Trust Accounts

No, Betterment does not help in the creation of a new trust. Trusts are legal entities and require the assistance of an estate attorney or financial planner to file paperwork with the proper authorities. You can open an investment account with Betterment in the name of a trust that you have already established.

Betterment can assist with an asset transfer between your personal account to your trust account so long as the EIN associated with your trust is identical to the Social Security number of the personal account owner. If you'd like to proceed, you will first need to open a trust account with Betterment. Once you have completed that process, please send us an e-mail at trusts@betterment.com.

In order to open a trust account, you must be the trustee of the trust entity. As a trustee, you will first need to sign up for a personal Betterment account. Once done, follow these steps to open your trust: Log into Betterment on a web browser and click “Add New” from the left menu. Select “Invest in a diversified portfolio” and choose what you’re saving for. Then select the “Trust” account option and follow the prompts. Fill in the form to create a trust account. Provide electronic copies of ...

No, a trust cannot be the owner of an IRA as IRAs are opened in an individual account. However, you can make your trust a beneficiary of a Betterment IRA. This can be done by selecting "Settings" from the menu and then "Accounts".

Yes, you can have both a personal account and multiple trust accounts, all of which can be accessed from a single login.

Betterment does not require a copy of your entire trust agreement. We require electronic copies of the only following pages: The title page which generally contains the trust’s title, TIN, date of establishment and the state of organization. The signature page(s), which contain the signatures of all authorized trustees. OR Notarized Trust Certificate Note that Betterment will not accept the following documents in lieu of the original trust agreement: Certificate of Trusts Memorandum of Trusts ...

Betterment supports both revocable and irrevocable trusts that are authorized to invest in securities. In order to open a trust account the trust has to be a U.S. domestic trust, have been previously established, and is in good legal standing.

Yes, you can add multiple trusts to your Betterment account and access all of them from a single login.

Yes, if there are multiple trustees, each trustee can access the trust account with his or her own login. If you would like to provide access to multiple trustees, please contact us at trusts@betterment.com and we will be happy to assist.

No, at this time we only provide access to the authorized trustees of a trust.

Yes. Every tax year Betterment will generate and make available to you the required 1099-B and 1099-DIV tax forms for the TIN or SSN of the trust. If you have a personal and trust account, you will receive separate tax forms for each of those accounts. Your personal account may also contain a 1099-R or 5498 form if you have IRAs. Learn more about taxes.