How to find and claim a deceased person's Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard account
It is increasingly common for an everyday investor to hold five or six separate investment accounts across different apps: a primary 401(k) at **Fidelity**, an old Rollover IRA at **Vanguard**, an individual brokerage account at **Charles Schwab**, a mobile stock/crypto/cash-sweep account on **Robinhood** or **Webull**, and Treasury bills on **TreasuryDirect**. None of them send paper mail. If you pass away unexpectedly, how will your spouse or children even know which apps to call?
The Transfer-on-Death (TOD) catch: brokerages don't call your beneficiaries
Financial advisors always tell you to name a **Transfer-on-Death (TOD)** beneficiary on taxable brokerage accounts and a primary beneficiary on IRAs and 401(k)s so those assets bypass probate court. That is essential advice — **but it has a massive blind spot:**
- When you die, Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard **do not receive an automatic alert** unless you are already receiving Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) or Social Security flags a linked checking account.
- The brokerage waits for your beneficiary or executor to contact their Estate / Transition Services department and upload a certified death certificate.
- If your spouse or children don't know you opened a Robinhood Gold cash-sweep account or an Interactive Brokers account five years ago, they will never call to claim it — even if their name is sitting right on the TOD form!
Lock in the $3.99/month early-access price →Or $74.99 once for life. Your heirs never pay. Waitlist members keep the launch price.
How major brokerages handle accounts after death
| Brokerage / Platform | With Named TOD / IRA Beneficiary | Without Named Beneficiary | Hidden sub-accounts families miss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robinhood | Transfers to TOD beneficiary after Death Certificate + ID verification via support | ✗ Requires Letters Testamentary / Probate Court order or Small Estate Affidavit | ✗ Robinhood Crypto, Robinhood Gold Uninvested Cash Sweep, Robinhood IRA |
| Fidelity Investments | ✓ Fidelity Transition Services opens Inherited IRA / TOD transfer account | ✗ Frozen pending formal Estate / Executor qualification | ✗ Fidelity Cash Management Account (CMA), HSA, NetBenefits 401(k)/ESPP, Fidelity Crypto |
| Charles Schwab | ✓ Schwab Estate Services transfers to designated beneficiaries | ✗ Requires court-appointed Executor documents + Death Certificate | ✗ Schwab Bank Investor Checking, Thinkorswim futures/forex sub-accounts |
| Vanguard | ✓ Transfers to named TOD/IRA beneficiaries upon claim submission | ✗ Probate authorization required | ✗ Vanguard Cash Plus account, 529 college savings plans |
| TreasuryDirect (I-Bonds / T-Bills) | Paid/transferred if a secondary owner or POD beneficiary was registered | ✗ Requires FS Form 1778 / 5394 + certified probate documents (notoriously slow) | ✗ Zero paper statements; terrible 2FA/email login recovery |
How to find out if a deceased loved one had hidden brokerage accounts
If you are an executor trying to piece together a loved one's investments right now (see how to find a loved one's online accounts):
- Check their last 3 years of IRS tax returns (Form 1040 Schedule B & Schedule D): Every brokerage that paid more than $10 in dividends/interest (Form 1099-DIV / 1099-INT) or had a stock sale (Form 1099-B) will be listed by institution name on their tax return or IRS Wage & Income Transcript.
- Unlock their smartphone and check the "Finance" folder: Seeing the Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, Webull, M1 Finance, Acorns, or Coinbase icons on their home screen tells you immediately where to look (see how to unlock a deceased person's iPhone and how to access a deceased person's Coinbase or Binance account).
- Search their email inbox for `"1099"`, `"trade confirmation"`, `"e-delivery"`, and `"proxy vote"`: Even if an investor never traded a stock all year, SEC rules require brokerages to email annual shareholder proxy voting notices every spring!
The 3-minute brokerage checklist to store in Heritkey today
Inside your Heritkey encrypted vault (how Heritkey works), create a single note titled **"Investment & Brokerage Accounts"** containing:
- The **institution name and account type** for every account you hold (e.g., `Fidelity Individual TOD #Z12-345678`, `Robinhood Individual + Crypto`, `TreasuryDirect`).
- Who is listed as the **Primary and Contingent TOD/IRA Beneficiary** on each account so they know to call and claim it.
- Your login credentials, **TreasuryDirect password**, and **iPhone passcode** (so your family can pass SMS/authenticator 2FA prompts to view your latest tax forms and statements before freezing the account — see what happens to 2FA authenticator apps when you die).
Frequently asked questions
Does Robinhood allow Transfer on Death (TOD) beneficiaries?
Yes, Robinhood allows you to add beneficiaries to individual brokerage and retirement accounts in the app settings, though Robinhood Crypto sub-accounts may have separate estate transfer requirements. Even with a beneficiary named, your family must know the account exists and submit a death certificate to claim it.
Should my spouse log in and sell my stocks right after I die?
No! For taxable brokerage accounts, assets normally receive a "step-up in cost basis" to the fair market value on the date of death, eliminating capital gains tax on prior appreciation. Logging in as the deceased person to sell stocks before the brokerage processes the official death transfer can create tax-reporting and legal headaches. Instead, use login access strictly to view balances, download 1099 tax documents, and verify account numbers before submitting the TOD beneficiary claim.
Why is TreasuryDirect so hard for families to find after death?
TreasuryDirect (where millions of people bought Series I Savings Bonds and T-Bills) never mails statements, rarely sends emails, and uses a rigid login system. Unless you list your TreasuryDirect account number and POD beneficiary in your digital estate vault, heirs often have no idea those bonds exist.
How much does Heritkey cost?
Heritkey is $3.99/month or $74.99 once for lifetime access.
Don't let paperless investment accounts go unclaimed. Join the Heritkey early-access list for $3.99/month or $74.99 once for life.