How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at J.P. Morgan
Covers 5 investment, and 3 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
J.P. Morgan Securities Estate Settlements
J.P. Morgan Securities Estate Settlements
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attn: Account Processing, Mail Code: IL1-0291, 10 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60603-5506
The key to protecting your J.P. Morgan investment accounts is making sure each one has a transfer mechanism in place—either a beneficiary designation or trust ownership. Without one, the account goes through probate, adding time, cost, and court involvement for your family.
Each of J.P. Morgan's 8 investment accounts has different rules for how it transfers at death. The sections below explain the options for each.
- Enter each beneficiary's legal name, relationship, date of birth, SSN/TIN, address, and percentage share
- Primary shares must total 100% and contingent shares must total 100%, with no more than 2 decimal places per beneficiary
- For a trust: enter the trust's full legal name and its tax identification number (JPMS requires a valid TIN for a trust beneficiary)
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- TOD registration is not available to residents of Louisiana, and JPMS will not open a TOD account for a client residing in a state that has not enacted TOD legislation
- Once a TOD account is established, JPMS keeps treating it as a TOD account even if you later move to a non-TOD state
- Both the Transfer on Death Agreement and the IRA Beneficiary Update Request must be notarized before submission
- Life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, precious metals, and limited partnership interests are not TOD-eligible: at death those assets become part of the probate estate even if they sit in a TOD account
- A joint TOD account must be held as Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship — not tenants in common, not community property
- Any person or entity may be a TOD beneficiary except a custodian under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (a UTMA custodian is allowed)
- If the account registration changes (for example, a joint owner is added), the Transfer on Death Agreement must be resubmitted
- JPMS takes no responsibility for community-property or spousal rights and does not obtain spousal consent to a beneficiary designation — in a community property state, get your own legal advice before naming someone other than your spouse
- If no beneficiary claims TOD assets within 6 months of the death, the personal representative of the estate can instruct JPMS to move the assets into the estate
Sources
Data sourced from J.P. Morgan primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these J.P. Morgan instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against J.P. Morgan primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
J.P. Morgan Wealth Management
J.P. Morgan Securities Estate Settlements
J.P. Morgan Securities Estate Settlements
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attn: Account Processing, Mail Code: IL1-0291, 10 South Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60603-5506
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