How to track your shares

[geek84]

Hi Folks

I hope you're all well. A mate of mine had a burglary at his home recently and has now realised that all information regarding shares that he bought over the years has gone missing. He bought some shares quite a while ago and during the time some companies merged/got taken over by others and he also sold some shares, bought can't remember which ones !

He now wants to track down all the shares that he owns or once owned and sold etc. It seems such a daunting task to him, so can anyone kindly advice the best way to go about this?


Thank in advance

 

[^woody^]

Give the burglar a call.

 

[big-all]

did he go through a shares service /broker off some sort
check bank accounts for money out and shares charges to build up a picture off his activity over the years
contact the company he has shares in and ask what to do
does he get anual shares statement for individual shares or for his portfolio

 

[geek84]

Thanks big-all. I'll speak to him.

 

[big-all]

other ideas
old diary entries
check book stubs
old ledgers or note pads

 

[Notch7]

He should get a dividend twice a year, so that should sort those he cant find details for.

 

[geek84]

Yeah, that's a thought !

 

[JohnD]

He now wants to track down all the shares that he owns

that part is easy. Within 12 months or less he will get dividend vouchers from all the ones he still owns that are paying divs. He may get other information from the ones that aren't.

if he writes to the company secretaries they will probably be able to tell him when he bought them.

he could also trawl through his old bank statements for dividends, and through his copies of old tax returns.

What has he done with his share certificates?

For shares in Nominee accounts, the managers will usually produce backdated statements, for a fee, or he may be able to generate them online.

What does he plan to do with this information when he's got it?

 

[JohnD]

some companies merged/got taken over by others

IIRC Financial Times and/or Investor's Chronicle holds such records, as a service to people wishing to calculate their Capital Gains Tax liability. You may need to be a subscriber.

Company Secretaries will also know it, possibly only going back a limited period.

HMRC also knows, so they can check Capital Gains Tax calculations.

 

[geek84]

Thanks folks