I own a few shares of stock. I am the real owner but had my father as joint tennant.The tax statement comes to me as do the dividends.
He passed away a couple of years ago. I want to change the joint tennancy over to my wife. The holding company said to send them a statement telling them what I want them to do.
Is there a form that I can get for just this purpose?
If not how do I word the letter to avoid any problems?
I am not a lawyer, accountant, stockbroker, or anything remotely related to this issue.
But I have dealt with different situations regarding property transfers, stock transfers, etcetera.
I think I’d simply write your letter the same way you’ve presented it here, with additional details (such as date of death, any account numbers, yadda yadda).
Keep a copy in a file somewhere just in case things get screwed up. Odds are, they won’t.
Usually, its the company (and the transfer agent when it comes to mutual funds) that determines what forms, if any, they require the shareholder to fill out when changing things like registration.
The company I work for, for example, to change details of the registration of an account such as this would require a letter from you stating that you would like to remove your grandfather’s name from the registration and add your wife’s, the appropriate account and Social Security numbers, your signature, and a copy of your wife’s signature (usually on a blank application). As well, they usually want the letter to have some form of Signature Guarantee stamp and this will vary depending on the company.