Estate planning at E*TRADE
How to protect 18 E*TRADE accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust online, and file death claims
Brand change
Morgan Stanley completed its acquisition of E*TRADE on October 2, 2020, and the brand now operates as "E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley." E*TRADE is a business of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; securities forms are Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC forms and banking products are issued by Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. The E*TRADE name, website (us.etrade.com), and the E*TRADE Beneficiary Services team remain active — estate and beneficiary claims are still opened at the E*TRADE Beneficiary Services line (888-402-0653) and etrade_estates@morganstanley.com, not through the separate Morgan Stanley wealth-management channel. Legacy self-directed E*TRADE accounts are still serviced under the E*TRADE brand, so heirs should start here rather than at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. Effective October 2020.
E*TRADE is now part of Morgan Stanley. The procedures below reflect E*TRADE's accounts during the transition. View the Morgan Stanley estate planning page.
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
E*TRADE Beneficiary Services
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
E*TRADE offers 18 consumer investment accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 16 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 E*TRADE can be managed online, by mail, and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle brokerage accounts into a trust.
E*TRADE provides specific procedures for both proactive estate planning and filing claims after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust online, and review 18 account types at E*TRADE.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
8-step process, 13 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Frequently asked questions
Yes for brokerage. Individual and joint brokerage and margin accounts can be moved into a revocable or irrevocable trust by opening a trust brokerage account with the Brokerage Trust Application (https://content.etrade.com/etrade/mssb/pdf/Trust_Application1.pdf) and transferring the assets in kind. Three exceptions: Core Portfolios is not available for trusts, charitable organizations, corporations, institutional, or business accounts; IRAs and Coverdell ESAs must be owned by an individual under federal tax law and cannot be retitled to a trust (name the trust as beneficiary instead); and Morgan Stanley Private Bank deposit accounts use a separate Account Application for Estates and Trusts (https://content.etrade.com/etrade/mssb/pdf/ETB_trustaccountapplication.pdf) rather than the standard online flow. On the bank POD form, a trust named as beneficiary is entered by trust name and trust date — not by trustee.
Sources
Data sourced from E*TRADE primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
E*TRADE Beneficiary Services
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, P.O. Box 484, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0484
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your E*TRADE accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
