Custodian Transfer Tracker.
An app idea for financial advisors.

What the search found

Who pays

Independent advisors and small RIAs who move client assets between custodians

The problem

Advisors cannot see a transfer until it has already entered the system, and cost basis often does not arrive with the assets. One advisor on r/CFP wrote that the advisor does not even see the ACAT until the account has entered transfer. Staff end up chasing custodians by phone and tracking steps in a side spreadsheet.

The gap

Altruist and Apex both offer ACAT tracking, but only inside their own custodian platform. An advisor with accounts at Schwab, Fidelity, and Pershing has no single view across custodians. The gap is a custodian-neutral board that works for any advisor regardless of where the assets sit.

Already out there

• Altruist ACAT tracking altruist.com

  Tracks ACAT transfers, but only for accounts on the Altruist custodian platform.

• Apex Real-Time ACATS apexfintechsolutions.com

  Event-driven ACAT status updates, but only for firms using Apex as custodian.

People asking for it

• Custodian refuses cost basis via ACAT reddit.com

  Advisor says the advisor does not even see the ACAT until the account has entered transfer, and cost basis does not follow.

• Advisor iron grip on assets reddit.com

  Account gets deactivated during transfer, blocking transactions and deposits.

The big assumption

Advisors will keep a second system updated by hand when the custodian portals already show partial status.

Test it this week

Ask five advisors who moved accounts in the last quarter to walk you through how they tracked the transfers. If they all say the custodian portal was enough, drop it. If they show you a spreadsheet, ask two of them to use your spreadsheet template for their next transfer.