How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Gerber Life
Covers 7 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Life Claims Processing Unit
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Death Claims
Gerber Life Insurance Company, Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Estate planning with Gerber Life policies centers on beneficiary designations—the single most important step for ensuring life insurance proceeds and annuity benefits reach the intended recipients without probate involvement. Unlike bank or brokerage accounts, insurance products are not retitled into trusts; instead, trusts are named as beneficiaries when estate tax planning or controlled distributions are needed.
Gerber Life has 7 policies with different estate transfer rules. Here is how beneficiary designations, trust ownership, and probate apply to each one.
- Log in to your Gerber Life eService account at gerberlife.com
- Navigate to "My Policies" and select "Manage This Policy" for the policy you want to update
- Click the "Update" button next to Beneficiary
- Enter full legal names, dates of birth, relationships, and percentage allocations
- For trusts: select trust as the beneficiary type and provide the full legal trust name, date established, and trust EIN
- Download the PDF of the Change of Beneficiary Form when prompted
- Print, sign, and mail the completed form to Gerber Life
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- The eService portal generates the beneficiary change form, but it must be printed, signed, and mailed or faxed
- Beneficiary designations on life insurance policies override instructions in a will
- Multiple primary and contingent beneficiaries can be designated
- Percentage allocations must total 100% for each beneficiary tier
- A trust can be named as beneficiary to manage the death benefit
- For child policies (Grow-Up Plan), the policy owner (parent or guardian) designates the beneficiary
- Children under 18 cannot receive benefits directly; name a custodian or trust instead
- All policy owners must sign the Change of Beneficiary form
Sources
Data sourced from Gerber Life primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Gerber Life instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Gerber Life primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Life Claims Processing Unit
445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
Death Claims
Gerber Life Insurance Company, Life Claims Processing Unit, 445 State Street, Fremont, MI 49412
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