# Stupid question: I bought some stock online, but forgot where **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 12, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238 "2015-12-12T08:41:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/1 "2015-12-12T08:41:04Z")
Probably around 10 years ago or so, I bought some stock online in a tech company you guys have heard of. It wasn’t much, as I was very poor at the time but I felt very responsible for spending my money that way-but I’ve long since forgotten what service or account I used to buy the stock. Now I just want to sell it but I have no idea how since I don’t even know for sure if I have the email address anymore that it was bought with-but somehow the lady that did my taxes knew about it, reminding me of its existence this year. :smack: How can I go about figuring out how to sell these shares with such little information? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/2 "2015-12-12T12:05:24Z")
If it were me, I’d contact the [Investor Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor_relations) department of the company and see fi they can help. But if the lady who does your taxes knows about it, how would she know without knowing where the stock is held? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/3 "2015-12-12T15:55:33Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If it were me, I’d contact the [Investor Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor_relations) department of the company and see fi they can help. But if the lady who does your taxes knows about it, how would she know without knowing where the stock is held? You don’t identify your broker on the Schedule D, just the name of the stock. The OP could contact the more popular online stock outfits like Schwab, Scottrade, etc., explain your dilemma and see if they can help. Have you never received a statement from them? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/4 "2015-12-12T16:04:07Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If it were me, I’d contact the [Investor Relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investor_relations) department of the company and see fi they can help. But if the lady who does your taxes knows about it, how would she know without knowing where the stock is held? This. There should be some record of your purchase with the company, and perhaps they can execute the sale for you to. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/5 "2015-12-12T16:09:47Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You don’t identify your broker on the Schedule D, just the name of the stock. But the tax person would have to get the info from somewhere, so most likely it came from the broker. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/6 "2015-12-12T18:50:04Z")
I am another who wonders how your tax adviser knows about the shares but doesn’t (apparently) know what brokerage house they’re in. Ask her if she knows before assuming she doesn’t. Contacting the issuing company’s investor relations department isn’t likely to help. It is very likely the shares are held “in street name” by your brokerage house (e.g., E-Trade), unless you specifically requested “direct registration” or the issuance of a physical stock certificate. “In street name” means that in the records of the issuing company (e.g., Microsoft), all the Microsoft shares held in all customers’ E-trade accounts are are recorded as being held by E-trade. Everyone recognizes that while the shares are being held by E-trade, it is really the account holder (i.e., you) who is the beneficial owner (i.e., the one entitled to the benefits of ownership). Microsoft would probably has no direct record of your existence. They have records that pertain to your shares but those records are not attached to your name and Social Security number. It is the brokerage house that keeps records of who owns how many shares of Microsoft. Even if you signed up for electronic delivery of routine statements, you should still probably be receiving periodic documents in the snail mail from your brokerage house. If the issuing company pays dividends, you should be getting an annual tax document called Form 1099 in the snail mail. Even if they don’t pay dividends, you should occasionally get snail mail about changes to their terms of service and requests for updated information. If you no longer live at the address you gave to the brokerage house, and their snail mail has been returned to them as undeliverable, it is probable the account was deemed abandoned at some point and turned over to the state. If that’s the case you’re still entitled to the property, but you have to get it from the state. Check with the unclaimed property office of all the states you have lived in since you opened the account. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/7 "2015-12-12T20:14:21Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > But the tax person would have to get the info from somewhere, so most likely it came from the broker. Not necessarily. I used to do a spreadsheet for the Sched D, using the statements I received. The tax preparer didn’t see the statements unless he asked for them, as they’re not required for submission. Now I just print the info out from the website, so he sees it all. Some instruments, of course, like mutual funds, have the brokerage name built in, i.e., Fidelity Magellan Fund. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2015, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/8 "2015-12-12T22:22:47Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Now I just want to sell it but I have no idea how since I don’t even know for sure if I have the email address anymore that it was bought with-but somehow the lady that did my taxes knew about it, reminding me of its existence this year. :smack: You want to start here. She knew about it how? If it was a 1099-DIV or B submitted to the IRS, then the broker issuing the statement should have included their information. It’s also very common for them to include your account number. If she just saw it on an old return, then go back and see what documents you had from that return to see if there’s a paper trail to follow. Last bit of advice: depending on what your broker does with dividends and your state’s rules, it’s possible you have dividend checks sitting in your state’s unclaimed property department. Of course, this won’t happen if the broker reinvests the dividends or maintains a cash balance in your investment account, but it’s more common than you might think for dividends to be mailed as checks ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/9 "2015-12-14T08:39:24Z")
You also need to find out how much you spent on the stock when you bought it, and the date you bought it The difference between what you sell it for and what you bought it for is the capital gain (or loss), which is what’s taxable. Without proof of the buying price, you may have to pay capital gains tax on the entire amount. And without proof that you bought it more than a year ago, you may be forced to pay the higher short-term capital gains rate. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-question-i-bought-some-stock-online-but-forgot-where/740238/10 "2015-12-14T13:07:26Z")
I’d start with the person that did your taxes, or just check your ‘tax stuff’ if she handed you a an envelope or folder to keep. The brokerage house would have mailed you a 1099 that would have had their name on it. That name would have also made it on to your tax return. The only thing I’m not sure about with this method is if you’d actually get a 1099 if you bought but never sold since you’d have no gains or losses. If you did this online, you could also check a few websites. 10 years ago and ‘being poor’ I’d start with e\*trade or Ing Direct (the big orange dot, now CapitolOneInvesting). You could probably just call and ask them if they have anything attached to your SSN.