How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Mercer Advisors
Covers 4 investment, 4 retirement, and 2 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Mercer Advisors (main line)
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
Mailing Address
Mercer Global Advisors Inc., 1200 17th Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80202
Compliance Department (Form ADV contact)
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Planning / Wealth Strategy (documents prepared through the law firm Advanced Services Law Group, Inc.)
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
Mailing Address
Mercer Global Advisors Inc., 1200 17th Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80202
WebsiteLearn more→
No Mercer Advisors claims department. Mercer holds no assets: the death claim is filed with the account custodian (Schwab, Fidelity, Raymond James, Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions, or National Advisors Trust Company for trust assets) or with the issuing insurance carrier. The advisory team coordinates.
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Preparing your Mercer Advisors investment accounts for estate transfer involves two primary strategies: designating beneficiaries on individual accounts and, where supported, retitling accounts into a revocable living trust. Both approaches bypass probate, but they work differently depending on the account type.
Across 10 product types, Mercer Advisors 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.
Wealth Management AccountManaged Taxable AccountAlternative Investments and Private FundsTrust Account
1
Log in to the Mercer Advisors client portal at portal.merceradvisors.com to review your accounts, then message your advisory team. The portal is a reporting and planning view -- Mercer Advisors does not hold the assets, so the beneficiary designation itself is never made on a Mercer form
2
Make the actual designation at the custodian that holds the account. Per the Form ADV, that is one of:
- Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
- Fidelity
- Raymond James
- Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions
- National Advisors Trust Company (NATC), for trust-related assets
3
Complete the custodian's own beneficiary form (a TOD/transfer-on-death agreement for a taxable brokerage account, a beneficiary designation for an IRA) with primary and contingent beneficiaries and percentage allocations
4
For a policy or annuity placed through Mercer Advisors Insurance Services (MAIS), the designation is made on the ISSUING CARRIER's beneficiary change form
5
Confirm the designation shows on the custodian's or carrier's record. A Mercer statement or plan document is not proof of a designation -- the custodian's record is
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Mercer Advisors publishes no beneficiary form of its own -- every designation is made on the custodian's or the insurance carrier's paperwork
- The custodian's record controls at death. A beneficiary named in an estate plan Mercer helped build has no effect on an IRA whose custodian still shows an old designation
- A trust can be named as beneficiary of an IRA, an annuity, or a life insurance policy, but not as owner of an IRA
- Some custodians require a Medallion Signature Guarantee on a TOD registration or a change of registration
- Estate planning is included in the advisory fee at the Custom Wealth service level ($1 million+) and above; Guided Investing is investment management only and does not include it
Sources
Data sourced from Mercer Advisors primary sources (13 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Mercer Advisors instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Mercer Advisors primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Mercer Advisors (main line)
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
Mailing Address
Mercer Global Advisors Inc., 1200 17th Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80202
Compliance Department (Form ADV contact)
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Planning / Wealth Strategy (documents prepared through the law firm Advanced Services Law Group, Inc.)
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
Mailing Address
Mercer Global Advisors Inc., 1200 17th Street, Suite 2000, Denver, CO 80202
WebsiteLearn more→
No Mercer Advisors claims department. Mercer holds no assets: the death claim is filed with the account custodian (Schwab, Fidelity, Raymond James, Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions, or National Advisors Trust Company for trust assets) or with the issuing insurance carrier. The advisory team coordinates.
Phone888.920.1320
Toll-Free1-888-920-1320
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Mercer Advisors accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
