Estate planning at Dimensional
How to protect 7 Dimensional accounts — manage beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and file claims through Dimensional's SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Handles trust registrations, beneficiary designations, and estate claims for directly held mutual fund shares. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage directly.
Dimensional Fund Advisors - Shareholder Services
Phone1-512-306-7400
Toll-Free1-888-576-1167
Mailing Address
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One, Austin, TX 78746
Financial Advisors
Institutional Investors
WebsiteLearn more→
SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Handles trust registrations, beneficiary designations, and estate claims for directly held mutual fund shares. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage directly.
Phone1-888-576-1167
WebsiteLearn more→
SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Estate Claims. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage firm. For retirement plan accounts, contact the plan administrator.
Phone1-888-576-1167
Toll-Free1-888-576-1167
Mailing Address
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One, Austin, TX 78746
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
Dimensional offers 7 consumer investment accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 6 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Understanding the transfer methods available for each account type helps families keep assets out of probate and ensure they pass to the right people.
Beneficiary designations at Dimensional can be managed by mail and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes to complete form; processing time varies. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle brokerage accounts into a trust.
There are two sides to estate planning at Dimensional: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries by phone, fund a trust by mail, and review 7 account types at Dimensional.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Dimensional's SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Handles trust registrations, beneficiary designations, and estate claims for directly held mutual fund shares. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage directly. to file a claim. 7-step process, 8 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach Dimensional's SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Handles trust registrations, beneficiary designations, and estate claims for directly held mutual fund shares. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage directly. at 1-888-576-1167 for help with any of these procedures.
Frequently asked questions
No. Retirement accounts (401(k), 403(b), IRA) cannot be retitled to a trust under IRS rules. However, you can name a trust as the beneficiary of your retirement account. Consult a tax advisor before doing so, as the SECURE Act has significant implications for trust beneficiaries of retirement accounts.
There are multiple ways to invest. Dimensional ETFs are available for purchase through major brokerage platforms for self-directed investors. Dimensional mutual funds are primarily available through financial advisors. Select Dimensional funds are also available as options in certain retirement plans, variable annuities, 529 college savings plans, and health savings accounts (HSAs). Dimensional offers an advisor locator tool at dimensional.com to find a financial advisor in your area.
For ETFs held in a brokerage account, contact the brokerage firm to retitle the entire account to your trust; the underlying ETF shares move with the account. For mutual fund shares held directly with Dimensional, call the transfer agent SS&C GIDS, Inc. at 1-888-576-1167 to request trust account registration forms. You will need a Certificate of Trust or certified copy of the trust agreement, government-issued ID for all trustees, and the trust tax identification number. Retirement accounts (IRAs, 401(k)s) cannot be retitled to a trust.
No. Dimensional Fund Advisors does not operate retail branch offices. The firm is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with US offices in Charlotte and Santa Monica that serve advisors and institutional clients. Individual investors typically access Dimensional through ETFs purchased on major brokerage platforms or through a financial advisor. Mutual fund shareholders interact with the transfer agent SS&C GIDS, Inc. by phone at 1-888-576-1167 or through the online portal at https://www.dimensional.com/us-en/ssc.
Yes, a trust can be named as the beneficiary of a Dimensional-funded retirement plan or IRA, but this requires careful planning. The trust must meet the IRS "see-through" requirements under Treasury Regulation 1.401(a)(9)-4 to use the trust beneficiaries' life expectancies. Under the SECURE Act, most non-spouse trust beneficiaries are subject to the 10-year distribution rule. Beneficiary designations for retirement plans are made through the plan administrator, not Dimensional directly. Consult a tax advisor before naming a trust as beneficiary.
Sources
Data sourced from Dimensional primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Dimensional Fund Advisors - Shareholder Services
Phone1-512-306-7400
Toll-Free1-888-576-1167
Mailing Address
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One, Austin, TX 78746
Financial Advisors
Institutional Investors
WebsiteLearn more→
SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Handles trust registrations, beneficiary designations, and estate claims for directly held mutual fund shares. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage directly.
Phone1-888-576-1167
WebsiteLearn more→
SS&C GIDS, Inc. (Transfer Agent) - Estate Claims. For ETFs held at a brokerage, contact the brokerage firm. For retirement plan accounts, contact the plan administrator.
Phone1-888-576-1167
Toll-Free1-888-576-1167
Mailing Address
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One, Austin, TX 78746
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Apr 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Dimensional accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
