In most situations, the account setup process should typically not take more than 3-5 business days to complete. However, as there are several steps associated with this process, the overall process can vary depending on the specifics involved with setting up your accounts.
The account setup process can generally be broken down into three separate steps. The first step involves setting up your new brokerage account, which can take anywhere from 1-2 business days depending on whether or not there is an account already established at the custodian. The next step involves the funding of the account. If the assets are currently held at the custodian, the funding process is generally no longer than 1-2 business days; whereas external transfers can take anywhere from 3-10 business days or longer, depending on how they are being processed. Finally, it typically takes an additional 1-2 business days to set up the account on our internal systems.
Of course, there are always unexpected circumstances, including changing market conditions, which can significantly alter the time taken at any one of these steps.