What to do when a Nuveen account holder dies
Contact Nuveen — 9-step process, 6 required documents, and driven by the medallion guarantee and the paperwork round-trip rather than by nuveen. registered tod/beneficiary accounts transfer once the completed, medallion-guaranteed request and the death certificate are in hand; accounts with no beneficiary registration wait on letters from the probate court.
Nuveen Funds — Individual Investors
Nuveen Funds, c/o the fund transfer agent, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140 (overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307)
Nuveen Funds — Individual Investors
Nuveen Funds, c/o the fund transfer agent, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140 (overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307)
Nuveen Funds shareholder services (the fund transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.)
Nuveen Funds, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140. Overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307. Directly registered closed-end fund shares instead go to Nuveen Funds c/o Computershare, PO Box 43006, Providence, RI 02940-3006 (overnight: Nuveen Funds c/o Computershare, Royall Street, Suite 101, Canton, MA 02021).
When an account holder at Nuveen passes away, the next step depends on how the investment accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Nuveen's Nuveen Funds shareholder services (the fund transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.) (800-257-8787) to access and distribute the funds.
To start, call Nuveen at 800-257-8787. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Nuveen works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued photo identification for each claiming beneficiary or the personal representative
- For an account with no TOD or beneficiary registration: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, certified by the probate court, because the account is then an estate asset
- A medallion signature guarantee on the transfer request — Nuveen Funds forms state this must come from a bank or trust company, savings bank, savings and loan association, or a member of a national stock exchange in the medallion program, and that a notary public is NOT an acceptable substitute
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Transfer/claim paperwork issued by the transfer agent for the specific registration (Nuveen does not publish a downloadable death-claim form)
- Government-issued photo identification for each claiming beneficiary or the personal representative
- Medallion signature guarantee on the transfer request (a notarization is not accepted)
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, certified by the probate court, where the account carries no TOD or beneficiary registration
- Beneficiary IRA Inheritance request form, for a Nuveen Funds IRA claim against the custodian UMB Bank, N.A.
What to know at this institution
The single most useful fact about settling a Nuveen holding: Nuveen itself does not process the claim. The fund's transfer, shareholder services, and dividend paying agent for the mutual funds is SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, Missouri 64121-9140 (fund prospectus, Section 4). Nuveen's contact page still labels the same address with the transfer agent's former name, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc. Closed-end fund shares registered directly sit on Computershare's register; closed-end shares in street name settle through the broker. Nuveen Funds IRAs are custodied by UMB Bank, N.A., and TIAA retirement plans, annuities, and CREF accounts are TIAA's, not Nuveen's — report those deaths to TIAA at tiaa.org.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Nuveen
Nuveen accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Nuveen's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Nuveen: Driven by the medallion guarantee and the paperwork round-trip rather than by Nuveen. Registered TOD/beneficiary accounts transfer once the completed, medallion-guaranteed request and the death certificate are in hand; accounts with no beneficiary registration wait on Letters from the probate court. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Nuveen requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Transfer/claim paperwork issued by the transfer agent for the specific registration (Nuveen does not publish a downloadable death-claim form), and Government-issued photo identification for each claiming beneficiary or the personal representative, and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Someone else. Nuveen is the asset manager; the shareholder records for its mutual funds are kept by the fund's transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc., at P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140. The transfer agent is who records a beneficiary designation, re-registers an account into a trust, and pays out at death. You reach it through Nuveen Funds at 800-257-8787, and you mail paperwork to the Kansas City address, not to a Nuveen office. Nuveen's own contact page still prints the transfer agent under its former name, DST Asset Manager Solutions, Inc., at the same P.O. Box — same operation, older name.
Plan on it. Nuveen Funds forms state that a medallion signature guarantee is required on transfer requests, that it is not the same thing as a notarized signature, and that it must be obtained from a bank or trust company, savings bank, savings and loan association, or a member of a national stock exchange participating in the medallion program. A notary public will not do. Getting the stamp is an in-person errand and the guarantor usually wants an existing relationship with the signer, so arrange it before the paperwork is due rather than after.
It goes to the estate, and therefore into probate. The custodian of a Nuveen Funds IRA is UMB Bank, N.A. (Nuveen Funds is the Sponsor), and its custodial agreement provides that where the depositor dies with no beneficiary on file with the custodian, the balance is paid to the depositor's estate. That converts what should have been a direct, probate-free transfer into an estate asset that needs Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. Beneficiaries who ARE named claim on the Beneficiary IRA Inheritance request form; the Nuveen Funds IRA Distribution Form expressly does not cover death-benefit payouts.
Nuveen's Nuveen Funds shareholder services (the fund transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.) can be reached by phone at 800-257-8787 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Nuveen investment accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Nuveen Funds shareholder services (the fund transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Nuveen primary sources (12 pages reviewed). How we research.
Nuveen Funds — Individual Investors
Nuveen Funds, c/o the fund transfer agent, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140 (overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307)
Nuveen Funds — Individual Investors
Nuveen Funds, c/o the fund transfer agent, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140 (overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307)
Nuveen Funds shareholder services (the fund transfer agent, SS&C Global Investor & Distribution Solutions, Inc.)
Nuveen Funds, P.O. Box 219140, Kansas City, MO 64121-9140. Overnight or courier: Nuveen Funds, 801 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 219140, Kansas City, MO 64105-1307. Directly registered closed-end fund shares instead go to Nuveen Funds c/o Computershare, PO Box 43006, Providence, RI 02940-3006 (overnight: Nuveen Funds c/o Computershare, Royall Street, Suite 101, Canton, MA 02021).
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Nuveen accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
Is this your situation?
Get a complete guide for your specific circumstances.
More tools for handling this estate
Calculators and checklists for executors and trustees.
How Much Does Probate Cost?
Estimate attorney fees, executor fees, court costs, and timeline for probating an estate in your state. See if the estate qualifies for simplified probate procedures.
How Much Can an Executor Charge?
Calculate how much an executor (personal representative) can charge for administering an estate. See if your state has statutory fees or uses reasonable compensation.
Who Inherits Without a Will?
Find out who inherits your estate and how much they get if you die without a will. Based on your state's intestate succession laws.
What's Fair Trustee Compensation?
Find out what's fair compensation for serving as trustee. Compare family, professional, and corporate trustee rates based on your situation.
How Much Are Estate & Inheritance Taxes?
Calculate federal estate tax, state estate tax (12 states + DC), and inheritance tax (5 states) for an estate or trust.
How Many Death Certificates Do I Need?
Calculate how many certified death certificates you need based on the assets and accounts you need to close. See state-specific ordering information.
