Forum Discussion
Need help with formulas calculating cost basis on shares
Your question is, I would suggest, less of an Excel question than it is an accounting question. So let me refer you to this answer I got via Google.
If you need help with implementing that in Excel, feel free to come back, but come back with a sample (attached to your inquiry) of the spreadsheet you've created to track your " buys, sales, dividends paid, dividends reinvested" in a particular stock.
- macandalSep 06, 2024Copper Contributor
- mathetesSep 07, 2024Silver Contributor
Let's try the link again. Here. But if that doesn't work again, you can just enter "calculating cost basis for stock" in Google and find it directly.
And you'll need to help me help you by putting on-line a copy of whatever records you've been keeping in Excel on at least one stock where you've done a fair amount of buying, selling, getting and reinvesting dividends. It shouldn't be hard to get that kind of history from your broker. But I would hope you have at least some knowledge of how to store the records of the transactions. You don't need to do any calculations. Just date, stock symbol, transaction description, quantity, price (per share).... that kind of stuff.
Put a spreadsheet on OneDrive or GoogleDrive with a link pasted here that grants access.
- mathetesSep 07, 2024Silver Contributor
[edit: the original spreadsheet I posted on 9/7 had some incorrect data; that's been corrected as of the morning of 9/8]
Here's a spreadsheet that should get you started. This only deals with a hypothetical history of purchases and dividends of Starbucks stock, beginning back in November of 2020. No sales, but a couple of subsequent purchases at low points in the stock's price.
If you want more help--I have no idea how familiar and comfortable you are with Excel--then feel free to return with followup questions. But please include a spreadsheet with some sample of your own real history connected with a real stock.