate and completed transfer forms arrive; an account with no beneficiary waits on the court appointment (letters), and a state inheritance tax waiver or a missing medallion signature guarantee can add weeks.
C
Carson Group
Phone888-321-0808
Mailing Address
Carson Group, 14600 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate planning support (Advanced Planning Team, engaged through your advisor)
Phone888-321-0808
WebsiteLearn more→
No dedicated claims department — report a death to the decedent's Carson advisor; the custodian (Fidelity or Schwab) processes the claim
Phone888-321-0808
Mailing Address
Carson Group, 14600 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
When a Carson account holder 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 Carson's Estate planning support (Advanced Planning Team, engaged through your advisor) (888-321-0808) to access and distribute the funds.
Carson provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Carson requires:
Filing a claim
1
Call the deceased's Carson advisor. The advisor is named on the account statements and in the client portal; if you cannot identify the office, call Carson at 888-321-0808 or find the local office at https://www.carsonwealth.com/locations/
2
Understand who actually pays the claim: Carson (CWM, LLC) is the investment adviser and does not custody assets. Per CWM's Form ADV Part 2A, the qualified custodian — Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, Charles Schwab & Co., or another approved custodian — holds the funds and securities, so the custodian's estate/transfer team processes the claim and issues the payment. The advisor opens the case, sends the forms, and shepherds it through
3
Read the statement and sort the accounts by who holds them — each one is claimed in a different place:
- Managed, wrap, and brokerage accounts: claimed from the custodian (Fidelity or Schwab) or, for commission accounts, through Cetera Advisor Networks and its clearing firm
- IRAs: claimed from the custodian on its inherited-IRA / beneficiary claim paperwork
- Flourish Cash: claimed from Flourish Financial LLC, the unaffiliated firm that holds that account
- Employer 401(k)/403(b) on Carson Powered by Vestwell: claimed from Vestwell as recordkeeper
- Variable annuity or variable life: the death benefit is claimed from the ISSUING INSURANCE COMPANY on its claim forms, not from Carson or the custodian
- Assets held in trust with Carson Private Trust (National Advisors Holdings, LLC) or BOK Financial Advisor Trust Services as trustee: notify that trust company, which administers the trust under its terms
4
Send the advisor a certified death certificate and your government-issued photo ID; ask the advisor to have the custodian restrict the account so no further trading or distributions occur while the claim is open
5
Provide the authority document that matches the registration:
- TOD registration: beneficiary ID and the custodian's TOD claim form — the account passes outside probate
- Joint with right of survivorship: certified death certificate; the survivor's registration is reopened in their own name
- IRA: beneficiary ID and the custodian's beneficiary distribution election (an inherited IRA is usually opened at the same custodian)
- Trust-titled account: the trust instrument or Certification of Trust showing the successor trustee's authority, plus the trustee's ID
- No beneficiary, no survivor, no trust: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration naming the personal representative, or a state small estate affidavit where the estate qualifies
6
Complete the custodian's transfer paperwork. Expect the custodian to require a Medallion Signature Guarantee on the transfer forms, and expect an inheritance tax waiver where the decedent's state requires one before securities can be released
7
The custodian re-registers or distributes the assets per the TOD registration, the beneficiary designation, the trust terms, or the court appointment; the Carson advisor can then advise the inheriting account
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary, successor trustee, or personal representative
- Account statement or account numbers identifying the custodian holding each account
- The custodian's TOD claim, beneficiary distribution election, or transfer forms (supplied through the Carson advisor)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration where there is no TOD registration, beneficiary designation, or survivor
- Trust instrument or Certification of Trust showing the successor trustee, for trust-titled accounts
- Small estate affidavit, where the decedent's state allows one and the estate qualifies
- Medallion Signature Guarantee on the custodian's transfer forms, where required
- State inheritance tax waiver, where the decedent's state requires one before securities are released
- For a variable annuity or variable life contract: the issuing insurer's death claim form and the policy number
What to know at this institution
