What to do when a Cerity Partners account holder dies
Report the death to Cerity Partners at 1-212-202-1810
After an account holder at Cerity Partners dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Cerity Partners at 1-212-202-1810 with the proper legal authority documents.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Cerity Partners:
Filing a claim
- Charles Schwab: report online or call Schwab Estate Services at 877-566-2284.
- Schwab says "All you need is their name and Social Security number" to secure the accounts, and the death certificate can be uploaded at the same time.
- Fidelity: report the death online or call Fidelity's inheritance specialists at 800-544-0003.
- Fidelity lets you start the notification before you have the death certificate and send it later.
- A cover letter with the deceased person's full legal name, date of death and account numbers if known, and your name, relationship, phone and mailing address
- A certified copy of the death certificate
- A copy of your government-issued photo ID
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if there is no TOD or beneficiary designation
- A Certificate of Trust and the successor trustee's ID for a trust account
- A state small estate affidavit where the estate qualifies
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID, for the beneficiary, executor or successor trustee
- Account statement or account numbersThese identify the custodian of record, Charles Schwab or Fidelity.
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where there is no TOD or beneficiary designationNaming you as personal representative.
- Certificate of Trust and the successor trustee's photo ID, for trust-titled accounts
- State small estate affidavit, where the estate qualifies
- State inheritance tax waiver, where the deceased person's state requires oneFidelity's inheritor IRA application asks for one "if required by the deceased's state of residence", and the custodian holds the transfer until it is produced.
- The custodian's estate transfer or inherited account formsA Medallion Signature Guarantee may be required, depending on the account, the dollar amount and the transfer type.
What happens to each kind of account6
- Payable-on-death account
On a TOD account, the custodian moves the assets to the beneficiary directly, on a certified death certificate and each beneficiary's photo ID.1
- Joint account with survivorship
With a certified death certificate, the surviving owner keeps the account.1
- Trust account
The successor trustee sends a certified death certificate, the Certificate of Trust naming the successor trustee, and the successor trustee's photo ID.1
- Account in one name
With no beneficiary and no survivorship, the custodian needs Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration naming you as personal representative, or a state small estate affidavit where the estate qualifies.1
- Life insurance policy
A life insurance death benefit is claimed from the issuing insurer on its own claim form. It does not go through Cerity Partners or the investment custodian.1
- Annuity
An annuity death benefit is claimed from the issuing insurer on its own claim form. It does not go through Cerity Partners or the investment custodian.1
Accounts handled elsewhere2
- Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Custody and estate services for Cerity Partners client accounts it holds2, 3
Phone: 1-877-566-2284
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-8:00 PM ET
- Fidelity
Custody of Cerity Partners client accounts; reported on Form ADV as Fidelity Distributors Company LLC2, 4
Phone: 1-800-544-0003
Help Cerity Partners offers survivors1
- Beneficiary Financial Counseling
A Cerity Partners counselor becomes the family's dedicated contact, answering questions, submitting forms and making the calls. It covers employee benefit analysis, estate planning and settlement help, Social Security and government benefits, insurance planning and placement, and cash-flow and debt management.5
Who qualifies: The family of a deceased employee whose employer bought it under Cerity Partners Workplace Solutions; ask the employer's HR department. It is not available to a retail client's family.
What Cerity Partners's agreement and guidance say1
- What it does when notified
Cerity Partners does not hold client assets, so it cannot itself release a deceased client's money; the custodian named on the statement does. The advisor is the relationship channel, and the custodian is the claims channel.1
Cerity Partners' estate and gift planning and tax teams can coordinate the settlement, the estate and trust tax filings, and the distribution plan once the custodian releases the assets.1
Not in Cerity Partners's published guidance3
- A claim form
- A fax number for claim documents
- An email address for claim documents
Sources5
- 1.Contact
- 2.Form ADV Part 1, amendment dated 07/13/2026
- 3.Charles Schwab: Losing a loved one
- 4.Fidelity inheritance overview
- 5.Beneficiary Financial Counseling
At Schwab, most transfers finish in a few weeks. Accounts that depend on probate take longer, because they wait on Letters from the court.
Cerity Partners can be reached by phone at 1-212-202-1810 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Cerity Partners primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Cerity Partners death claims support
Phone
Charles Schwab Estate Services (custodian)
Fidelity inheritance specialists (custodian)
Cerity Partners principal-office line
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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