Estate planning at Sentinel Benefits
How to protect 7 Sentinel Benefits accounts — manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust by mail, and file death claims
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Retirement retirement accounts at Sentinel Benefits transfer by beneficiary designation, not through probate. With 7 account types, each carrying different tax implications for heirs, getting these designations right is one of the most consequential estate planning decisions.
At Sentinel Benefits, beneficiary designations are managed online, by mail, and by phone. Accounts can also be retitled into a trust to keep them out of probate entirely.
There are two sides to estate planning at Sentinel Benefits: setting things up while you're alive, and the process survivors follow after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to manage beneficiaries online, fund a trust by mail, and review 7 account types at Sentinel Benefits.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
6-step process, 7 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Frequently asked questions
For ERISA-governed plans (401(k), 403(b), defined benefit), your spouse is automatically the primary beneficiary. You may name a different primary beneficiary — including a trust or another individual — only if your spouse provides written, notarized consent. Governmental 457(b) plans are generally not subject to ERISA spousal consent requirements, though the plan document may impose its own rules. Nonqualified deferred compensation and executive benefit plans are governed by their individual plan terms regarding beneficiary designations.
Sources
Data sourced from Sentinel Benefits primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Sentinel Service Center
Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group, 100 Quannapowitt Parkway, P.O. Box 4010, Wakefield, MA 01880
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Sentinel Benefits accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
