Estate planning and settlement at Global CU

Global CU is a credit union offering 11 accounts that interact with estate planning in different ways. As a membership-based credit union, Global CU headquartered in Anchorage, AK. Membership open to those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Alaska, Washington, California's San Bernardino County, Arizona's Maricopa County, or Idaho's Kootenai County; also to anyone employed by the Department of Defense anywhere in the world, and to immediate family members of current members (https://www.globalcu.org/about/membership/). BRANCHES are a narrower set than membership: Global states it "provides branch locations throughout Alaska, Arizona, California, and Washington," plus branches on U.S. military installations in Italy — Idaho is inside the field of membership without being listed among the branch states. Access to more than 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs worldwide and more than 5,600 CO-OP shared branching locations. $5 membership fee; bring a valid photo ID, a secondary form of ID, and $5 to open at a branch. IMPORTANT for trust planning: the Membership Application (form GCU SYM 02181) carries a fallback charter path -- "If I do not qualify for Credit Union membership by either of these methods, I hereby apply for membership in the Global Credit Union Foundation (Foundation), a public charitable organization. Members of the Foundation are eligible for membership in the Credit Union." So falling outside the geographic field of membership is not a hard bar. Understanding how each account transfers at death—and which ones a trust can hold—helps families avoid probate delays and unintended outcomes.

Global CU lets account holders update beneficiary designations in branch, by phone, and by mail, typically taking 15 to 30 minutes. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.