Yes! You can use AI to fill out Irrevocable Stock or Bond Power Form

The form explicitly states that a separate form must be completed for each unique CUSIP number. Applicants often try to list all their different stock or bond certificates on a single form to save time, but this will lead to rejection. Each CUSIP represents a distinct security issuer and must be processed individually, so failing to separate them requires the applicant to resubmit everything correctly, causing significant delays. To avoid this, carefully check the CUSIP on each certificate and use a new form for each one.

Section 3 requires the owner's name exactly as it is printed on the physical stock or bond certificate, which may differ from their current legal name or the name on their Vanguard account. People often enter their current name by habit, omitting a middle initial or using a married name when the certificate lists a maiden name. This discrepancy will cause a registration mismatch and halt the transfer process until corrected. It is crucial to copy the name precisely from the certificate to ensure a smooth transaction.

The signatures in Section 5 must legally match the names printed on the face of the certificate. A common error is for an owner named 'Robert John Smith' to sign as 'Bob Smith' or use a stylized, illegible signature. This invalidates the authorization to transfer the security. To prevent this, sign with your full, formal name exactly as it appears on the certificate, ensuring the signature is clear and legible.

When registrations do not match and Section 4 is required, the form demands a Medallion signature guarantee, not a notary stamp. Many people are unfamiliar with this and obtain a notarization, which is not legally sufficient for transferring securities and will be rejected. A Medallion guarantee is a special stamp from a financial institution that guarantees the signature is genuine and accepts liability for any forgery. You must visit an authorized bank or broker to obtain this specific guarantee.

Section 4 is conditional and should only be completed if the name on the certificate (Section 3) is different from the name on the target Vanguard account (Section 1). A frequent mistake is either filling it out unnecessarily, which can cause confusion, or failing to complete it and obtain the required Medallion guarantee when it is actually needed. This misunderstanding is a primary reason for processing delays, as the form will be returned with instructions to correct the section.

The CUSIP and certificate numbers are long, unique identifiers crucial for locating the exact security to be transferred. Data entry errors, such as transposing digits or misreading a character (e.g., 'O' for '0'), are very common. An incorrect number will result in a failure to match the security, causing the entire request to be rejected. Double-checking these numbers against the physical certificate before submission is essential. AI-powered form fillers like Instafill.ai can help by using OCR to extract this data accurately, reducing the risk of manual typos.

If signing on behalf of a trust, estate, or corporation, the signature must include the person's official title (e.g., 'Trustee,' 'Executor,' 'President'). People acting in a fiduciary role often forget to add their title, signing only their name. This makes the signature legally insufficient, as it doesn't bind the entity that actually owns the certificate. Always include your full title next to your signature to validate your authority to act.

This form deals with the legal transfer of valuable assets and requires original signatures and potentially a physical Medallion stamp. The instructions explicitly state it must be mailed; however, in a digital world, people often attempt to submit it via fax or email for speed. These submissions will be rejected, as Vanguard cannot accept copies for this type of transaction. The original, completed form must be sent via secure mail to the address provided.

This form is a 'power' that authorizes the transfer of certificates, but it must accompany the physical certificates themselves if Vanguard does not already have them. A common misunderstanding is that submitting the form alone is enough to initiate the transfer of certificates held by the owner. The instructions require mailing the form and certificates together, and failing to include the certificates will render the form useless and result in a notification of an incomplete submission.

Applicants sometimes overlook fields, particularly the 'Number of stock shares or bonds' in Section 2 or the date next to a signature. Every field marked 'required' is necessary for processing, and any omission will cause the form to be flagged as incomplete and returned. It is important to review the entire form one last time before mailing to ensure all information has been provided. Since this form is a non-fillable PDF, tools like Instafill.ai can convert it into an interactive, fillable version that can highlight required fields to help prevent such omissions.