Transferring an account from one brokerage house to another is a simple, painless process. The process is supported by the Automated Customer Account Transfer (ACAT) system. To transfer your account, you fill out an ACAT form in cooperation with your new broker. The new broker will generally require a copy of your statements from the old brokerage house, plus some additional proof of identity.
The transfer will be made within about 5-10 business days for regular accounts, and 10-15 business days for IRA and other types of qualified retirement accounts. The paperwork starts the process, but thereafter it’s all done electronically.
There is one caveat. Some brokerage houses charge fees as high as $50 to close IRA accounts. Other houses (Quick & Reilly is one) will reimburse you some fixed amount to cover those fees. Be sure to ask, the answer may delight you.