How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Janney
Covers 8 investment, 4 retirement, and 1 insurance accounts — beneficiaries must be updated in-branch
Janney Montgomery Scott — Corporate Headquarters
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Estate Planning and Trust Services (via Financial Advisor)
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Handled by the decedent's Financial Advisor or local branch office; TOD re-registrations are accepted only at the Philadelphia main office
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
There are two ways to keep your Janney 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.
Across 13 product types, Janney investment accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- Full legal name, relationship, date of birth, SSN, and percentage allocation
- Designate primary and contingent beneficiaries, and per stirpes treatment if you want a deceased beneficiary's share to pass to their descendants
- If a beneficiary is a minor, name a custodian — Janney will not register the account in beneficiary form for a beneficiary under the age of majority with no custodian appointed, and absent another election it uses the Pennsylvania Uniform Transfers to Minors Act
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- All beneficiary changes run through a Janney financial advisor; Janney does not publish a self-service online beneficiary tool
- A TOD account may be owned only by one or more individual natural persons — no trusts, corporations, partnerships, attorneys-in-fact, or other non-natural persons; multiple owners must hold with right of survivorship or as survivorship community property, never as tenants in common
- An attorney-in-fact, guardian, or conservator may not create or revoke a TOD registration or change its beneficiaries unless the owner expressly authorized it in Section 3 of the TOD application
- Filing a TOD registration revokes any prior beneficiary designation on that account
- A TOD registration is not effective until Janney's Philadelphia main office receives and accepts it; once accepted, the effective date relates back to the date the form was signed, even if the owner has since died or become incapacitated
- A will cannot change a Janney TOD designation — modifications or revocations made through testamentary instruments are ineffective
- A beneficiary is treated as having predeceased the owner unless they survive by 120 hours
- Divorce does not revoke a designation naming the former spouse; Janney keeps paying the ex-spouse until it receives a new TOD application or a written cancellation
- Not all assets are TOD-eligible: annuities, life insurance, precious metals, futures, options, commodities, and limited partnership or business interests are excluded and pass to the estate
Sources
Data sourced from Janney primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Janney instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Janney primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Janney Montgomery Scott — Corporate Headquarters
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Estate Planning and Trust Services (via Financial Advisor)
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Handled by the decedent's Financial Advisor or local branch office; TOD re-registrations are accepted only at the Philadelphia main office
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, 1717 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
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