The single most useful fact for a Carson estate: Carson does not hold the money. CWM's Form ADV Part 2A states that advisory accounts are held primarily by Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., or other qualified custodians approved by CWM, and that the qualified custodians maintain physical custody of all funds and securities. So the executor works two tracks at once — the Carson advisor (who identifies the accounts, opens the case, and supplies the forms) and the custodian (which reviews the documents and releases the assets). Read the decedent's statement to see which custodian to name in the letter. Accounts that live outside the custodians need separate notice: Flourish Cash sits at Flourish Financial LLC, an unaffiliated firm; employer plans on Carson Powered by Vestwell sit with Vestwell as recordkeeper; a variable annuity or variable life death benefit is claimed from the issuing insurance company; and where Carson Private Trust (National Advisors Holdings, LLC) or BOK Financial Advisor Trust Services is trustee, that trust company administers the trust. Carson has no dedicated claims department or claims portal — the advisor relationship is the intake channel, with 888-321-0808 as the fallback when the advisor is unknown.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Carson
Carson accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Carson's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Carson: Set by the custodian, not by Carson. A clean TOD or IRA beneficiary claim at Fidelity or Schwab typically moves in a few weeks once the certified death certificate and completed transfer forms arrive; an account with no beneficiary waits on the court appointment (Letters), and a state inheritance tax waiver or a missing Medallion Signature Guarantee can add weeks. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by Carson includes Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary, successor trustee, or personal representative, and Account statement or account numbers identifying the custodian holding each account, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
The custodian does. CWM, LLC (the Carson entity that manages the money) is an SEC-registered investment adviser, and its Form ADV Part 2A states that advisory accounts are held primarily at Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., or another qualified custodian approved by CWM, and that "the qualified custodians maintain physical custody of all funds and securities." So the death claim is reviewed and paid by Fidelity or Schwab on their forms, while your Carson advisor identifies the accounts, opens the case, and supplies and submits the paperwork. Look at the decedent's statement to see which custodian holds each account before you send anything.
The advisor named on the account statement or in the client portal. If you cannot tell which office held the relationship, call Carson at 888-321-0808 or use the office finder at https://www.carsonwealth.com/locations/. Carson has no separate claims department, claims portal, or claims fax; the advisor is the intake channel. Have the decedent's full legal name, date of death, and any account numbers ready, and ask the advisor to have the custodian restrict the accounts so nothing is traded or distributed while the claim is open.
Several, and they get missed. A Flourish Cash account is held at Flourish Financial LLC, an unaffiliated firm (a Massachusetts Mutual subsidiary), and is claimed there. An employer 401(k) or 403(b) on Carson Powered by Vestwell is claimed from Vestwell, the recordkeeper. A variable annuity or variable life death benefit is claimed from the issuing insurance company on its own claim form — CWM only manages the sub-accounts inside the contract. And where Carson Private Trust (National Advisors Holdings, LLC) or BOK Financial Advisor Trust Services serves as trustee, that trust company administers the trust under its terms. Inventory the statements before assuming one custodian covers everything.
Carson's No dedicated claims department — report a death to the decedent's Carson advisor; the custodian (Fidelity or Schwab) processes the claim can be reached by phone at 888-321-0808 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Carson investment accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Estate planning support (Advanced Planning Team, engaged through your advisor) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Carson primary sources (13 pages reviewed). How we research.
C
Carson Group
Phone888-321-0808
Mailing Address
Carson Group, 14600 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate planning support (Advanced Planning Team, engaged through your advisor)
Phone888-321-0808
WebsiteLearn more→
No dedicated claims department — report a death to the decedent's Carson advisor; the custodian (Fidelity or Schwab) processes the claim
Phone888-321-0808
Mailing Address
Carson Group, 14600 Branch Street, Omaha, NE 68154
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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Learn how to protect your Carson accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
