How to name beneficiaries and fund a trust at Western & Southern

Annuities bought through a bank or independent dealer (contract number starting W002) are serviced through W&S Financial Group Distributors, which publishes a separate beneficiary form for each issuing company.¹

Children may be named individually or as a group. A group designation includes all natural and legally adopted children in the group living when payment is due; the form recommends naming children individually unless later-born children are meant to be included.²

On an annuity owned by a trust or entity, that trust or entity must remain the beneficiary.³

Beneficiaries are ranked by class: Class I is higher than Class II, and Class II is higher than Class III. Proceeds are paid in equal shares to the living beneficiaries in the highest class unless otherwise specified.²

An owner who lives or has lived in a community property state and has not named the spouse sole beneficiary may need the spouse's signed consent.²

The owner's signature must be notarized if the company has requested a notarized signature or if the owner signs with an "X".²

Completed by the policy owner. Available to download.²

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Completed by the policy owner. Completed online.⁴

For annuitys. Available to download.^{3, 1}

Completing the beneficiary section of DO-43 revokes all prior designations for all classes, so every class must be designated again.²

On a Western-Southern Life Assurance Company annuity sold through W&S Financial Group Distributors, a Class I designation revokes all previously named beneficiaries of every class.³

A beneficiary designation is not effective unless the company records it at its Home Office. A confirmation is provided for the owner's records.²

The published ownership-change forms are annuity forms for Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Integrity Life and National Integrity Life contracts.¹

For a contract owned by a trust or entity, that trust or entity must remain the beneficiary.⁵

Western & Southern Life's Request for Policy Service form (DO-43) is not used to change ownership to another person.²

For annuitys. Available to download.⁵

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The company is not obligated to inquire into the terms of a trust named beneficiary.⁵

Integrity Life and National Integrity Life annuities, with their own beneficiary and ownership-change forms^{1, 6, 7}

Gerber Life policies⁸

Columbus Life policies⁹