Estate planning options at Steward Partners
Preparing your Steward Partners investment accounts for estate transfer involves two primary strategies: designating beneficiaries on individual accounts and, where supported, retitling accounts into a revocable living trust. Both approaches bypass probate, but they work differently depending on the account type.
The transfer rules at Steward Partners vary across 12 investment accounts. Below is a breakdown of beneficiary options, trust funding, and which products support each method.
No beneficiary form at Steward Partners
- Brokerage and Steward Partners Managed Account Program: Pershing or Raymond James
- Steward Partners RIA Managed Account Program: the custodian named in the Investment Advisory Agreement, typically Charles Schwab, Fidelity, or Goldman Sachs Custody Solutions (Folio Investments, Inc.)
- Raymond James & Associates sponsored programs: Raymond James
Beneficiary designation is not available for retirement accounts at Steward Partners.
What Steward Partners says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is Steward Partners's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- Investment account
Estate and trust accounts are among both the brokerage and the investment advisory account types the firm offers.1
Accounts handled elsewhere3
- Pershing
Holds Steward Partners brokerage and Managed Account Program accounts as clearing agent or custodian2, 3
- Raymond James
Holds Steward Partners brokerage, Managed Account Program and Raymond James sponsored program accounts4, 3
Not in Steward Partners's published guidance5
- What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
- A beneficiary designation form
- A list of transfer-on-death eligible accounts
- How long a change takes
- Which trust documents it accepts
Sources
Data sourced from Steward Partners primary sources (9 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these Steward Partners instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against Steward Partners primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Steward Partners estate support
Headquarters
Phone
Stamford Office
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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