How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Cerity Partners
Covers 4 investment, 4 retirement, and 1 insurance accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Cerity Partners (main line)
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Estate & Gift Planning
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
No dedicated estates or claims department. Notification runs through the deceased client's advisor (or the main line), and the account is settled by the custodian.
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Estate planning for your Cerity Partners investment accounts starts with understanding how each one transfers at death. Beneficiary designations and trust retitling both bypass probate, but the right approach depends on the account type, your tax situation, and how much control you want over distributions.
Cerity Partners offers 9 investment accounts, each with its own transfer rules. The sections below cover how to set up beneficiaries, fund a trust, and which products support each approach.
- Full legal name, date of birth, SSN, relationship, and allocation percentage per beneficiary
- Taxable advisory accounts use the custodian's TOD agreement; IRAs use the custodian's IRA beneficiary form
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Advisor-mediated: Cerity Partners does not offer a consumer login where you can add or change a beneficiary yourself, and it publishes no beneficiary form of its own
- The operative form belongs to the custodian, so it differs depending on whether your account sits at Charles Schwab or at Fidelity
- A named beneficiary on the custodian's form controls the account at death and overrides your will
- Naming a trust as an IRA beneficiary requires the exact trust name, date, and tax ID on the custodian's form
- For an employer retirement plan, ERISA requires written spousal consent to name a non-spouse beneficiary
Sources
Data sourced from Cerity Partners primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Cerity Partners instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Cerity Partners primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Cerity Partners (main line)
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Estate & Gift Planning
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
No dedicated estates or claims department. Notification runs through the deceased client's advisor (or the main line), and the account is settled by the custodian.
Cerity Partners LLC, 99 Park Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10016
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