So I was just looking at my iTrade account because I am about to go travelling (for work) and I was going to move a couple thousand dollars out of my trading account.

I spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out how, without success. The help section of the iTrade website had links to the "Transfers" page which were all dead. I finally gave up and called them.

After being on hold for the typical, "I hope I don't have to go to the bathroom soon" period, a customer service rep came online and I explained the situation. He looked into the account and said, "You can't see it, because you've never submitted your corporate documentation to confirm that you're 100% owner." Incidentally, I submitted that documentation not once but THREE times in the space of a month about a year ago, because they kept saying that I hadn't submitted it, although I finally got an apology when they realized that they had screwed up on their end. But that's another story.

I asked why this "lack" of documentation was preventing me from doing something that I had done in the past. He said, "I'm looking at your screen, and you've never transferred money out before, just in." I said that I disagreed, but admitted that it may have been a while ago. I asked how I had gotten money out in the past, and he said, "last time, we sent you a paper cheque."

Anyway, rather than press that issue and list all the times that I had made electronic fund withdrawals to my corporate current account in the past (although admittedly they might have been back in 2009 or earlier, when it was still e-Trade), I decided that instead of arguing, the easiest option might be to ask how I could set the account up for being allowed to transfer funds in both directions between my trading account and corporate account, rather than as a one-way street. He said that I needed to submit documentation confirming that I'm the signing officer and that I want to be able to transfer money out. I reminded him that I had just answered all the security questions he had asked, and the account should show him that I'm the 100% owner and sole signing officer, and it seemed ridiculous that I should have to send in a letter to be "allowed" to move funds between corporate accounts which are already registered properly and have been for more than five years.

He finally agreed that I was correct, and said that he'd look into it.


Really, can it be any harder to deal with online trading entities? This is the third one that I've dealt with in the past fifteen+ years. They certainly don't want to let go of someone's money once they get their hands on it. It kind of makes me nervous about what would happen if there was ever a run on funds from the institution. I think I'm just going to start buying physical silver and hiding it under the refrigerator, instead of putting any additional funds into the markets.