Estate planning at Georgia's Own

Request a POD beneficiary designation form at any Georgia's Own branch or contact Member Services at (800) 533-2062. Complete the form with each beneficiary's full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and relationship. Designate primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentage allocations. All account owners must sign the form. Submit at a branch or by mail. Note: in Georgia, corporations (including charitable nonprofits) cannot be named as POD beneficiaries.

Yes. You can name your revocable living trust as a POD beneficiary on deposit accounts including savings, checking, money market, and certificates. Per Georgia's Own Membership Agreement, if a legal trust is the named beneficiary, this designation supersedes any individually named beneficiaries and payment is made in full to the legal trust. Note that POD and trust beneficiary designations do not apply to IRA accounts, which use a separate beneficiary process.

Complete the IRA beneficiary designation form, available at any Georgia's Own branch or by contacting Member Services at (800) 533-2062. The IRA beneficiary form is separate from the POD form used for deposit accounts. Per the membership agreement, POD and trust beneficiary designations do not apply to IRAs. IRA beneficiary designations supersede instructions in a will or trust.

Membership is open through five qualifying paths: residence or employment in eligible metro Atlanta counties, Southeast Georgia counties, Southwest Georgia/Augusta/Savannah counties, employment at one of over 900 Select Employer Groups (including AT&T and Charter Global), or affiliation with Georgia State University (faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, or students). Family members related by blood, adoption, or marriage to an existing member are also eligible. A $5 minimum savings deposit is required to establish membership.

Visit a Georgia's Own branch with the Certification or Abstract of Trust, valid government-issued photo ID for all trustees, and an IRS letter with EIN number if applicable. Complete a trust account application and the credit union will retitle accounts to trust ownership. Georgia's Own supports both Revocable and Irrevocable Trust accounts. Alternatively, you can name your trust as POD beneficiary on personal deposit accounts as a simpler approach. Call (800) 533-2062 to discuss which option is appropriate for your situation.

Georgia's Own offers three certificate types: standard Certificates of Deposit with terms from six months to five years, the Flex CD which allows additional deposits after opening with a $100 minimum and $25,000 maximum balance plus one penalty-free full-balance withdrawal, and the Own Your Rate CD which lets you bump your rate if a higher one becomes available (22-month term with one bump or 44-month term with two bumps). All certificates have no monthly maintenance fees and are NCUA insured up to $250,000. POD beneficiary designations are available on all certificate types.