Why Australians Lose Track of Shares and How to Start a Search

 Investments are often intended to be held for years, but keeping track of them over a long period can be more difficult than expected.

A person may move to another address, change jobs, change their name or lose old financial paperwork. After enough time passes, an investment that was once familiar can become difficult to identify.

For Australians who think they may have lost track of shares, understanding the common causes can help determine where to begin.

Moving Can Affect Investment Records

People often move several times throughout their lives.

If an old shareholder record still contains a previous address, important correspondence may no longer reach the investor. Over many years, this can make an investment increasingly difficult to follow.

When investigating an old shareholding, it can therefore be useful to write down all previous addresses associated with your financial history.

Changing Your Name Can Create Another Challenge

Historical investment records may contain a previous name.

Marriage, divorce or another legal name change can mean that older documents do not immediately match a person's current identity.

When reviewing old records, consider both your current and previous names. This information may help connect historical documents with a potential investment.

Former Employment May Hold Useful Clues

Some Australians received shares through employee schemes or other workplace investment arrangements.

After leaving an employer, it can be easy to forget about an investment, particularly if many years have passed.

Reviewing previous employers and looking through old employment documents can therefore be worthwhile when investigating forgotten shares.

Old Company Information Can Still Be Valuable

A company mentioned on an old statement may no longer have the same name.

Companies can merge, change names, restructure or become part of larger organisations. These changes can make an old shareholding difficult for an individual to recognise.

Rather than discarding an old document because the company information looks outdated, use it as a historical clue.

What Records Should You Collect?

A useful starting point is to gather all available financial information.

This may include:

• Share certificates
• Shareholding statements
• Dividend statements
• Tax documents
• Bank records
• Employment records
• Investment correspondence
• Previous addresses
• Previous names

Create a simple list of the information you find. This can make the investigation much easier to follow.

When Can Professional Assistance Be Useful?

Some old investments can be identified from personal records. More complicated situations may require additional research.

Investafind specialises in tracing lost shares, investments and potentially unclaimed assets in Australia.

The company assists people who have difficulty identifying or locating older financial assets and investigates circumstances involving historical records, changes in personal details and corporate events.

Investafind also works with professionals including accountants, solicitors and financial brokers when investigating potential assets.

For Australians who have reviewed their own records but still cannot establish what happened to an old investment, professional tracing may provide another option.

Keep Your Investment Information Current

Once an investment has been identified, keeping records updated is important.

Store important documents securely, update relevant contact information when moving and maintain a record of your investments.

A periodic review can also help identify older investments before they become difficult to follow.

Start With What You Know

You do not necessarily need a complete set of documents to begin investigating an old shareholding.

A company name, previous address, old dividend statement or former employer may be enough to provide a useful starting point.

If you believe you may have forgotten shares or investments in Australia, organise your historical information first and then determine whether further investigation is needed.

Investafind provides professional tracing services for Australians seeking assistance with potentially lost shares and investments.