What to do when a M1 account holder dies
Contact M1 — 7-step process, 4 required documents, and account transfer typically 2-5 weeks after m1 receives the required documentation; inherited ira applications get an m1 email follow-up within 2-3 business days
Client Success
M1 Finance LLC, 200 N LaSalle St., Suite 810, Chicago, IL 60601
Client Success
M1 Finance LLC, 200 N LaSalle St., Suite 810, Chicago, IL 60601
Client Success (no dedicated bereavement or estate-claims team; in-app Messenger is the primary intake)
After an account holder at M1 dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact M1's Client Success (no dedicated bereavement or estate-claims team; in-app Messenger is the primary intake) at (312) 600-2883 with the proper legal authority documents.
M1 provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at M1:
Filing a claim
- TOD beneficiary named: the death certificate alone transfers the account into your name — no court letters
- Joint brokerage account: ownership passes to the surviving owner with no additional steps; M1 may ask to refresh documentation
- No TOD and no joint owner: the estate representative must supply the court-issued appointment documents
- IRA beneficiary: open an M1 Inherited IRA using the Beneficiary Traditional IRA form (https://arsl.at/GOR4NaMl) or Beneficiary Roth IRA form (https://arsl.at/Gv21ZZbG), and upload your government-issued photo ID
- Crypto account (offered by Bakkt): no TOD or beneficiary designation exists, so it is claimed by the estate representative
Required Documents
- Official certified copy of the death certificate
- Court-issued documents showing authority over the estate — Letters of Administration, Letters Testamentary, or a Court Letter of Appointment (not required when a TOD beneficiary is named or a joint owner survives)
- Government-issued photo ID for the claimant (driver's license, state ID, or passport)
- Beneficiary Traditional IRA form (https://arsl.at/GOR4NaMl) or Beneficiary Roth IRA form (https://arsl.at/Gv21ZZbG), for an inherited IRA
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
M1 is online-only: there is no branch, no claims mailing address, no claim form of its own, and no dedicated bereavement phone line. Every death claim is opened through the in-app Messenger (M1's stated fastest channel) or by emailing help@m1.com, with documents uploaded securely; general Client Success can be reached at 312-600-2883, Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm ET on market days. Two M1-specific mechanics drive the outcome: (1) a named TOD beneficiary needs only the death certificate, while any account without a TOD or surviving joint owner requires court-issued appointment documents; and (2) a margin loan on the account must be repaid as soon as M1 receives the death certificate — M1 sells the most overweight Slices automatically to cover it, so the estate may absorb liquidation of positions it would have preferred to keep. Crypto accounts (offered by Bakkt) and Custodial accounts carry no beneficiary designation at all.
Expected timelines at M1: Account transfer typically 2-5 weeks after M1 receives the required documentation; Inherited IRA applications get an M1 email follow-up within 2-3 business days. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
M1 requires Official certified copy of the death certificate, Court-issued documents showing authority over the estate — Letters of Administration, Letters Testamentary, or a Court Letter of Appointment (not required when a TOD beneficiary is named or a joint owner survives), Government-issued photo ID for the claimant (driver's license, state ID, or passport), and Beneficiary Traditional IRA form (https://arsl.at/GOR4NaMl) or Beneficiary Roth IRA form (https://arsl.at/Gv21ZZbG), for an inherited IRA to process a death claim. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
M1 runs its entire death-claim process through the in-app Messenger. There is no claims mailing address, no claim form of M1's own, and no dedicated bereavement number, so a mailed letter of instruction has nowhere to go. Log in and click "Help" (web) or tap "Client Support" (mobile) to reach Client Success, or email help@m1.com; for urgent requests, call 312-600-2883, Monday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm ET on market days. M1 states you do not need every document in hand before making contact — give them the email address on the deceased's M1 account so they can locate it, then upload the certified death certificate and any court-issued authority documents through the Messenger. Transfers typically complete in 2-5 weeks.
M1 states that an outstanding margin loan must be repaid as soon as it receives the death certificate. Margin balances cannot be transferred to a beneficiary or to the estate, so M1 automatically sells the most overweight Slices in the deceased's Pie to cover the balance. Beneficiaries and executors inherit whatever remains after that liquidation, which means a margin-financed M1 portfolio can be partly sold at whatever the market is doing that week, with the resulting gains or losses landing in the estate. If preserving specific positions matters, the margin balance is the thing to resolve during the account holder's lifetime.
Three do: Crypto accounts (offered by Bakkt, with the assets in a Bakkt-powered custodial wallet — M1 discloses that neither M1 Finance LLC nor M1 Digital LLC is involved in the execution or custody of crypto), Trust accounts, and Custodial (UTMA) accounts. Crypto assets therefore pass through the deceased owner's estate and are released only to a representative holding Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or a Court Letter of Appointment; they are not FDIC or SIPC insured. A Trust account is governed by the trust agreement, not by any M1 designation. UTMA assets already belong irrevocably to the minor, so a custodian's death calls for a successor custodian under that state's UTMA statute rather than an estate claim. Louisiana residents have no TOD or POD option on any M1 account, which leaves the trust or the succession as the planning route there.
M1's Client Success (no dedicated bereavement or estate-claims team; in-app Messenger is the primary intake) can be reached by phone at (312) 600-2883 and email at help@m1.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple M1 investment accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Client Success (no dedicated bereavement or estate-claims team; in-app Messenger is the primary intake) to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from M1 primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Client Success
M1 Finance LLC, 200 N LaSalle St., Suite 810, Chicago, IL 60601
Client Success
M1 Finance LLC, 200 N LaSalle St., Suite 810, Chicago, IL 60601
Client Success (no dedicated bereavement or estate-claims team; in-app Messenger is the primary intake)
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