What to do when a tastytrade account holder dies
Contact tastytrade's Accounts Team (beneficiary, trust, and estate paperwork) — 3-step process, 6 required documents, and varies by account type and complexity of documentation
tastytrade, Inc., 1330 W. Fulton St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607
Accounts Team (beneficiary, trust, and estate paperwork)
Accounts Team
tastytrade, Inc., 1330 W. Fulton St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607
When an account holder at tastytrade 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 tastytrade's Accounts Team (1-312-724-7075) to access and distribute the funds.
tastytrade offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
The death claim process at tastytrade works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Email accounts@tastytrade.com or call 1-888-247-1963 (Monday-Thursday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM CT, Friday 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM CT); local and international callers use +1-312-724-7075
- Provide the deceased account holder's name and the Apex account number (it appears on their tastytrade statements and on the Account Summary page at https://my.tastytrade.com)
- Submit a certified copy of the death certificate; documents can be emailed to accounts@tastytrade.com or faxed to 312-724-7364
- Individual or joint WROS account with an accepted TOD form on file: the named beneficiaries take the assets outside probate. Apex accepts the latest Beneficiary Designation in its possession, and no change is effective until Apex actually receives and accepts it
- Individual account with no TOD form: the assets pass through the estate, and the executor or administrator must produce Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration
- Joint with rights of survivorship (WROS): the surviving owner takes full rights to the account on production of the death certificate
- Joint tenants in common (TIC): the deceased owner's proportionate share passes to their estate and needs probate documentation. TIC accounts are not TOD-eligible at tastytrade
- IRA: the beneficiaries on file (online under My Profile > Beneficiaries, or on the last accepted IRA Beneficiary Designation Form) control. If no designated beneficiary survives, the IRA is paid under the Beneficiaries section of the Apex IRA Custodial Agreement
- Trust account: the successor trustee submits a new Certificate of Trust & Investment Powers naming the current trustees
- The beneficiary, successor trustee, or personal representative opens a receiving account (an inherited/beneficiary IRA for IRA assets) so Apex can move positions and cash into it
- Futures and event contract positions are not SIPC-protected and are segregated at Apex; those positions are handled separately from the securities account
- Assets are transferred or distributed per the accepted TOD designation, the IRA beneficiary designation, joint ownership terms, or the probate court's order
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary, successor trustee, or executor
- The Apex account number for each tastytrade account held by the decedent
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (individual account with no TOD, or a TIC share)
- Certificate of Trust & Investment Powers naming the successor trustee (trust accounts)
- Completed transfer/claim paperwork as provided by tastytrade and Apex Clearing
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
tastytrade is an introducing broker: every account is carried and custodied by Apex Clearing Corporation, so the account number on the estate paperwork is an Apex account number and the asset transfer runs through Apex's process. tastytrade's accounts team (accounts@tastytrade.com, fax 312-724-7364) is the intake point -- tastytrade publishes no separate estate portal or estate claim form, and it does not accept instructions by email that would place, modify, or cancel orders. Securities are covered by SIPC (up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit); futures and event contract accounts are not SIPC-protected and are segregated at Apex. Mail may be addressed to tastytrade, Inc., 1330 W. Fulton St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607.
Prepare your letter of instruction to tastytrade
tastytrade accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to tastytrade's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at tastytrade: Varies by account type and complexity of documentation. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
tastytrade requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified copy of the death certificate, Government-issued ID for the beneficiary, successor trustee, or executor, and The Apex account number for each tastytrade account held by the decedent, 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
Only if it is a domestic joint with rights of survivorship (WROS) account. tastytrade accepts the Transfer on Death Beneficiary Designation Form on domestic individual accounts and domestic joint WROS accounts only -- joint tenants in common (TIC) accounts and international accounts cannot submit a TOD form. On a TIC account, the deceased owner's proportionate share passes to their estate and is settled through probate, so a TIC owner who wants to avoid probate has to plan around the account (for example, by holding the share in a trust) rather than by adding a beneficiary to it.
Yes, in a community property or marital property state. Both the Apex Transfer on Death Beneficiary Designation Form and the IRA Beneficiary Designation Form carry a spousal consent line: if you or your spouse reside in a community property or marital property state and your spouse is not an account holder or the sole primary beneficiary, the spouse must sign, voluntarily and irrevocably consenting to the designation. Without that signature the designation can be challenged, and Apex is indemnified either way.
Only on IRAs. For a Traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA, sign in at https://my.tastytrade.com and go to My Profile > Beneficiaries to list primary and contingent beneficiaries with percentage shares. Brokerage accounts have no online beneficiary screen: the Transfer on Death Beneficiary Designation Form must be downloaded from the Forms & Agreements page, signed, and emailed to accounts@tastytrade.com or faxed to 312-724-7364. Filing a new IRA Beneficiary Designation Form deletes and replaces every previous IRA designation, and no designation binds Apex Clearing until Apex receives and accepts it.
tastytrade's Accounts Team can be reached by phone at 1-888-247-1963, email at accounts@tastytrade.com, and fax at 1-312-724-7364 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple tastytrade investment accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Accounts Team can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from tastytrade primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
tastytrade, Inc., 1330 W. Fulton St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607
Accounts Team (beneficiary, trust, and estate paperwork)
Accounts Team
tastytrade, Inc., 1330 W. Fulton St., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60607
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