Dividend History

[LawrenceGR]

I wonder if any of you have a good place to look for stock dividend history? I had a guy come in today that thinks he sold some stock he has held for about 30 years and of course he has no idea how much in divs has been reinvested. I will try the company when I get closer to actually working on the return. Thanks for help you may have to offer.

[bruehaus]

Dividend history

Try finance.yahoo.com and select historical prices. You'll see a way to see just the dividend history of a stock. Also, bigcharts.com or siliconinvestor.com are other good sources.

[FEDUKE404]

Another option

Yahoo is fairly good, but I've found an alternative way is to Google something like "IBM dividend history" and then look for a web address in the list that resembles the company web site. (Also, I've found errors in Yahoo finance information...)

Frequently going to the company web page sends you on a wild goose chase before you finally exit the "consumer" area, then find the IR area, and eventually reach the dividend and/or historical stock price area.

Of course, for DRIP program historical information you are facing a potential very large mountain of a different type ("I didn't know I had to keep those statements!"). If you're lucky, the DRIP statements can be found (for a few $$) but if long ago probably not.

FE

[winnie]

contribute appreciated stock to charity

Not that it helps you at all after the fact, but if a client has one of these "held for a zillion years and no idea of basis stock" - have them contribute to charity. Assume they would have a gain. You transfer the stock directly to the charity and the charity sells it. You only have to know the FMV of the stock on the date of transfer.

I, too, have used yahoo in the past for some good information. Also, company websites. If you have a Edward Jones person, they are always telling me they can get cost basis. Just spoke to one on another issue and his closing was to let him know if I needed cost basis help. I have never used the Edward Jones avenue, but may be useful.

Good luck.

[LawrenceGR]

Thanks

for the input. I just spoke to the Edward Jones office that sold the stock. It seems they failed to issue a 1099B, so maybe when they call me back I could request they also provide me a cost basis.

[Davc]

For Google I use "[Company] Investor Information".

[fliszt]

A few years

ago I ran into the same situation. I called the public library, business section, and asked for help in establishing a basis for stock purchased some 15 years ago. The library attendent looked up all the info and called me back with the opening, noon, and closing values of the stock which I think I can remember it being Northwestern Bank.
Anyway, the Minneapolis Public Library was a huge help to me.

[FEDUKE404]

Some explanation here

Getting the historical stock price is a relatively easy chore, although in past eons I do remember going to my public library and rolling through some microfilm copies of old WSJs.

Today you can get numbers from Yahoo, in many cases the company's IR department, and from many more sources. That information will suffice for the "I lost my records and can't remember what I paid for it" situations.

The rub comes with DRIP programs, company internal stock programs with reinvested dividends, "Granny died and left me the stock and I've reinvested the dividends since 1972," and the like. IF you have the time, and the client wants to pay the fees, you can theoretically get fairly close by calculating what those quarterly/monthly reinvested shares "might" have cost. But if there has been activity, company reorganizations, or similar it is a real mess.

While the idea of "giving away the stuff and take the donation" is viable, that's not too smart for a stock that has declined in value, nor for someone with a large holding in a company.

I tell my clients let's just do the best we can, knowing the IRS in reality probably would do even a poorer job at reaching the correct cost basis.

One other thing: I purposely AVOID calling stockbrokers (even my own!) for this type of information. Such calls from me are very few, and my "sources" know that, so I do get attention from the correct person the few times I do call, usually on a far more complicated stock issue other than mere "price." It is true that computerized investor accounts now track very well the cost basis, but they can only work with the information they have. (The operative phrase is GIGO.) For "old" shares previously certificated to the client, or funds transferred to them from another firm, the current investment firm is necessarily clueless.

FE

[Lion]

Historical Prices

I had to recreate my son's Fidelity Magellan history after a divorce when he started spending his shares on college. Found out Fidelity had to keep original investment info, and I had the tax returns since the divorce. For the missing years, I knew how many shares he needed to buy with the reinvested dividends to get up to the latter years that I had. So, got info for each 30 November since major dividends had been in November with minor ones in May. (Well, maybe I used a different date, but I used whatever made sense to me at the time.) Working with only once/year made it fall into place pretty quickly. At least, there were less than 18 years to compute!

[JON]

Drips

are usual handled by the companies transfer agent, and customer relations will usually provide a transcript of the activity. Some times there is a limit to when it started, but that would be the best place for you to start.

[ecb34691]

Also try bigcharts.com as they have historical info

[LawrenceGR]

Update

I talked to the broker this morning (They owe me a 1099) the person there said they would send it as soon as they figure out the basis. Yippie!!!

[FEDUKE404]

Count your blessings!

I talked to the broker this morning (They owe me a 1099) the person there said they would send it as soon as they figure out the basis. Yippie!!!

You must have a magical broker. I've never seen a cost basis on a Form 1099-B.

FE

[LawrenceGR]

Not Exactly

I got the info from the broker saying they did the best they could but they could only find the original certificates. So it looks like, back to the drawing board.

[Lion]

You'll have gaps

You'll have gaps with so many mergers and acquisitions and computer system updates. My son's brokerage had info back a few years after they updated computers, but I had those tax returns with his dividend info anyway. Just get the starting info and as many years as they have and keep it simple in calculating the missing amounts. Good luck