How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Morgan Stanley
Beneficiaries are managed in branch, by phone or by mail. Trust paperwork is taken in branch or by mail
There are two ways to keep your Morgan Stanley investment accounts out of probate: adding beneficiary designations and retitling eligible accounts into a revocable living trust. Which approach works best depends on the account type and your overall estate plan.
Morgan Stanley has 14 product types, and the estate transfer rules differ across them. Some support Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, some can be retitled into a trust, and others pass through the estate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
Beneficiary form at Morgan Stanley
Transfer on Death (TOD) beneficiary designation (for investment accounts) and IRA Designation of Beneficiary form (for IRAs).
- Beneficiary name, date of birth, SSN, address, phone number, and percentage allocation
- For a trust beneficiary: trust name, date established, trustee name, and trust EIN
- IRAs use the IRA Designation of Beneficiary form, not the brokerage TOD designation
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's address and phone number
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Relationship to the account holder
- Each beneficiary's percentage allocation. The allocations must total 100%
- Trust name, date established, trustee name and trust EIN (to name a trust as beneficiary). The grantor's Social Security number is taken in place of an EIN for a revocable trust
- The completed, signed designation form
- The complete trust document or a Trustee Certification
- Government-issued photo ID for all trustees
- The trust EIN (or the grantor SSN for a revocable trust)
- A complete copy of the trust document, or a Trustee Certification
- Copies of government-issued photo ID for all trustees
- The trust EIN (or the grantor SSN for a revocable trust)
- The completed trust account application
Required Documents
- Complete trust document or Trustee Certification (certificate of trust). Either is taken: a revocable living trust or irrevocable trust document, or a Trustee Certification as a summary in lieu of the full trust
- Government-issued photo ID (for every trustee who will act on the account)
- Trust EIN. The grantor's Social Security number is taken in place of an EIN for a revocable trust
- Trust account application, completed and signed
- Beneficiary name, date of birth, SSN, address, phone number, and percentage allocation
- For a trust beneficiary: trust name, date established, trustee name, and trust EIN
- IRAs use the IRA Designation of Beneficiary form, not the brokerage TOD designation
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's address and phone number
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Relationship to the account holder
- Each beneficiary's percentage allocation. The allocations must total 100%
- Trust name, date established, trustee name and trust EIN (to name a trust as beneficiary). The grantor's Social Security number is taken in place of an EIN for a revocable trust
- The completed, signed designation form
- The complete trust document or a Trustee Certification
- Government-issued photo ID for all trustees
- The trust EIN (or the grantor SSN for a revocable trust)
- A complete copy of the trust document, or a Trustee Certification
- Copies of government-issued photo ID for all trustees
- The trust EIN (or the grantor SSN for a revocable trust)
- The completed trust account application
Required Documents
- Complete trust document or Trustee Certification (certificate of trust). Either is taken: a revocable living trust or irrevocable trust document, or a Trustee Certification as a summary in lieu of the full trust
- Government-issued photo ID (for every trustee who will act on the account)
- Trust EIN. The grantor's Social Security number is taken in place of an EIN for a revocable trust
- Trust account application, completed and signed
- Beneficiary name, date of birth, SSN, address, phone number, and percentage allocation
- For a trust beneficiary: trust name, date established, trustee name, and trust EIN
- IRAs use the IRA Designation of Beneficiary form, not the brokerage TOD designation
Required Documents
- Beneficiary's full legal name
- Beneficiary's date of birth
- Beneficiary's address and phone number
- Beneficiary's Social Security number
- Relationship to the account holder
- Each beneficiary's percentage allocation. The allocations must total 100%
- Trust name, date established, trustee name and trust EIN (to name a trust as beneficiary). The grantor's Social Security number is taken in place of an EIN for a revocable trust
- The completed, signed designation form
What Morgan Stanley says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Morgan Stanley's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary2
- Investment account
Brokerage, CashPlus and advisory accounts take a transfer on death (TOD) beneficiary designation, arranged through your Financial Advisor.1
- IRA
Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs use a separate IRA Designation of Beneficiary form. The brokerage TOD designation does not reach them.2
Who can be named1
- A trust
A trust can be named as beneficiary, with its name, the date it was established, the trustee's name and its EIN.1
How many beneficiaries, and how shares are split
- All accounts
Each beneficiary is given a percentage allocation, and the allocations must total 100%.1
What a designation takes to be effective
Beneficiary forms Morgan Stanley issues2
What Morgan Stanley's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- A designation and a will
A named beneficiary overrides your will for that account.1
- Joint accounts
A TOD designation on a joint account pays only after the last surviving owner dies.1
- Changing or revoking a designation
A new designation supersedes the prior one for that account. Naming a beneficiary on one account does not carry the designation to your other accounts.1
Which accounts a trust can hold3
- Investment account
Individual brokerage, joint brokerage, advisory and CashPlus accounts can all be held by a trust. The CashPlus Account Disclosure Statement lists U.S. Revocable Trust among its permitted account types, alongside Individual and Joint.3
- IRA
IRAs cannot be moved into a trust. The trust can be named as beneficiary on the IRA Designation of Beneficiary form instead.4
- Employee stock purchase plan shares
Employer stock plan accounts do not fund a trust. Since July 28, 2023, entity accounts on Shareworks are recordkeeping-only, so a trust cannot transact in a stock plan account.5
What Morgan Stanley says about trust accounts1
- Whether a new account is opened
A new trust-titled account is opened with a trust account application, and the assets are then transferred or retitled into it from the existing individual or joint accounts.4
Accounts handled elsewhere1
- E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
Beneficiary designations and completed forms for E*TRADE accounts6
Not in Morgan Stanley's published guidance2
- A beneficiary form to download, for investment accounts
- An online way to name a beneficiary
Sources6
Sources
Data sourced from Morgan Stanley primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Morgan Stanley instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Morgan Stanley primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Morgan Stanley estate support
Financial Advisor / servicing branch (Client Relations for escalation)
Phone
Toll-free
Senior Investor Helpline
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley (Client Relations listing)
E*TRADE Beneficiary Services (estate claims)
E*TRADE Beneficiary Services (outside the U.S.)
Global Stock Plan Services
Virtual Client Solutions (Access Direct stock transfers)
Client Relations
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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