that I do (the Roth conversions are done via a transfer of shares from the Vanguard traditional IRA account to the Vanguard Roth IRA account.
The IRA RMD's can ???? <- (question marks edited in later) be done via a direct transfer of shares from a Fidelity IRA account to a regular taxable Fidelity account, though like I said in #15, I've been doing the Fidelity thing via sell-transfer-buy as part of an annual reallocation plan). EDITED TO ADD: Well, I actually tried to do an IRA RMD via direct transfer of shares like described above, I tried twice about 4 hours apart, and I seem not to be able to do it, so I have egg on my face here. It just asked for a dollar amount -- didn't let me specify a certain holding like a mutual fund, let alone a number of shares of it -- and then when I tried to go further, it said " (MMMH2000) Your transaction cannot be processed at this time. Please try again later, or call a Fidelity Representative at 800-544-6666." )
But I've transferred shares between financial firms many times -- when I inherited (several accounts at several firms), also, Smith Barney -> Vanguard (an IRA), transferring my Xcel Energy 401 K and my ESOP to a Vanguard IRA.
EDITED TO ADD -- my memory is vague on the details -- the Xcel stuff (it was NSP back then) was in 2000 or so. Smith Barney, maybe 2007. The inheritance stuff was 2005 and my sister (the executor of the estate) did much of the work. There were certainly phone calls and long discussions involved and actual old-fashioned snail mail paperwork involved, medallion signature guarantees where I had to go to a bank, crap like that, I just don't remember.
Many more edits for clarity made around 650p - 700p central time.
Edited to add 1213a central time 3/15 the stuff on trying to do a Fidelity IRA RMD via direct transfer of shares and not succeeding.
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