What to do when a Moneta account holder dies
Contact Moneta's Moneta Trust (corporate trustee) and Moneta Family Office estate services — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and set by the custodian, not by moneta — typically a few weeks at schwab or fidelity once the certified death certificate and the claim forms are in. private funds and other alternative holdings take substantially longer to value and transfer. moneta itself publishes no claim turnaround because it does not process the claim.
Moneta (St. Louis headquarters)
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
Moneta Trust (corporate trustee) and Moneta Family Office estate services
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
No Moneta claims department — notify the client's Moneta team, which coordinates; the claim is filed with the qualified custodian (Schwab or Fidelity)
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
What happens to Moneta investment accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Moneta's No Moneta claims department — notify the client's Moneta team, which coordinates; the claim is filed with the qualified custodian (Schwab or Fidelity) ((314) 726-2300) to claim the funds.
Moneta offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Moneta requires:
Filing a claim
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued ID for the executor, trustee, or beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the account passes through probate
- Trust documents and successor-trustee certification, if the account is trust-titled
- The custodian's own beneficiary claim or transfer form
- A state inheritance tax waiver, where the decedent's state requires one
- Held-away assets are claimed at the institution that holds them, even though Moneta reported on them
- Employer retirement plan benefits are claimed through the plan recordkeeper, with the death certificate and the plan's beneficiary claim form
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate (order several; each custodian and each institution wants one)
- Government-issued ID for the executor, trustee, or claiming beneficiary
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where the account passes through probate
- Trust agreement or certification of trust plus successor-trustee documentation, for trust-titled accounts
- The qualified custodian's beneficiary claim / inherited account transfer forms (Schwab or Fidelity paperwork, not Moneta paperwork)
- The plan recordkeeper's death claim forms, for employer retirement plan benefits
- State inheritance tax waiver, in states that require one before an account is released
- Written notice terminating or restating the Moneta advisory agreement
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
The one thing to understand before calling anyone: Moneta holds nothing. Its Form ADV brochure states plainly that Moneta does not maintain custody of client assets and that all client cash and securities are held by the client's qualified custodian — Schwab and Fidelity are the custodians it recommends. So there is no Moneta claims department, no Moneta claims address, and no Moneta claim form. The death claim is filed with the custodian; the Moneta team's job is to tell you which accounts exist and where, to supply valuations, and to coordinate with the estate attorney and tax preparer. Two Moneta-specific wrinkles are worth knowing. First, although Moneta says it does not maintain custody, it also discloses that it is DEEMED to have custody under the SEC Custody Rule because of the access clients grant it and because in some cases it can transfer funds out of client accounts without separate authorization — which is why it undergoes an annual surprise custody examination by a PCAOB-registered accounting firm (the most recent one commenced in September 2025). Practically, that means an executor should ask what standing authority Moneta holds over the decedent's accounts, especially if the family used Moneta's bill pay and bookkeeping service. Second, fees are billed quarterly IN ADVANCE and are usually deducted straight from the account, and the brochure states that on termination any fees for services not yet provided are refunded per the engagement agreement — so terminating in writing is both what stops future billing and what recovers the unearned part of the current quarter. If Moneta Trust is the trustee, trust administration continues through the trust company rather than ending at death.
Processing timelines at Moneta: Set by the custodian, not by Moneta — typically a few weeks at Schwab or Fidelity once the certified death certificate and the claim forms are in. Private funds and other alternative holdings take substantially longer to value and transfer. Moneta itself publishes no claim turnaround because it does not process the claim. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by Moneta includes Certified death certificate (order several; each custodian and each institution wants one), Government-issued ID for the executor, trustee, or claiming beneficiary, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, where the account passes through probate, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
The custodian does, not Moneta. Moneta's Form ADV Part 2A brochure states that Moneta does not maintain custody of client assets and that all client cash and securities are held by the client's qualified custodian; it names Schwab and Fidelity as the custodians it recommends. There is no Moneta claims department, no claims mailing address, and no Moneta claim form. An executor notifies BOTH: the custodian, which requires a certified death certificate, ID, Letters Testamentary or trust documents, and its own beneficiary claim or inherited-account transfer forms; and the Moneta team at (314) 726-2300, which supplies the account map, valuations, and coordination with the estate attorney and tax preparer. One Moneta nuance: although it says it does not maintain custody, Moneta also discloses that it is DEEMED to have custody under the SEC Custody Rule because of the access clients grant it and because in some cases it can move funds out of client accounts without separate authorization — which is why it undergoes an annual surprise custody examination by a PCAOB-registered accounting firm (the most recent commenced in September 2025).
It keeps running until someone terminates the agreement in writing. Moneta typically bills an asset-based fee quarterly IN ADVANCE and generally deducts it directly from the client-designated account, so a prepaid quarter can be sitting in an account nobody is watching. The brochure states that a client can terminate the advisory relationship by written notice in accordance with the engagement agreement, and that any fees received for services not yet provided will be refunded as outlined in that agreement. For an executor or successor trustee that means two concrete steps: get a copy of the decedent's engagement agreement to see the notice terms, and give written notice of termination (or of the transition to the estate or trust) rather than assuming the relationship lapses at death. Doing so both stops the meter and triggers the refund of the unearned portion. If the assets are staying with Moneta under an estate or a trust, the agreement is restated in the name of the estate or trust instead of being terminated.
Address it in the first call. Moneta offers bill pay, bookkeeping, and other concierge services in which a Moneta team pays the client's bills, and that standing ability to move money out of client accounts is one of the reasons Moneta is deemed to have custody under the SEC Custody Rule. When the client dies, those payment instructions do not know it. Ask the Moneta team to list every recurring payment being made from the decedent's accounts, then decide with the estate attorney which ones must stop immediately (discretionary payments, subscriptions, gifts) and which must continue to protect estate assets (property insurance, utilities on a house that is being sold, property tax). Also confirm what authority Moneta still holds over the accounts and how it changes now that the account is a decedent's account at the custodian.
What Moneta publishes as its estate and legacy services: designing, implementing, and administering estate planning strategies; managing intra-family note payments, entity distributions, and other transfers; coordinating information for gift tax and estate tax return preparers; providing estate document summaries and estate disposition diagrams; and analyzing optimal property titling. Its Form ADV describes estate planning as one of eight components of the comprehensive financial plan its partner-led teams build. What Moneta does not do: it is not a law firm and does not draft your trust or will, it is not an accountant and does not sign your estate tax return, and it is not a custodian, so it does not hold your accounts, does not carry your beneficiary designations, and does not process the death claim — those go to Schwab or Fidelity. Where a professional fiduciary is needed, the affiliated Moneta Trust can serve as corporate trustee. Consult a licensed attorney for legal questions about your estate plan.
Moneta's No Moneta claims department — notify the client's Moneta team, which coordinates; the claim is filed with the qualified custodian (Schwab or Fidelity) can be reached by phone at (314) 726-2300 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Moneta investment accounts, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The No Moneta claims department — notify the client's Moneta team, which coordinates; the claim is filed with the qualified custodian (Schwab or Fidelity) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
- monetagroup.com
- monetafamilyoffice.com
- adviserinfo.sec.gov
- files.adviserinfo.sec.gov
- monetatrust.com
- reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov
- team.monetagroup.com
Data sourced from Moneta primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Moneta (St. Louis headquarters)
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
Moneta Trust (corporate trustee) and Moneta Family Office estate services
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
No Moneta claims department — notify the client's Moneta team, which coordinates; the claim is filed with the qualified custodian (Schwab or Fidelity)
Moneta Group Investment Advisors, LLC, 190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1200, St. Louis, MO 63105
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