What to do when a EP Wealth account holder dies

Contact EP Wealth's Estate Planning Services (advisory coordination; EP Wealth is not a law firm and does not draft documents) — 8-step process, 8 required documents, and set by the custodian, not by ep wealth; typically 2-4 weeks after the custodian has a complete, correctly signed package

EP Wealth

Brokerage · Nationwide

epwealth.com
EP Wealth logo

Client Services

Fax310-316-0401
Mailing Address

EP Wealth Advisors, LLC, 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 400, Torrance, CA 90503

Estate Planning Services (advisory coordination; EP Wealth is not a law firm and does not draft documents)

Death notification and estate coordination — claims are filed with the ACCOUNT CUSTODIAN (Charles Schwab or Fidelity); the EP Wealth advisor coordinates

Mailing Address

EP Wealth Advisors, LLC, 21535 Hawthorne Blvd, Suite 400, Torrance, CA 90503 (advisor coordination only — send claim paperwork to the custodian address printed on the custodian's form)

Charles Schwab — Estate Services / Inheritance (custodian; files the claim)
Fidelity — Inheritance and transition services (custodian; files the claim)
Verified Jul 2026

What happens to EP Wealth investment accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with EP Wealth's Death notification and estate coordination — claims are filed with the ACCOUNT CUSTODIAN (Charles Schwab or Fidelity); the EP Wealth advisor coordinates (310-543-4559) to claim the funds.

Death claims at EP Wealth can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.

Death claim process

Here is the step-by-step death claim process at EP Wealth:

Filing a claim

1
Notify the decedent's EP Wealth advisor, or the main line at 1-877-390-3330 / 310-543-4559 (Torrance HQ). The advisor knows which custodian holds each account and which registrations (individual, joint, TOD, trust, IRA) are in place.
2
File the claim with the CUSTODIAN — EP Wealth is an advisor and pays no claim. Route by custodian:
  • Charles Schwab — Estate Services / Inheritance: 1-877-566-2284, https://www.schwab.com/life-events/losing-a-loved-one
  • Fidelity — inheritance and transition services: 1-800-343-3548, https://www.fidelity.com/wealth-management/inheritance/overview
  • The custodian's name is on the decedent's account statements and 1099s; use it to pick the right line.
3
Gather the documents the custodian will request:
  • Certified death certificate (order several — each custodian, insurer and county office keeps a copy)
  • Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, executor or successor trustee
  • Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration if the account has no beneficiary/TOD and must pass through probate
  • Certificate of Trust plus the trustee's ID if the account is trust-titled or a trust is the beneficiary
  • The custodian's inherited-account application and asset transfer/claim form
  • Inheritance tax waiver where the decedent's state still requires one before securities can be released
4
Non-retirement accounts WITH a TOD registration: the named beneficiary opens an account at the same custodian and requests re-registration of the positions in kind. Schwab and Fidelity commonly require a Medallion Signature Guarantee on securities transfer paperwork; a Medallion stamp is obtained at a bank or brokerage that participates in a Medallion program (a notary is not a substitute).
5
IRAs and Solo 401(k)s: the custodian pays to the beneficiary named on ITS form. The beneficiary opens an inherited IRA at the custodian; a trust named as beneficiary is treated under the trust's own terms and the SECURE Act payout rules — bring the trust document and EIN.
6
Accounts with no beneficiary, no TOD and no trust title pass through the decedent's estate: the executor opens an estate account at the custodian using Letters and the estate EIN.
7
If National Advisors Trust Company, FSB (DBA EP Wealth Private Trust) is serving as corporate trustee:
  • NATC administers and distributes the trust assets under the trust's terms — it is the trustee, EP Wealth is not
  • NATC works from its own service agreement with the trust; contact it through your EP Wealth advisor
  • EP Wealth continues to manage the investments if the trust retains the firm
8
EP Wealth's role after death is coordination: pulling statements and cost basis for the estate, working with the estate attorney and CPA on the step-up in basis and the final returns, and helping beneficiaries decide what to do with the inherited assets.

Required Documents

  • Certified death certificate (multiple copies)
  • Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, executor or successor trustee
  • Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (accounts with no beneficiary, TOD or trust title)
  • Certificate of Trust and trustee ID (trust-titled accounts or trust-as-beneficiary)
  • Trust EIN (for an irrevocable trust taking the assets) or estate EIN (for an estate account)
  • Custodian claim / inherited-account application and asset transfer form (Schwab or Fidelity)
  • Medallion Signature Guarantee on securities transfer paperwork where the custodian requires it
  • Inheritance tax waiver in states that still require one

Claims Contact

What to know at this institution

EP Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser that does not take custody of client assets, so it does not receive or pay death claims. The custodian named in Form ADV Part 2A Item 12 — the Schwab Institutional division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., or Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC — holds the beneficiary/TOD designation of record, issues the claim forms and releases the assets. Call Schwab Estate Services at 1-877-566-2284 or Fidelity at 1-800-343-3548 depending on where the statements come from, and call the EP Wealth advisor (1-877-390-3330) in parallel so the firm can produce statements, cost-basis history and account registrations for the estate. Where National Advisors Trust Company, FSB (DBA EP Wealth Private Trust) is trustee, NATC administers the distribution; NATC is an independent OCC-regulated trust company, not an EP Wealth affiliate, and contracts separately with the client.

Download instructions for the whole estate

Expected timelines at EP Wealth: Set by the custodian, not by EP Wealth; typically 2-4 weeks after the custodian has a complete, correctly signed package. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.

EP Wealth requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate (multiple copies), Government-issued photo ID for the claimant, executor or successor trustee, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (accounts with no beneficiary, TOD or trust title), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.


Frequently asked questions

EP Wealth Advisors is an SEC-registered investment adviser (CRD #111147) that manages portfolios but does not take custody of client assets. Its Form ADV Part 2A (Item 12, Brokerage Practices) states the firm generally requires clients to use the Schwab Institutional division of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. or Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC, and that the client opens the account directly with the custodian. That means the beneficiary, TOD and account-title records live at Schwab or Fidelity, and a death claim is filed there — not with EP Wealth. Call Schwab Estate Services at 1-877-566-2284 (schwab.com/life-events/losing-a-loved-one) or Fidelity at 1-800-343-3548 (fidelity.com/wealth-management/inheritance/overview) based on whose name is on the statements, and call the EP Wealth advisor at 1-877-390-3330 in parallel so the firm can pull statements, cost basis and registrations for the estate.

EP Wealth's Death notification and estate coordination — claims are filed with the ACCOUNT CUSTODIAN (Charles Schwab or Fidelity); the EP Wealth advisor coordinates can be reached by phone at 1-877-390-3330 for questions throughout the claims process.

When the deceased had multiple EP Wealth investment accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Death notification and estate coordination — claims are filed with the ACCOUNT CUSTODIAN (Charles Schwab or Fidelity); the EP Wealth advisor coordinates can clarify what's needed for each account type.

SimplyTrustSimplyTrust Editorial·

Sources

Data sourced from EP Wealth primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.

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