How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at E*TRADE
Covers 5 investment, 9 retirement, and 4 deposit accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
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
There are two ways to keep your E*TRADE 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.
With 18 product types, E*TRADE offers a range of transfer options. Some investment accounts support Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, others can be retitled into a trust, and some require probate if no beneficiary is designated. The sections below break down each step.
- Navigate to Customer Service > Account Management > Transfer on Death (TOD) Registration
- Add primary beneficiaries with percentage allocations totaling 100%
- Optionally add contingent (secondary) beneficiaries
- Provide each beneficiary's name, relationship, percentage, SSN, and address
- IRA accounts: use the separate Designation of Beneficiary (IRA) form online or download the PDF
- Bank accounts (POD): download the Designation of Beneficiary - Bank Account form from forms-applications
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- The TOD form can only be used on Individual and JTWROS brokerage accounts; the bank POD form only on Individual and JTWROS Morgan Stanley Private Bank accounts
- Spousal Waiver: married residents of community property/marital property states (AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI, Guam, Puerto Rico) who name someone other than their spouse as 100% primary beneficiary must have the spouse sign the waiver in Section 3 of the TOD or bank POD form
- Married community property state residents naming a non-spouse primary beneficiary cannot use the online TOD tool and must submit the paper form
- Trusts can be named as TOD, POD, or IRA beneficiaries — on the bank POD form, list the trust name and the date of the trust, not the trustee
- The account holder certifies that their state of residence permits TOD registration; Morgan Stanley does not verify state-law compliance
- A new designation replaces all previous beneficiary designations on that account; designations made at another firm are not recognized
- If no primary or contingent beneficiary survives the account holder, the assets pass to the account holder's estate
- Beneficiaries must open an E*TRADE account to receive the transferred assets
- No Medallion Signature Guarantee is required on the TOD or bank POD designation forms
- Completed forms can be uploaded at documentupload.etrade.com, faxed to 1-866-650-0003, or mailed
Sources
Data sourced from E*TRADE primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these E*TRADE instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against E*TRADE primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
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
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