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Moving your accounts into your trust

Bank and investment accounts

Your trust only works for an account that is connected to it. There are two ways to connect an account. You choose.

This guide explains both ways. Then it gives you the words to say at the bank.

Know thisAn account that is only in your name, with no one named to receive it, goes through probate when you die. Either way below fixes that.

A sample bank statement

The name on it today

John Smith and Jane Smith

The name after you put it in your trust

John Smith and Jane Smith, Trustees of the Smith Family Revocable Living Trust, dated March 3, 2026

Same people. Same money. Only the name gets longer.

Part 1 of 3

Two ways. You choose.

Do this for each account in your Blueprint. You may use Way 1 for some accounts and Way 2 for others. Your Blueprint is the list of what you own that we made with you. Have an account that is not on it? It gets the same two choices. A few kinds of accounts should be left alone. See Part 3.

Way 1

Put the account in your trust’s name

The bank calls this “retitling” the account.

Steps for Way 1
Way 2

Keep the account in your name. Name your trust to get it when you die.

Banks call this “payable on death,” or POD. Investment companies call it “transfer on death,” or TOD.

Steps for Way 2

Today

Way 1The name on the account changes to your trust. You still use it the same way. It is still your money.

Way 2Nothing changes. The account stays in your own name.

If you can no longer manage money

Way 1The person you named in your trust to take over can manage this account for you.

Way 2The person you named in your trust to take over cannot manage this account. Someone would need your power of attorney, or a court would have to name someone.

When you die

Both ways: your trust says who gets the account. This account does not go through probate.

The work

Way 1One visit or call for each bank. Ask the bank if your checks or card will change.

Way 2One short form for each account. Not every bank or investment company offers it, so ask.

What we like: every account in your trust’s name (Way 1). Then your family has one place to look. It is still your call.

Not sure? Which sounds like you?

  • “I want my family to have one place to look.”Use Way 1
  • “If I get sick, I want the person in my trust to handle this account.”Use Way 1
  • “I do not want anything about this account to change today.”Use Way 2
  • “My bank says changing the name will cost me, or change my account number.”Use Way 2

Still not sure? Use Way 1. That is the one we like.

Questions people ask

Is it still my money?

Yes. You are the trustee of your own trust. You use the account the same way as before. You can still take money out or close it.

Do my taxes change?

No. You file your taxes the same way as before. If the bank asks for a tax number, give the one written on your Certification of Trust. For most people that is a Social Security number.

Will my checks, card, and direct deposit still work?

That is up to each bank. Some change nothing. Some give you a new account number. Ask before you leave: the words are in Part 2.

What if I do nothing?

An account that is only in your name, with no one named to receive it, goes through probate when you die. That is the thing your trust is meant to avoid.

I have more than $250,000 at one bank or credit union.

Deposit insurance works a different way for an account that is in a trust, or that names a trust. Before you change the account, ask the bank how your coverage will change.

I have a CD.

Before you change a CD, ask the bank if changing the name will cause a penalty. If it will, ask if naming your trust on it (Way 2) causes a penalty too. If both do, you can wait until the CD ends.

My Social Security or VA money goes into this account.

Before you change the name on that account, ask the bank: “Will my deposits still come in?” A simple choice is to leave it in your own name and use Way 2.

I own the account with my spouse.

Both ways still work. Call the bank first and ask who needs to come in. If the account is in both your names, plan on both of you going.

With Way 2, a joint account goes to the other owner first. It goes to your trust when the second of you dies.

Part 2 of 3

Do it

Do this any time after you sign your trust. There is no deadline. Sooner is better.

Print a sheet to take to the bank

Way 1Put the account in your trust’s name

  1. Call the bank first

    SayI want to put my account in the name of my living trust. What do I need to bring, and who needs to come in?

    For an investment account, call the investment company (like Fidelity or Schwab) or your advisor. Many have their own form. Some let you do it online.

  2. Bring these

    • Your photo ID.
    • Your Certification of Trust. That is the short paper that proves your trust is real. It is one of the papers you signed with your trust. Most banks do not need the whole trust.
    • Your account numbers.

  3. Tell them what you want

    SayPlease change this account into the name of my trust.

  4. Answer their questions

    The bank will ask some of these. The answers are on your Certification of Trust.

    • The bank asksWhat is the name of the trust?

      Copy it from your Certification of Trust, word for word. Look for the line that starts “Title to assets held in the trust will be titled as.”

      A sample. Yours will have your own names and date.John Smith and Jane Smith, Trustees of the Smith Family Revocable Living Trust, dated March 3, 2026
    • The bank asksWhat is the date of the trust?

