How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Edward Jones
Covers 8 investment, and 6 retirement accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Client Relations
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 12555 Manchester Road, Saint Louis, MO 63131
Estate Services — start with the decedent's local branch; Estates Hotline for attorneys and CPAs
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 12555 Manchester Road, Saint Louis, MO 63131
There are two ways to keep your Edward Jones investment accounts out of probate: adding beneficiary designations and retitling eligible accounts into a revocable living trust. Which approach works best depends on the account type and your overall estate plan.
Across 14 product types, Edward Jones investment accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- Beneficiary full legal name, date of birth, tax identification number, relationship, and percentage allocation, for primary and contingent beneficiaries
- Confirm the TOD covers the account's eligible assets — variable and fixed annuities, precious metals, commodities, mutual funds not held at Edward Jones, and most non-nominee limited partnership interests are excluded by the Agreement and pass another way
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- No self-service online beneficiary tool — every beneficiary change goes through a financial advisor
- Client signature must be dated within 60 days of receipt at the Edward Jones home office
- A tax identification number is required for each named beneficiary for the TOD designation to be valid (exception: a beneficiary who has not been issued one yet, such as a newborn)
- Each beneficiary must be a citizen of the United States or Canada, or a lawful U.S. resident
- "Lineal descendants per stirpes" is not a valid designation method under the TOD Agreement
- A beneficiary who does not survive the account owner by 120 hours is treated as not having survived (TOD Agreement survivorship requirement)
- Spousal Consent Form required in community property jurisdictions when the spouse is not the sole primary beneficiary — the TOD features are void without it, including when the owner marries or moves to a community property jurisdiction after signing
- Spousal consent required for an Owner-Only 401(k) when the spouse is not the sole primary beneficiary
- A $300 fee is charged at the beneficiary's claim, not at setup, when the Request for Execution of Non-probate Transfer Form is filed
- Custom-drafted trust beneficiary language is accepted for traditional, Roth, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs and owner-only 401(k) plans; fax a draft to 877-818-0584 for pre-review. It must give clear instructions and cannot require Edward Jones to make discretionary decisions, determine the members of a class of beneficiaries, or perform formula calculations
- Named beneficiaries control the account at death regardless of what the will says
Sources
Data sourced from Edward Jones primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Edward Jones instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Edward Jones primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Client Relations
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 12555 Manchester Road, Saint Louis, MO 63131
Estate Services — start with the decedent's local branch; Estates Hotline for attorneys and CPAs
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., 12555 Manchester Road, Saint Louis, MO 63131
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