How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at MissionSquare
Covers 10 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Participant Services
MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320 (participant correspondence). General inquiries: MissionSquare Retirement, 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002
Workflow Management Team (beneficiary designation forms)
MissionSquare Retirement, Attn: Workflow Management Team, P.O. Box 96220, Washington, DC 20090-6220
Participant Services (beneficiary claims; no separate bereavement unit)
MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320
Who inherits your MissionSquare retirement retirement accounts is determined by the beneficiary designation on file—not by your will. This makes keeping designations current one of the most important estate planning steps, especially because the choice of beneficiary also affects how inherited distributions are taxed.
MissionSquare has 10 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support beneficiary designations on tax-advantaged accounts, some can be retitled into a trust, and others will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
- Relationship to the account holder
- Social Security number and date of birth
- Whole-number percentage — a fraction such as 33.33% will invalidate the designation
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- The paper form is only needed when the designation requires spousal consent — otherwise beneficiaries are updated online
- A governmental 457(b) has NO ERISA spousal-consent requirement. MissionSquare's form triggers 457(b) spousal consent solely on residence in a community property state (AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, TX, WA, WI), where the spouse must be primary for at least 50% unless they waive
- For a 457(b) community-property waiver, only a NOTARY PUBLIC may witness the spouse's signature — an employer plan representative is not sufficient. For 401 and 403(b) plans, either a notary or an authorized employer plan representative may witness
- Many 401 and 403(b) plans require the spouse as primary beneficiary for 100% of the account unless waived; the 403(b) rule MissionSquare publishes is a 50% minimum. Confirm the plan's own rule (401: 800-669-7400; 403(b): 833-438-4032)
- Naming a trust requires a COMPLETE copy of the entire trust document — needed for the trust's beneficiaries to be treated as designated beneficiaries for RMD purposes. A certification or abstract of trust is not accepted
- Percentages must be whole numbers and must total 100% for primary and (separately) for contingent beneficiaries. A non-whole number or a total other than 100% makes the designation invalid; if no percentages are given at all, the benefit is divided equally
- VantageTrust Retirement IncomeAdvantage Fund: to lock in and keep spousal benefits, the spouse must be the primary beneficiary for 100% of the account both when the benefit is locked in and at death
- MissionSquare states it is not responsible for a participant's failure to designate a beneficiary in accordance with state law, and that failing to satisfy state-law requirements may invalidate the designation and cause benefits to be paid under state law instead
Sources
Data sourced from MissionSquare primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these MissionSquare instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against MissionSquare primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Participant Services
MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320 (participant correspondence). General inquiries: MissionSquare Retirement, 777 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20002
Workflow Management Team (beneficiary designation forms)
MissionSquare Retirement, Attn: Workflow Management Team, P.O. Box 96220, Washington, DC 20090-6220
Participant Services (beneficiary claims; no separate bereavement unit)
MissionSquare Plan Services, P.O. Box 219320, Kansas City, MO 64121-9320
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