.elementor-211 .elementor-element.elementor-element-9858580{--display:flex;}:root{--page-title-display:none;}/* Start custom CSS */{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/#org", "name": "Continuity", "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/", "telephone": "+14806310700", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressLocality": "Chandler", "addressRegion": "AZ", "postalCode": "85224", "addressCountry": "US" }, "description": "Continuity provides advisor transition execution—operational support for financial advisors moving firms, platforms, or custodians." }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/#website", "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/", "name": "Continuity", "publisher": { "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/#org" }, "inLanguage": "en" }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/faq/#webpage", "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/faq/", "name": "Advisor Transition FAQs | Continuity", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/#website" }, "about": { "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/#org" }, "inLanguage": "en", "description": "High-intent advisor transition FAQs covering timeline reality, in-kind vs non-transferable assets, NIGO, registrations, banking features, inherited IRAs, RMD year-of-move, cost basis, workplace plans, and client paperwork delays." }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/faq/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "How long does a real advisor book transition take?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A plain ACATS transfer can move quickly, but a real book transition takes longer because registrations, signatures, nontransferable assets, rollovers, and client follow-up add time. Plan in workstreams—plain brokerage transfers, retirement rollovers, and legacy/problem accounts—so the move stays controlled when timelines diverge." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/how-long-does-an-advisor-book-transition-take/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which assets usually move in-kind, and which ones usually do not?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many listed securities can move in-kind, but problem positions include proprietary products, restricted/penny/bankrupt securities, LP interests, and certain annuity/insurance positions. The operational win is a transferability screen before paperwork goes out—tag each position as in-kind, cash-first, carrier/direct, or leave-behind." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/which-assets-transfer-in-kind-during-an-advisor-move/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why did this transfer come back NIGO or get kicked back?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Most NIGO issues come from title/tax-ID mismatches, wrong account type, missing authorizations, missing life-event documents, or credit-policy issues. Fix it with pre-submit QC: rebuild the outgoing registration from the latest statement, then match name, title, tax ID, signer list, and legal docs before submission." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/why-advisor-transfers-get-rejected-or-marked-nigo/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What data should I capture before resignation or before my old-system access changes?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Capture statements, exact registrations, account numbers, tax ID match status, household relationships, money movement instructions, beneficiary/trust/entity notes, margin/options status, and likely non-transferables. Treat it as a book audit: build a transition master file listing every household, every account, every cash instruction, and every exception risk." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/what-data-should-advisors-organize-before-leaving-a-firm/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do old and new account titles have to match exactly?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "In practice, yes. Transfers stall when titles, entity/trust language, or tax IDs don’t line up. Treat titling as legal matching, not data entry: use the outgoing statement as the source of truth and cure differences with the correct supporting documentation before launch. This prevents a large share of avoidable exceptions." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/account-titles-registrations-advisor-transitions/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What happens to margin balances, options positions, or leveraged accounts?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "These don’t move cleanly unless the destination firm has approved the same features and agreements. Transfers can be rejected or delayed if approvals aren’t on file and credit policy can create exceptions. Flag every margin/options/leveraged relationship during the audit and complete destination approvals before submitting transfer requests." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/margin-options-accounts-advisor-transitions/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What happens to ACH links, deposits, withdrawals, and checkwriting during a move?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Don’t assume banking features port automatically. ACH links, recurring deposits/withdrawals, bill pay, checks, and debit features often need a separate workflow—standing instructions are easy to miss. Build a household-level banking checklist and recreate instructions only after the new account is confirmed live to avoid client pain." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/ach-deposits-withdrawals-checkwriting-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why advisor assets don’t always transfer all at once", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Assets may arrive in batches due to settlement timing, required liquidations, partial transfers, and pending activity, leaving residuals behind. Report completion in two layers—transferred now vs outstanding—and keep a residual sweep list for dividends, interest, cash, late-settling trades, and stragglers so “moved” isn’t confused with “complete.”" }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/why-advisor-assets-dont-transfer-all-at-once/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How to handle non-ACAT assets during an advisor transition", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Non-ACAT assets require a separate playbook. Proprietary products, LPs, restricted securities, and certain annuities/insurance positions often can’t move through standard channels or require carrier/sponsor paperwork. Maintain a non-ACAT worklist and assign each position a disposition—liquidate, leave behind, transfer direct, or replace later." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/non-acat-assets-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Inherited IRAs and advisor transitions: what can go wrong?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Inherited IRAs require special handling—especially for nonspouse beneficiaries. The inherited status must be preserved, titling has to remain correct, and transfers are typically trustee-to-trustee. Separate inherited IRAs from ordinary IRAs, verify beneficiary type, and confirm the receiving custodian’s inherited-IRA setup before submitting requests to prevent rework." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/inherited-iras-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "RMDs during an advisor transition: what advisors need to watch", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Year-of-move RMDs must be handled and tracked explicitly. If an RMD is due, treating it like ordinary IRA assets can create avoidable mistakes and client friction. Build an RMD watchlist before launch, decide whether distributions occur before transfer, and document that decision at the household level so timing and accountability stay clear." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/rmds-during-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why cost basis goes missing after an advisor transition", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Cost basis often lags asset movement and can be late, incomplete, or wrong—especially with inherited assets or poor original data. Keep pre-move statements and tax lots, reconcile basis after positions land (not just share count), and escalate inherited-account basis issues early. This reduces the “quiet risk” that becomes loud when a client sells later." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/why-cost-basis-goes-missing-after-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "401(k)s, 403(b)s, HSAs, 529s, and ABLE accounts in advisor transitions", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "These accounts don’t move like standard brokerage transfers. Workplace plans often require separate rollover workflows and longer timing assumptions. HSAs may require distinct requests for cash vs investments, and 529/ABLE rollovers can follow different processes. Operationally, put these accounts in their own queue with dedicated paperwork and timelines—never mix them into ACATS." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/401k-403b-hsa-529-able-advisor-transitions/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What client data can advisors use before a transition?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "This is not a “wing it” issue. Firms actively fight over client data, and protocol/restrictions don’t allow everything. Route this through transition counsel and compliance before taking action. Build your operational process so it only uses data you can lawfully possess and use at that stage—otherwise legal/compliance exposure can overshadow the transition." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/client-data-rules-before-advisor-transition/" }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What to do when clients delay transition paperwork", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Client silence is one of the biggest drags on asset recovery. The fix is a segmented cadence: top households, retirement accounts, urgent cash-need accounts, and stragglers. Every client should have a next action, a follow-up owner, and a deadline. This keeps momentum when the transition hits real friction and prevents the completion tail from going undefined." }, "url": "https://gocontinuity.com/clients-delay-transition-paperwork/" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://gocontinuity.com/faq/#breadcrumbs", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://gocontinuity.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "FAQ", "item": "https://gocontinuity.com/faq/" } ] } ] }/* End custom CSS */