Estate settlement services
Plan your estate settlement with confidence
Protect your legacy and lighten the burden on your loved ones through estate settlement.
Overview
Taking the pain out of settling your estate
Settling an estate in the midst of loss is an emotional, stressful experience—and one that requires deep legal and trust administration expertise. When you designate us as your executor, we help you make an already tough time easier on those you leave behind.
We guide your beneficiaries through the transition while managing your assets, handling real estate sales, and resolving tax matters. We ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes and transferred to your trust—preserving your legacy with care and integrity.
Services
What TIAA Estate Settlement Services does
TIAA Estate Settlement Services brings trusted expertise to protect individuals from the financial risks and personal liability involved in estate settlement, while easing the burden on families and loved ones during a difficult time.
Asset management
- Identify and collect all assets, regardless of where they are held
- Inventory and appraise personal property (cars, boats, collections, household items)
- Research rights of ownership and succession to all property
Property services
- Secure and preserve houses, condominiums, and other real property
- Employ agents for property sales
- Oversee repairs and improvements
- Manage sale process through closing
Legal protection
- Litigate and defend assets from creditor claims and contests
- Partner with estate planning attorney
- Ensure your wishes are carried out per trust/will
Distribution and tax strategy
- Distribute/liquidate personal property according to trust/will
- Implement tax savings provisions
- Identify tax minimizing strategies
Specialized estate settlement support: executor, successor trustee, or both
TIAA as executor
- Named in a last will and testament, and appointed by a probate court
- Acts on behalf of deceased to collect assets, settle claims, and conduct final affairs
- Accounts for its actions to the probate court
TIAA as successor trustee
- Named in trust document–no court approval needed
- Manages trust assets per document instructions
- Reports trust administration to beneficiaries
TIAA as executor and successor trustee
- Acts as both executor and trustee to collect and consolidate estate assets
- Transfers assets to the trust for administration, ensuring proper distribution to beneficiaries
Faq
Support for your beneficiaries as estate settlement begins
Do I need to contact an attorney now?
If you feel more comfortable contacting an attorney, you’re free to do so—just make sure you choose someone you know and trust. If you decide not to retain an attorney, we’ll provide you with the available options based on the wishes of the benefactor detailed in the estate planning document. Of course, if you run into any complicated legal or tax issues, we’ll recommend you seek independent legal or tax advice.
Does a court have to get involved?
In most cases, TIAA Trust will use a nonjudicial process to settle the trust or estate and distribute the assets. However, if the beneficiaries are not able to come to an agreement, we’ll seek a judicial settlement.
In some cases, administration by a probate court may be necessary to facilitate the collection of assets, the processing of claims, and the confirmation of the estate documents. This decision is made on a case-by-case basis together with a local attorney.
What steps can I take to prepare?
To make the process easier:
- Gather information about the benefactor's assets, including real and personal property
- Prepare beneficiary contact lists with legal names, addresses, phone numbers, and emails
- Develop a list of any other information you might feel is important to the discussion
Post-settlement planning
Post-settlement planning for beneficiaries
Even after an estate is settled, TIAA remains a trusted guide for your heirs—we’ll help them with:
Strategic alignment
Align their inheritance into a broader financial strategy
Options assessment
Evaluate and act on available planning options
Tax efficiency
Manage and minimize tax consequences
Financial wellness
Build and maintain long-term financial health
Resources
Explore our estate settlement insights and resources
Navigating estate settlement
From immediate actions to paying taxes, understanding the estate settlement process can help you navigate important decisions with confidence.
TIAA Trust forms library
Your go-to place for accessing and uploading all trust-related forms.
Essential estate planning
A guide to estate planning components and options and the benefits of proactive planning.
We’re here to help
Give us a call at 888-842-9001, x45-5242 or schedule a time with us.
This material is for informational or educational purposes only and is not fiduciary investment advice, or a securities, investment strategy, or insurance product recommendation. This material does not consider an individual’s own objectives or circumstances which should be the basis of any investment decision.
Advisory services are provided by Advice & Planning Services, a division of TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.
TIAA Trust, N.A. provides investment management, custody and trust services. TIAA Trust, N.A. does not provide trustee services for a trust that is governed by the laws of the State of Delaware or estate settlement services in the State of Delaware.
Investment products in the account do not constitute deposits with TIAA Trust, N.A. or its affiliates, are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other agency of the United States, TIAA Trust, N.A. or its affiliates, are not obligations of TIAA Trust, N.A. or its affiliates, are not guaranteed by TIAA Trust, N.A. or its affiliates, are not a condition to any banking service or activity, and are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal.
TIAA Trust, N.A. provides investment management, custody and trust services for a fee.
© 2025 TIAA Trust, N.A.