14 Feb My mom won’t give me a bond that’s mine. What do I do?

Q. I am 28 years old and recently learned of a muni bond certificate from my mother, the custodian of the bond when I was younger. When I turned 21, she did not transfer it to me. I called Wells Fargo, the bank holding it, and it said she still has control over this and I have to have her sign something to have it registered to just my name, though both of our names are under the register area. She will not sign this over to me. What happens now? The money is legally mine.
— Frustrated

A. This is sticky.

Any time you have a disagreement with a family member over money, it’s never pretty.

But you’re correct. At the age of 28 you should now legally be the owner of the municipal bond for which your mother is listed at the custodian, said Dawn Brown, a certified financial planner with Peapack Private Wealth Management in New Providence.

She said it appears that Wells Fargo’s normal procedure is to have the custodian sign off on the paperwork to transfer ownership of the municipal bond certificate to the new owner.

But in your situation, you will need to contact Wells Fargo again and explain that the custodian is not cooperating with the transfer and request an alternative method of transfer, Brown said.

“If they do not offer you an alternative, then you will likely need to seek legal advice,” she said. “Involving a lawyer may be costly, therefore you can try and contact the state bar association to see if you can contact an attorney who can help you at low cost.”

As your mother provided you with the certificate albeit late, Brown recommends you ask her again why she will not sign. It will be less financially costly, she said.

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This story was originally published on Feb. 14, 2022.

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