What to do when a Baird account holder dies
Contact Baird's Baird Trust Company — 6-step process, 6 required documents, and timeline varies depending on account type and required documentation; baird works through your financial advisor to process claims. most transfers completed within several weeks after all documentation is received.
Phone1-800-792-2473
Emailinfo@rwbaird.com
Mailing Address
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, P.O. Box 0672, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0672
WebsiteLearn more→
Baird Trust Company
Phone502-588-1801
Toll-Free888-878-7845
Mailing Address
Baird Trust Company, 500 W. Jefferson St., Suite 2600, Louisville, KY 40202
Baird Trust Technology Support (Client Portal)
Baird Online Support
Cash Management
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement (via Financial Advisor)
Phone1-800-792-2473
Emailinfo@rwbaird.com
Mailing Address
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, P.O. Box 0672, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0672
Baird Trust Estate Settlement
Baird Trust Estate Settlement (Louisville)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
After a Baird account holder dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact Baird's Baird Trust Company at 1-800-792-2473 with the proper legal authority documents.
Baird provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Baird works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Contact your Baird Financial Advisor or call Baird at 800-792-2473 to report the death
2
Baird will secure the accounts and restrict trading activity
3
Provide a certified copy of the death certificate (order 10-20 copies)
4
Choose the appropriate settlement path based on account type:
- For TOD accounts: complete distribution paperwork with your Financial Advisor
- For accounts requiring probate: provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from the probate court
- For trust accounts: provide trustee documentation showing successor trustee authority
5
Baird estate planning and tax experts will work with your Financial Advisor to help settle the estate
6
Complete required distribution forms and submit for processing
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued ID for claimant
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required)
- Small Estate Affidavit (if estate qualifies under state law)
- Trust document showing successor trustee (for trust accounts)
- Inherited IRA application (for IRA beneficiaries)
What to know at this institution
Baird operates through a Financial Advisor relationship model. Your designated Baird Financial Advisor is the primary point of contact for estate settlement and works closely with Baird's estate planning and tax planning experts. Baird Trust can serve as corporate executor or co-executor if named in the estate documents. The Baird Trust estate settlement team handles filing taxes, paying bills, closing accounts, collecting final wages and insurance proceeds, and distributing assets. Settlement timeline for Baird Trust-administered estates is typically 13+ months. Date-of-death valuation fee: $50 per account. IRA termination fee: $150. For Baird Trust estate settlement services, contact Baird Trust at 500 W. Jefferson St., Suite 2600, Louisville, KY 40202.
Expected timelines at Baird: Timeline varies depending on account type and required documentation; Baird works through your Financial Advisor to process claims. Most transfers completed within several weeks after all documentation is received. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Baird requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued ID for claimant, and Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (if probate required), 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
No. Baird operates through a Financial Advisor relationship model and does not offer self-service online beneficiary management. To add or change a beneficiary on a brokerage or retirement account, you must work with your Baird Financial Advisor, who prepares the appropriate form (a Transfer on Death Beneficiary Designation for brokerage accounts or an IRA Beneficiary Designation for retirement accounts). The completed form must be signed and returned to your advisor or mailed to Baird at P.O. Box 0672, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0672. Plan for a few business days of processing after the form is received.
Yes. Baird Trust, a Baird subsidiary founded in 1984 and headquartered in Louisville, KY, can serve as corporate executor, co-executor, or successor trustee if named in your estate documents. As a corporate fiduciary it provides continuity and objective decision-making uninterrupted by an individual trustee's disability or death. The estate settlement team files taxes, pays bills, closes accounts, collects final wages and insurance proceeds, and distributes assets, typically over a 13-plus-month timeline. Baird Trust can be reached at 888-878-7845 or 500 W. Jefferson St., Suite 2600, Louisville, KY 40202.
Baird charges a date-of-death valuation fee of $50 per account to value holdings as of the date of death, which is needed for estate tax reporting and step-up in basis. Retirement accounts carry a $150 IRA termination fee when the account is closed or distributed to beneficiaries. These are separate from any Baird Trust fees if Baird Trust administers the estate as corporate fiduciary. Confirm current charges with your Baird Financial Advisor, since fee schedules can change.
Contact your Baird Financial Advisor or call 800-792-2473 to report the death. Baird will secure the accounts and restrict trading. Provide a certified copy of the death certificate. For TOD accounts, complete distribution paperwork with your advisor. For accounts requiring probate, provide Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. For trust accounts, provide successor trustee documentation. Baird's estate planning and tax experts work with your Financial Advisor to settle the estate. If Baird Trust is named as executor or co-executor, the Baird Trust estate settlement team handles taxes, bill payment, account closures, and asset distribution.
Baird's Estate Settlement (via Financial Advisor) can be reached by phone at 1-800-792-2473 and email at info@rwbaird.com for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Baird investment accounts may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Baird Trust Company to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Baird primary sources (20 pages reviewed). How we research.
Phone1-800-792-2473
Emailinfo@rwbaird.com
Mailing Address
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, P.O. Box 0672, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0672
WebsiteLearn more→
Baird Trust Company
Phone502-588-1801
Toll-Free888-878-7845
Mailing Address
Baird Trust Company, 500 W. Jefferson St., Suite 2600, Louisville, KY 40202
Baird Trust Technology Support (Client Portal)
Baird Online Support
Cash Management
WebsiteLearn more→
Estate Settlement (via Financial Advisor)
Phone1-800-792-2473
Emailinfo@rwbaird.com
Mailing Address
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, P.O. Box 0672, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0672
Baird Trust Estate Settlement
Baird Trust Estate Settlement (Louisville)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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