Okay so quite a few of you asked me this after the estate tax article. The 40% US estate tax is one problem. But it turns out there is a second problem almost nobody talks about — the mechanics. Who actually unlocks your brokerage account when you die, what documents do they need, and how long does the money stay frozen? And… can you save yourself all the hassle and just give your brokerage password to your loved ones, so they can sell your stocks and transfer it out themselves? So I sat down and worked out what would actually happen to my own accounts if I died tomorrow. The answer was… not straightforward. In this article, I’ll cover:

• What actually happens to your brokerage account (IBKR, moomoo, Tiger, the robos, CDP) when you die
• How long your family waits before they can touch the money
• Whether “just give your spouse the password” actually works

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