      The day you signed it. It is on your Certification of Trust.

    • The bank asksWho are the trustees?

      You. If you share the trust with your spouse, both of you.

    • The bank asksCan the trust be changed? Is it revocable?

      Yes. It is a revocable living trust.

    • The bank asksWhat is the tax number, or EIN?

      The number written on your Certification of Trust. For most people that is a Social Security number.

    • The bank asksCan we see the trust?

      Hand them your Certification of Trust. It should be enough. Some banks will still ask to see a few pages, like the page that names the trustee.

    The bank wants the whole trust, or says no? You have three choices. You can show them the whole trust. You can leave that account as it is and use Way 2. Or you can move the money to a bank that will do it.

  5. Ask before you leave

    AskWill anything change with my checks, my card, my direct deposit, or my automatic bills?

    Ask for a paper that shows the new name. Keep it with your trust papers.

Way 2Name your trust to receive the account

  1. Ask for the form

    Say, at a bankI want to name my living trust as the payable-on-death beneficiary on my account. Do you have a form for that? Say, at an investment companyI want to name my living trust as the transfer-on-death beneficiary on my account. Do you have a form for that?

  2. Write your trust’s name on the form

    Copy it from your Certification of Trust, word for word. That is the short paper that proves your trust is real. It is one of the papers you signed with your trust.

    Look for the line that starts “Title to assets held in the trust will be titled as.”

    A sample. Yours will have your own names and date.John Smith and Jane Smith, Trustees of the Smith Family Revocable Living Trust, dated March 3, 2026

    Name only your trust. Do not add other people.

  3. Keep a copy

    Ask for a copy of the finished form. Keep it with your trust papers.

They do not offer it? Some banks and investment companies do not. Then use Way 1 for that account.

Part 3 of 3

Other kinds of accounts

Some things you own are not bank or investment accounts. They have their own rules.

Leave these alone

Do not put these in your trust’s name. Do not change the owner.

  • Retirement accountsIRA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 403(b), and pensions
  • Health savings accountsAlso called an HSA
  • Life insurance and annuities

What to do instead: each of these has a beneficiary form. That form says who gets it. Our guide shows you how to fill it in.

Open the Beneficiary Form Guide

Have one of these? Tap it to see what to do.

These have their own rules. Skip any you do not have.

A college savings (529) plan

Keep it in your own name. Then tell the plan who takes it over if you die. The plan calls this a “successor account owner.”

Georgia’s Path2College plan lets you name a person or your trust. You can do it online, or on the plan’s Profile Change Form. Their number is 1-877-424-4377.

If you name no one, your executor has to bring court papers to the plan.

Is your plan from another state? Call that plan and ask: “How do I name a successor account owner?”

An ABLE account

Leave it as it is. An ABLE account belongs to the person with the disability. It cannot go into your trust.

Do you manage one for your child? Call the plan and ask: “Who would manage this account if I could not?” Georgia STABLE’s number is 1-800-439-1653.

When the account holder dies, the state may ask to be paid back for Medicaid care.

U.S. savings bonds

Savings bonds can be moved into your trust. You do it with the U.S. Treasury, not at a bank.

  • You open a trust account at TreasuryDirect.gov first.
  • For paper bonds, you send in Treasury form FS Form 1851. You sign it in front of a notary. Paper bonds become electronic bonds.
  • One box on that form is about taxes. Read it slowly. It asks if you can still change or cancel your trust. With a revocable living trust, you can.

Way 2 does not work for a bond. The Treasury only lets you name a person on a bond, not a trust.

A car or truck

You can put your car in your trust’s name. You do it at your county tag office, with your title and the state’s title form (Form MV-1).

  • Call the tag office first. Ask what to bring, and ask if any tax is due.
  • Have a car loan? Ask your lender first.
  • Tell your insurance company when the name on the title changes.

Way 2 does not work for a car. Georgia has no form that names who gets your car when you die.

Our car guide has the full steps, and covers boats, campers, and trailers too.

A business bank account

Is your business an LLC or a corporation? Do not change the name on the account. The account belongs to the company. Your share of the company is what goes into your trust, and we write those papers.

Do you run the business in your own name? Then the account is legally yours. Ask your bank if it will do Way 1 or Way 2 on a business account. Banks treat business accounts in different ways.

Two more things

  • Safe deposit box

    Ask your bank if the box can be in your trust’s name. Do not keep the only copy of your will or your trust in the box.

  • A new account you open later

    Open it in your trust’s name, or name your trust on it, the day you open it.

That is everything.

Do one account at a time. You do not need to tell us when you are done.

Take the words to the bank

Pick the one that is easier for you.

Print them on one sheet