# Term "TOD, or Transfer (beneficiary) on death"

**URL:** <https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139>\
**Category:** Investing\
**Created:** [January 4, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139 "2024-01-04T21:32:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ladybuglake](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/ladybuglake/32/170_2.png) [@ladybuglake](https://community.clark.com/u/ladybuglake)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139/1 "2024-01-04T21:32:30Z")

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My big investment house has my kids listed as beneficiaries, and I requested “transfer on death”, and I am trying to get investment house to use that terminology, as I do not want kids to go through probate. Can the terms Beneficiary, be sufficient for a transfer on death?

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**Author:** ![SonoranSilkies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SonoranSilkies](https://community.clark.com/u/SonoranSilkies)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2024, 4:33am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139/2 "2024-01-05T04:33:09Z")

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Unless the beneficiary is your estate, it does not go through probate.

You should speak with an attorney who specializes in estates.

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**Author:** ![ladybuglake](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/ladybuglake/32/170_2.png) [@ladybuglake](https://community.clark.com/u/ladybuglake)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139/3 "2024-01-05T14:57:10Z")

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I also have a beneficiary on death of my house as my state allows that; and No the beneficiary are my children. I did not realize an “estate” can be a beneficiary.

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**Author:** ![SonoranSilkies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@SonoranSilkies](https://community.clark.com/u/SonoranSilkies)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139/4 "2024-01-06T02:12:54Z")

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It is not usual for an estate to be the beneficiary, but yes, it can happen, either deliberately or by default.

Inheritance as a beneficiary or by transfer on death are pretty much synonyms as neither go through probate. There may be some technical differences, but from a practical view, it’s not worth arguing about which term an account uses.

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**Author:** ![ladybuglake](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.clark.com/ladybuglake/32/170_2.png) [@ladybuglake](https://community.clark.com/u/ladybuglake)\
**Post date:** [January 6, 2024, 6:54pm UTC](https://community.clark.com/t/term-tod-or-transfer-beneficiary-on-death/4139/5 "2024-01-06T18:54:47Z")

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thanks. I just used to see the term “TOD” on my accounts, and now it says beneficiary. I