Estate planning at Wells Fargo
How to protect 22 Wells Fargo accounts — manage beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and file claims through Wells Fargo's Estate Care Center
Wells Fargo Advisors, MAC N9160-01P, PO Box 77046, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9902
Estate Care Center
Wells Fargo Advisors, MAC N9160-01P, PO Box 77046, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9902
Estate Care Center
Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Estate Care Center, Attention: D1118-02D, PO Box 71208, Charlotte, NC 28201-1245
Wells Fargo offers 22 consumer accounts that interact with estate planning in distinct ways. Of those, 19 can name a trust as beneficiary or be retitled into a trust. Understanding the transfer methods available for each account type helps families keep assets out of probate and ensure they pass to the right people.
Managing beneficiaries at Wells Fargo is straightforward—changes can be made in branch, by mail, and by phone, typically taking 15-30 minutes in branch. Trust funding is also available, allowing families to retitle accounts into the name of a revocable living trust.
Wells Fargo provides specific procedures for both proactive estate planning and filing claims after a death.
Preparing your estate
Beneficiaries and trust funding
How to update beneficiaries in-branch, fund a trust in-branch, and review 22 account types at Wells Fargo.
View details →When someone dies
Death claim process
Contact Wells Fargo's Estate Care Center to file a claim. 3-step process, 9 required documents, and contact information for survivors.
View details →Reach Wells Fargo's Estate Care Center at 1-888-790-7980 for help with any of these procedures.
Frequently asked questions
Visit a Wells Fargo branch with the full trust agreement or a Certification of Trust (Certificate of Trust) and government-issued photo ID for all trustees. All trustees must be present. The banker will retitle the account from individual ownership to the trust. For investment accounts through WellsTrade or Wells Fargo Advisors, contact those divisions separately.
Yes. A trust can be named as a beneficiary on any Wells Fargo IRA. IRAs cannot be retitled to a trust, but you can designate the trust as the primary or contingent beneficiary using the IRA Designation or Change of Beneficiary form. Contact WellsTrade at 1-800-TRADERS or your Wells Fargo Advisors representative to obtain the form.
Intuitive Investor is Wells Fargo's automated investing service that builds diversified ETF portfolios. The minimum to start is $500. The annual advisory fee is 0.35%, with discounts to 0.30% when linked to Prime Checking or 0.25% when linked to Premier Checking. Intuitive Investor accounts support TOD registration and can be retitled to a trust.
Sources
Data sourced from Wells Fargo primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
Wells Fargo Advisors, MAC N9160-01P, PO Box 77046, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9902
Estate Care Center
Wells Fargo Advisors, MAC N9160-01P, PO Box 77046, Minneapolis, MN 55480-9902
Estate Care Center
Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Estate Care Center, Attention: D1118-02D, PO Box 71208, Charlotte, NC 28201-1245
Estate planning articles
Learn how to protect your Wells Fargo accounts and other assets with trusts, beneficiary designations, and estate planning documents.
