How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Primerica
Covers 6 investment, 6 retirement, and 5 insurance accounts — beneficiaries can be managed online
Primerica, 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001
Primerica Shareholder Services (mutual fund and retirement account death claims; administered by BNY)
Primerica Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 534485, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4485 (overnight: Primerica Shareholder Services, Attention: 534485, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262)
Claims Department (Primerica Life Insurance Company / National Benefit Life Insurance Company)
Primerica Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Executive Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001 (New York policies: National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Administrative Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001)
Estate planning for your Primerica investment accounts starts with understanding how each one transfers at death. Beneficiary designations and trust retitling both bypass probate, but the right approach depends on the account type, your tax situation, and how much control you want over distributions.
Primerica has 17 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 will require probate if nothing is set up. Each is covered below.
- Log in to MyPrimerica at myprimerica.com
- Navigate to your policy and select the option to modify beneficiaries
- Follow the on-screen prompts to add or update primary and contingent beneficiaries
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- Life insurance beneficiary changes can be made online via MyPrimerica (myprimerica.com), by phone at (800) 257-4725, or by mail
- Mutual fund and retirement beneficiary changes use the POL-08, submitted by mail, by fax, or as an eForm through the Shareholder Account Manager portal
- Spousal consent (notarized) is a COMMUNITY PROPERTY STATE requirement only — AZ, CA, ID, LA, NV, NM, PR, TX, WA, WI — and only when the spouse is not the sole primary beneficiary. It does not apply to Coverdell ESA or inherited/Beneficiary account types
- The POL-08 cannot be faxed if a notary is required; it must be mailed
- Beneficiary percentages must total 100% collectively across primary and contingent designations
- Beneficiary changes on mutual fund accounts apply at the account level, not individual fund positions
- To assign different beneficiaries per fund, request in writing that the fund position be transferred to a new account
- Primerica uses its own contractual definition of "per stirpes" on the POL-08, which the form warns may differ from your state's definition or the one in your will or trust
- A "Designated Authorized Party" must be named to certify per stirpes beneficiaries; if that person cannot be located or will not serve, PSS relies on the personal representative named in Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- TOD registration available for non-retirement mutual fund accounts
Sources
Data sourced from Primerica primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Primerica instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Primerica primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Primerica, 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001
Primerica Shareholder Services (mutual fund and retirement account death claims; administered by BNY)
Primerica Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 534485, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4485 (overnight: Primerica Shareholder Services, Attention: 534485, 500 Ross Street, 154-0520, Pittsburgh, PA 15262)
Claims Department (Primerica Life Insurance Company / National Benefit Life Insurance Company)
Primerica Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Executive Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001 (New York policies: National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Administrative Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001)
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