Trade date is not payment date. The screen flashes sold and shows the number the second your order fills. That number is sitting in settlement, not in your bank. The sale is real, the cash just has not arrived yet.

Count trading days, not calendar days. T+1 skips weekends and holidays. A Friday sell is a Monday settlement. A sell before a long weekend can be four or five days of waiting. Plan the redemption backwards from when you actually need the money.

The wait is the safety, not a bug. The settlement cycle is what makes sure the buyer's money and your shares both clear before anyone walks away. You are not being made to wait, you are being protected from the trade that does not complete.