Share registries in Australia
Teaching Kids the basics of financial literacy and investing. We learn about share registries and what we do with them after buying investments such as ETF or company shares.
What did I want to do?
- I wanted to explain to my kids Ash (12 years old) and Adh (10 years old) what Share registry companies are and their role when buying shares through a broker.
- We have already gone through why we need to invest and why ETF is an investment option to be considered, and purchasing ETFs on CommSec.
What is a Share Registry company?
When a company is listed on the stock exchange, the company appoints a share registry to manage the administration of its book of shareholders.
The share registry contacts the investors (shareholders) on behalf of the company for shareholder matters, and it also manages things like the payment of dividends, distribution of company reports, and shareholder voting.
We need both - a broker and a share registry company to manage a portfolio.
Why do we need to contact Share Registry?
- We need to notify the Share Registry if our address changes.
- We need to instruct what should be done to the dividend payments - where they should be paid to or dividend reinvestment plans.
How do I find the share registry of my ETF?
There are three ways to find the share registry of the ETF that we have purchased.
Holding statement sent by the share registry
When an ETF is purchased via CommSec, the share registry sends a holding statement with the share registry's details in the top right corner.
On the CommSec platform
Log on to CommSec
- Click on Quotes & Research, and then Quotes
- In the search box, enter the code (in this example, I enter IVV for ISHARES S&P 500 ETF)
- In that stock, click on Distributions
- Scroll down to Registry Details. Here is an example showing IVV's share registry:
On the listed company’s website
Go to the company’s website and search for an Investor Relations section. The share registry will be shown there.
After buying an ETF, what should I do with the share registry?
Create an account online with each share registry
When I received the holding statement from a share registry, I did the following:
- Visit their website and create an account.
- Activate the account.
Update profile information
- I checked to see if my company name was correct.
- I checked to see if my address was correct.
- I checked if my mobile number and email are correct.
- I checked if they had my TFN; if not, I called them up to provide the TFN.
Add the holdings
- Enter the holdings using the HIN, Company name and registered address details.
That's it!
Share Registries in Australia
The main registry companies in Australia are:
- Computer Share (computershare.com/au)
- Link Market Services (linkmarketservices.com.au)
- Automic Group (automicgroup.com.au)
Sample Dashboards of Share Registry Companies
Computershare
Link Market Services
Next Step
Let's look at:
- Setting up Dividend Investment Plans with the share registry companies.
- How do we bookkeep dividends?
