How to Transfer Stock After Death (4 Steps)

Determine how the stock was registered. The different registrations are Individual Single Owner, Transfer On Death, Joint Tenant with Right of Survivorship and Joint Tenants in Common. Shares can also be placed in a trust. Knowing how the shares are registered will determine how much effort it will take to transfer them.
Secure a transfer of stock ownership form and fill it out completely. Of course, for accounts that are not jointly owned, the estate must be probated before the transfer process can take place. For Transfer On Death accounts, there is no probate needed and they do not have to be included in a will.
Obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee if one is needed. In some situations, such as when there is over a certain quantity of shares, such a guarantee is needed. This can be obtained from a bank that participates in the Medallion Stamp program. This program guarantees the signature on stock certificates. A notary stamp is not a substitute for the Medallion Stamp.
Complete an Inheritance Tax Waiver if the state requires one. Some states may require this waiver and some may not.

How to Sell the Stock Certificates of Deceased Persons

Determine whether you have legally inherited the stock certificates. If the stock certificates were granted to you by will, you will have to wait for the probate court to process the will. The probate process may take several months to more than a year. If the stock certificates were granted via a trust, the trustee of the trust will send the certificates to you, usually fairly soon after the death. Just as with probate, if the certificates pass to you by intestate succession, it will take many months or years to receive the certificates.
Review the stock certificates to determine if they need to be re-titled in your name. If the certificates contain language requiring re-titling, follow the instructions on the certificate. This often involves sending the certificate to the company with a copy of the estate document transferring the stock.
Contact a stockbroker or brokerage company to sell the stock. Make sure the certificates can be sold and that there is a market for the stock. Stock certificates in the electronic age are uncommon, and certificates are often only used for private and small companies. This sort of stock is often difficult to sell. Send the stock certificates to the stockbroker or company. If the certificates were not re-titled in your name, also transmit the estate document that transferred the stock to you.
Instruct the broker to sell your stock. The stock will usually be converted to electronic shares and sold the next trading day on the stock market.

Selling Stock Certificates (9 Steps)

Look up the stock symbol. This is as simple as visiting Yahoo! Finance and typing in the name of the company. Click on “Symbol Lookup.”
Get a quote on the stock. Again, a visit to Yahoo! Finance will give you the current quote on the stock.
Determine how many shares of stock you have. This may be a little more involved than you think. First, the number of shares is printed on the face of the certificate. Multiply that number by the current share price to determine how much it is worth. However, your certificate may be worth more or less than that and more research is required.Often over an extended period of time, the stock of a given company will split forward or in reverse, multiplying the number of shares or dividing the number of shares by a given factor. For example, if you have a certificate for 100 shares of XYZ stock from 50 years ago and the stock has split 4 for 1 in the meantime, that 100 share certificate now represents 400 shares. Conversely, if XYZ went through a 10 for 1 reverse-split in the same time frame, your 100 share certificate would now represent 10 shares.The easiest way to determine how many shares your certificate represents is to call the transfer agent and give him the CUSIP number from the back of the certificate. You can find the transfer agent for any company by calling the company themselves or looking it up in the SEC documents relating to the company. The CUSIP (Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures) number is a nine-digit alpha-numeric number located on the back of the certificate that the transfer agent will use to determine the exact number of shares.
Make sure the certificate is in your name. Your name must appear on the face of the certificate. If it does not, you will have to contact the transfer agent, prove the stock belongs to you, and request a new certificate to be issued in your name.The only time this is not necessary is when the certificate is signed on the back by the person named on the face of the certificate. A signed certificate is as good as cash, so be careful with it. Literally anyone who picks a signed stock certificate up on the street can cash it in. It is the same thing as a signed check.
Sign the certificate and deposit it into your brokerage account. Remember, once signed a stock certificate is as good as cash. If you don't have an open brokerage account, most local discount brokers will allow you to open a temporary account for the one-time disposition of stock certificates. Charles Schwab is one of the companies that offer this service.



Determine if the certificate is worth anything. Some are not. Some certificates are considered collectibles because they represent shares in companies that were famous at one time. Others are collectible because they represent shares in companies that were social oddities. An example of this would be stock certificates from The Mustang Ranch, a legal Nevada brothel shut down by the IRS in 1999, or shares in the Playboy Corporation, whose certificates had a pin-up girl on their face.To determine the potential value of your certificates, do some research on the Internet and call a few collectors. A link is provided in Resources below.
Sell to a collector. This may be the easiest way to sell an old stock certificate. Agree to a price up front and sell the certificate to a private collector.
Sell the certificate by auction. There are several collectibles auction houses available if the certificate is worth enough. Otherwise, there is always eBay.
Donate the certificate. If you don't need the cash and could use a tax deduction, donate the certificated to charity and let them handle the sale of it. You'll get a write-off and the money will go to a good cause.

How to Buy Canadian Bank Stock (3 Steps)

Do your research. While most large Canadian banks are strong, many have different strengths in different markets and in different parts of the country. Consider whether the bank is focused entirely on Canada or has an international reach. Determine if the stock is traded on the American Market, either as common shares or as an American Depository Receipt,(ADR). Only you and your broker can determine which bank's stock meets your investment objectives.
Buy the bank's stock on an American Market. Buying a Canadian Bank's stock using its American listing ensures that the American dollar is being used and prevents financial complications arising from foreign ownership. Determine if the stock is common stock or an ADR. While ADRs trade like regular stock, they may have different rights and responsibilities than common stock. To buy the stock, call your broker or use your brokerage's online stock trading website. Relay to your brokerage the stock's ticker, the amount of shares you wish to purchase, and any additional market instructions, such as a specific share price or the time of day to purchase the equity. Await your broker's confirmation to ensure the trade is complete.
Buy the stock on a Canadian Market. Buying a Canadian Bank's stock on the Canadian Market may allow you to take advantage of currency fluctuations. If your brokerage allows for trading on Canadian markets, provide the ticker symbol, as it is listed on the foreign exchange, the amount of shares you wish to purchase, and any trading instructions. Await confirmation from your broker to ensure the trade succeeded.