Oops; reading is fundamental. Again, if that request is dated before the renewal and there was clearly adequate time to respond, your taxpayer should be held harmless. In this case, I would not transfer in-kind and then cash out for a different investment, if that moves the early cancellation to the broker that wasn't responsible for the delay. Whoever didn't do their work timely, is who should waive the fee or reimburse for it in that account.