How to Find Stocks You Own
- Find the official abbreviations for your stock. Before you find out any information from the market, you must know what to look for.
- Open up your morning paper. The easiest way to find your stocks and track their performance is to look in the business section of the morning newspaper.
- Contact your brokers, or the firm that manages your portfolio. ...
How do I find out who owns a particular stock?
How do I find who owns a particular stock, currently or historically? For current and historical ownership use Capital IQ: Select Public or Private Ownership under Investors from the left navigation bar. For historical holdings of the top holders, select View All by Top Holders
How do I search for lost or unclaimed stock?
To search for unclaimed stock, a lost bond or missing mutual fund shares, and to trace uncashed interest payments and dividends that may be owed after a merger, restructuring, demutualization or other reorganization, go to: Unclaimed Stock Search
How do I determine the value of a stock?
The first step to determine the value of the stock is to see whether or not the company still exists. Does the company still exist? Your local library may have print and online sources that will help you find out, in what form, and if its stock still has value. You can do a quick check on free stock market quote services, such as:
How do I find stock stocks of a deceased relative?
Sometimes you know a deceased relative held a position in a stock he swore never to sell, but you can't find the certificates or evidence of a current position in that stock at his brokerage firm. If your lost shares are long-term stock holdings, check to see if the company you remember was acquired or changed its name.
How do I check if I still own stock?
Proving securities ownership is easier if you can remember how the security was acquired. If you bought the security through a brokerage firm, contact the firm and ask if they have a record of your ownership. Brokerage firms are required to keep records for only six years.
How do I find old stocks I own?
Call the Financial Stock Guide Service at (800) 367-3441 and ask for the custom research department. They will be able to tell you, for a fee, whether or not your shares are active or obsolete. In business since 1927, they also publish a directory that updates annually. Go to www.spinksmythe.com or call (800) 622-1880.
How do I trace old stock certificates?
Check your paper certificate for a CUSIP number. This is the identifying number that must be on all paper certificates. You can use this number to check with the secretary of state's office in the state of the company's incorporation. They will be able to tell you information about the company.
How do I find lost stocks for free?
You can use the Treasury Hunt search engine, at www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/indiv.htm, to track down matured savings bonds or missed payments from securities. Click on "Search for Your Securities in Treasury Hunt." Simply type in your Social Security number to start.
How do I know if my old stock certificate is still valid?
You can begin with a quick internet search on the company's name. If this doesn't turn up any information, you may consult the corporate registry where the company was registered. You will find this information on the stock certificate, it will usually state “Incorporated under the laws of…”.
Do stock certificates expire?
Stock shares do not have an expiration date. There are companies listed on the stock exchanges whose shares have traded for over 100 years. However, there are several circumstances in which the shares of a particular company stop having any value.
How do I find out if my old stock certificates are worth anything?
Contact your stockbroker to search the stock's worth via its CUSIP number if the steps given earlier yield no results. This number is printed on the back of the stock certificate. Use a fee-based service to search your stock's history if the earlier steps come up empty. Fees can range from $40 to $85 or more.
Replacing A Lost Certificate
Many people prefer to take delivery of and hold their stock certificates – a practice that has its advantages; the company knows how to reach you,...
Researching Old Stock Certificates
Sometimes you know a deceased relative held a position in a stock he swore never to sell, but you can't find the certificates or evidence of a curr...
Finding Forgotten Accounts
A person moving from one town to another may forget to close a safe deposit box containing stock certificates. If the bank is unable to locate the...
Is The Stock Certificate Valuable?
If you do find lost shares, consider their actual market value before making a claim. The fees involved in claiming the property and having new cer...
Where to find total number of shares?
You can find the total number of shares in the shareholders' equity section of a company's balance sheet, which also summarizes the assets and liabilities. The numbers of authorized, issued and outstanding common shares are listed in this section, along with the number of preferred shares.
How to get a full check on your name?
Call up every known bank in your area/ suburb/ country, and ask them to do a full check on your name. Provide them with all your details. Let them know that ‘although you do not think there’s much to uncover here, a recent thought that you may have been left with some inheritance, has you up at night’.
What happens if the stock market is down?
So if markets are down, you are seeing a sale in effect. That doesn’t mean you should market time, and wait for markets to fall, to buy in. It just means you shouldn't always celebrate gains, and hate declines. If markets decline in the next 5 years, your long-term gains will just be higher than expected.
Can a broker do a registry search?
Talk to a broker who will then talk to a registry (or you can talk to a registry directly). They can do a name and address search, but it’s not cheap.
Is investing a science?
Every investor has own theory of investment. All of them work and all of them fail. Investing is not a science. There are a number of theories and analysis which work sometime and fail at other times. That is the reason we have more losers in the market than the gainers.
What happens if you don't have a stock certificate?
If an investor does not have or loses their stock certificate, they are still the owner of their shares and entitled to all the rights that come with them. If an investor wants a stock certificate, or if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, they can receive a new one by contacting a company's transfer agent.
Who manages stock certificates?
In today's world, investors hardly ever receive a stock certificate as the stock ownership process is now managed electronically by the Central Securities Depository (CSD).
How to recover a lost share certificate?
