How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at TradeStation
Covers 8 investment, and 6 retirement accounts — beneficiaries can be updated by phone
Client Experience & Technical Support
TradeStation Securities Inc, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
Client Experience & Technical Support
TradeStation Securities Inc, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
Client Experience (death notification) / Account Services (claim documents)
TradeStation Securities Inc, Attn: Account Services, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
Preparing your TradeStation 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.
Across 14 product types, TradeStation investment accounts vary in how they transfer at death. The sections below walk through Transfer on Death (TOD) designations, trust funding options, and which products support each method.
- Call TradeStation Client Experience at 1-800-822-0512 (direct: 954-652-7900), Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
- The Transfer on Death Account Agreement itself carries a dedicated questions line: 1-800-871-3570 or 954-652-7920
- Ask whether your state of residence is on TradeStation's current list of jurisdictions that permit TOD registration of securities -- the form states the list is "available upon request" and does not print it
- Fill out the TOD agreement with your beneficiary designations
- Sign and return the completed form by mail (TradeStation does not accept TOD designations over the phone or online)
Required Documents
- Trust name, date established, and tax ID (EIN or SSN)
Special Requirements
- SPOUSAL CONSENT WITH A WITNESS SIGNATURE is mandatory in two situations that catch most filers: (i) a single-name account where the account holder's spouse is not named as the SOLE primary beneficiary, or (ii) a joint account where the owners' spouses are not joint tenants on the account. The consenting spouse signs an acknowledgment that he or she may be waiving rights to all property in the account, and a witness must sign alongside. A TOD form submitted without that consent block completed is incomplete.
- TOD registration is limited to single-name accounts and accounts held by two or more NATURAL PERSONS as joint tenants with rights of survivorship or as tenants by the entireties. It is NOT available to non-natural persons (entities, trusts as owner) or to accounts registered as community property or tenants in common.
- TOD is only offered for securities and securities accounts. The Transfer on Death Account Agreement is written for equities registration; TradeStation does not document TOD registration for a futures account. Confirm with Client Experience at 1-800-822-0512 before assuming a futures account carries a TOD.
- A beneficiary designation must be received by TradeStation IN WRITING AND AT LEAST FIVE BUSINESS DAYS before a distribution of the account in order to be effective. A change signed but not yet delivered will not bind TradeStation.
- TOD registration may not be changed or revoked by will, codicil, or oral communication -- only by a new signed Transfer on Death Account Agreement. TradeStation also states that a later marriage, divorce, remarriage, or adoption does NOT affect a prior designation, so an ex-spouse named on an old TOD form stays named until a new form is submitted.
- If percentages within a class do not total 100 percent, TradeStation distributes pro rata within that class; if no percentages are given at all, it distributes equally. If no primary or contingent beneficiary designation is in effect at death, the account goes to the estate and through probate.
- IRA beneficiaries use a different form (the Beneficiary Change Form - IRA Accounts (Equities)), which is returned to ClientExperience@TradeStation.com or mailed to Attn: Account Services. Naming a trust as IRA beneficiary requires ATTACHING a legal opinion advising that the trust adheres to IRS Publication 590 -- TradeStation will not process a trust designation without it.
Sources
Data sourced from TradeStation primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these TradeStation instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against TradeStation primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
Client Experience & Technical Support
TradeStation Securities Inc, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
Client Experience & Technical Support
TradeStation Securities Inc, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
Client Experience (death notification) / Account Services (claim documents)
TradeStation Securities Inc, Attn: Account Services, 8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000, Plantation, FL 33324
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