How to track down share records
THROUGHOUT the years, I have purchased shares in many companies but have not kept records. Some of the companies are now not listed on the stock exchange. How can I get the necessary details to avoid passing this problem on to my children?
What do they say about bright lights in the harbour? If you bought the shares through a broker, the easiest approach is to ask the firm if it can supply you with records of purchases of your stocks. If the broking firms have long merged, or otherwise disappeared, contact the share registrar of your particular stocks. If you have been using dividend reinvestment plans, then each dividend reinvested has a "cost base" for capital gains tax calculations, so you will need the cost and number of those shares and the date they were bought.
Coles was taken over by Wesfarmers in 2007 in a share swap and the latter's share registrar is Computershare. You can contact this company online with your shareholder reference number (SRN) if those shares were "issuer sponsored" or with your "holder identification number" (HIN) if they were "broker sponsored". Or you can call Computershare on 1300 557 010.
From pence to cents
With regard to transferring funds from Britain to Australia: as British expats, we recently encountered a dilemma after I inherited #65,000. I was shocked at the charges banks impose on transactions. My sister in Britain recommended HiFX with offices in Britain, New Zealand and Australia. We contacted them and got a transfer quote some $3000 better than anything the banks were prepared to offer me. We moved the money in sterling from NatWest to Barclays on advice from HiFX not to convert the currency first in Britain. This was the opposite advice from that given by the banks, which told us to convert in Britain to Australian dollars and then bring it over. A.B.
Thank you for that. Yes, I understand HiFX has a Barclays account, as does OzForex (I believe they are not associated companies), and all transactions are channelled through their Barclays account. A website, britishexpats.com, has numerous users' comments on forex matters. Has no one had a negative experience with a forex broker, as a lesson to prospective users?
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
If you bought shares through a broker, start by asking that firm for purchase records. If the broker has merged or disappeared, contact the share registrar for the specific company that issued the stock — registrars keep shareholder records even when companies change structure or listings.
A share registrar is the company that holds official shareholder records for an issuer. Registrars can confirm your holdings, provide historical purchase information and help recover records when brokers are no longer available. For example, Computershare is the registrar for Wesfarmers (which acquired Coles).
SRN (shareholder reference number) applies to issuer‑sponsored holdings and HIN (holder identification number) applies to broker‑sponsored holdings. Registrars like Computershare will ask for your SRN or HIN when you contact them online to look up your account and share history.
When a takeover occurs the acquiring company's registrar usually holds the records for the merged or swapped shares. The article notes Coles was taken over by Wesfarmers in 2007 and Computershare is the registrar — you can contact them (online with your SRN/HIN or by calling 1300 557 010) to trace your history.
Each dividend you reinvest creates a cost base entry for capital gains tax purposes. To calculate CGT correctly you need the cost, number of shares acquired under the DRP and the date each reinvestment occurred, so keep those records or ask your registrar/broker for them.
If your broker no longer exists, contact the share registrar for each company you invested in. Registrars maintain shareholder records and can often provide historical purchase details even if the broking firm has dissolved or merged.
Banks often charge high fees on international transfers. The article describes a reader who received a substantially better quote from a forex broker (HiFX) than from banks and followed their advice to move sterling between UK bank accounts (NatWest to Barclays) rather than converting to AUD in Britain. It’s sensible to compare bank and specialist forex quotes before transferring.
Specialist forex brokers can offer much better exchange rates and lower fees than banks; the article notes HiFX provided a quote about $3,000 better in one case. Both HiFX and OzForex operate through bank accounts (the article mentions Barclays). For real‑world user feedback, online forums such as britishexpats.com host numerous comments on forex brokers — check reviews and experiences before deciding.
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