Losing a share certificate can be remedied by contacting the company's investor relations department. This department will inform the shareholder how to contact the transfer agent who can place a stop payment on the shares and reissue a new certificate. The shareholder may have to complete an affidavit and purchase an indemnity bond. 2
What to do if a certificate is lost?
However, there are some steps that the shareholder must follow. First, the shareholder must describe the loss and any facts surrounding the loss in an affidavit. Second, the shareholder may be required to purchase an indemnity bond.
Can you replace a share certificate if it is stolen?
A share certificate can be replaced if it is lost, stolen, or damaged. In order to replace the physical certificate, the shareholder will need to contact the company's stock transfer agent. 2
Do you need a stock certificate if you lose it?
However, stock certificates are no longer needed in today's world of electronic communication, and even if an investor loses their certificate, they still own the shares.
Are Stock Certificates Necessary to Prove Ownership?
In most cases, investors never receive a physical share certificate as the process is managed electronically by the Central Securities Depository (CSD). 1 Electronic share transactions and processes enable automated proxy voting, dividend distributions, and other pertinent notifications for the shareholder.
How to find lost stock certificates?
Sometimes you know a deceased relative held a position in a stock he swore never to sell, but you can't find the certificates or evidence of a current position in that stock at his brokerage firm. If your lost shares are long-term stock holdings, check to see if the company you remember was acquired or changed its name. If you are missing certificates, contact the issuing company, transfer agent or the stock brokerage where the shares were bought. Brokerage firms can research the history of shares traded in the account and certificates you think are lost, and they can also deal with the transfer agent on your behalf.
What happens if you lose a stock certificate?
Whether you have misplaced or accidentally destroyed a certificate for stock you know you own, or are dealing with an estate that you believe owned shares of stock that can't be located, a few steps may lead to recovery of the missing shares. The Social Security number or tax ID and name of the registered owner – and in some cases ...
Can you put stock certificates on a loan?
Many people prefer to take delivery of and hold their stock certificates – a practice that has its advantages; the company knows how to reach you, and you will receive all company reports directly. You could also find it easier to put up your stocks as collateral on a loan when you are in possession of a physical certificate. However, natural disasters, fires and forgetfulness result in missing certificates. To replace them, call the investor relations department of the issuing company to find the name of the transfer agent for that company's stock.
Do brokerage firms send statements?
Many brokerage firms have merged or gone out of business, but any active accounts -- those containing shares or recent activity – should be sending statements. If there are no account statements or other communications, contact the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or the Securities and Exchange Commission for information on what happened to the brokerage firm's customer accounts.
Is the Stock Certificate Valuable?
The fees involved in claiming the property and having new certificates issued might be greater than the value of the stock position, particularly if the number of shares involved is fewer than 100. For instance, if you need to have paper certificates re-issued, your transfer agent or broker can charge anywhere from $50 to $500 to issue paper certificates for your shares.
What do you do if you have a stock certificate?
What do you do if you have a stock certificate? The first step to determine the value of the stock is to see whether or not the company still exists.
How much does a stock search cost?
Some stock search firms charge as much as $75 per company and use many of the same sources located at your local library. However, these companies can search records in other places not accessible to libraries, such as bankruptcy courts and state unclaimed property offices. Remember that some companies may have generated and retained their own records over a period of many years.
What to do if a company has merged?
If you discover that a company has merged into or been acquired by a company that currently exists, contact the successor company's investor relations or shareholder services department about redeeming the stock.
What if the above sources don't help?
What if the above sources don't help? Certain records are kept by the state under whose laws the company was incorporated. Be aware that the state of incorporation and the state in which the company is located may not be the same.
Do private companies sell their stock?
Private or closely held companies do not sell their stock to the public.
Is a stock certificate worth anything?
Oftentimes companies are bought out by or merged with other companies, and their names change. If this happens, a stock certificate may be worth something as a security.
Where are shares held?
The shares will either be held by the state where the stockholder lived when they bought the stock or in the state where the company is based or in the state in which it is incorporated. So the key is to search at least those three states and --thanks to the internet—you can actually search all 50 states fairly easily, just to be thorough. Here are the two key FREE websites you will use:
Can you track down missing stocks?
A: People often make the mistake of trying to track down missing stocks by company name rather than by their own name. No matter how many times a company changes names, if shares still have value and go unclaimed, the company is supposed to submit those to the states for safekeeping.
Are Stock Certificates Necessary to Prove Ownership?
Replacing A Stock Certificate
- In some cases, however, an investor may choose to hold a physical share certificate, which details their share ownership. A share certificate can be replaced if it is lost, stolen, or damaged. In order to replace the physical certificate, the shareholder will need to contact the company's stock transfer agent.2 The corporation's investor relations...
Steps The Shareholder Must Follow If A Certificate Is Lost
- Each company’s procedures may vary. However, there are some steps that the shareholder must follow. First, the shareholder must describe the loss and any facts surrounding the loss in an affidavit. Second, the shareholder may be required to purchase an indemnity bond. The purpose of the bond is to protect the corporation and the agent in case the lost certificate is somehow rede…
The Bottom Line
- Losing a share certificate can be remedied by contacting the company's investor relations department. This department will inform the shareholder how to contact the transfer agent who can place a stop payment on the shares and reissue a new certificate. The shareholder may have to complete an affidavit and purchase an indemnity bond.2 However, stock certificates are no …