Estate planning options at UBS
Preparing your UBS 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 UBS vary across 13 investment accounts. Below is a breakdown of beneficiary options, trust funding, and which products support each method.
- UBS names the Financial Advisor or service team as a client's primary contact with the firm
- UBS names the Financial Advisor or service team as a client's primary contact with the firm
- UBS names the Financial Advisor or service team as a client's primary contact with the firm
What UBS says about beneficiaries and trusts
Each section is UBS's own statement, with the document it comes from numbered under Sources.
Which accounts take a beneficiary1
- IRA
The beneficiary is whoever the owner designates during their lifetime, on a form or in a manner accepted by UBS.1
Who can be named4
What a designation takes to be effective
- IRA
If the owner lives in a community property state and the spouse is not the primary beneficiary of at least 50% of the assets, the spouse's consent may be necessary for the designation to be effective.1
What UBS's agreement says about beneficiaries3
- Changing or revoking a designation
For an IRA, the last designation provided on a form or in a manner accepted by UBS before the owner's death controls, whether or not it disposes of all of the IRA, and supersedes earlier forms.1
- Divorce
For an IRA, a divorce or legal termination of the marriage automatically revokes a designation of the former spouse. The former spouse can be named again with a new designation after the divorce is final or in connection with the divorce proceedings.1
- No beneficiary survives
Any part of an IRA the designation does not dispose of goes to the surviving spouse, and if there is no surviving spouse, to the estate.1
Which accounts a trust can hold1
- Investment account
UBS lists Trust Account as an ownership type for the RMA and the Basic Investment Account.1
Not in UBS's published guidance2
- What the owner provides to name a beneficiary
- Which trust documents it accepts
Sources1
Sources
Data sourced from UBS primary sources (10 pages reviewed). How we research.
Download these UBS instructions
Download instructions for the whole estateA printable PDF with the steps, required documents, and contact details — verified against UBS primary sources. Bring it to the branch or keep it beside the phone.
UBS estate support
Phone
Online support
Banking Support
Client Relations, for escalating concerns
UBS Workplace Wealth Solutions (domestic)
UBS One Source / Workplace Wealth Solutions (international)
Hours
Mailing address
Website
Estate requests go through general customer service.
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