Share Certificates

[Guest KIPPER]

I am very new to trading and have a small portfolio, do I get any kind of share certificate for my purchases or is everything electronic ?

 

[Guest slopsjon]

Most brokers use a nominated account where shares are held, so no you don't get a share certificate. Some brokers will provide you with a certificate at a cost. With a nominated account your name does not appear on the share registrar so you cannot attend AGM's. Some brokers can supply you with a letter to enable you to attend AGM's, at a cost. So yes it's all done electronically. 

[Guest KIPPER]

Thanks so much for your reply. If we do not appear in the share register etc would it be fair to say we are not “proper” shareholders and would not receive any dividends ?

[Guest slopsjon]

Yes you will receive dividends, your broker will handle this.

[JamesIG]

Hi  and thanks  - We basically work on a Nominee status however you still receive dividends / voting rights etc as normal, however it means we can offer a digital only service which reduces costs significantly which we pass directly onto our wider client base (and means we can offer as low as £5 a trade commission charges). 

 

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/nominee.asp 

 

[Guest KIPPER]

Thanks for your response but I am still a little confused !

 

When or how will I know if dividends are due / have been paid and how do they find their way into my account ?

 

As I said I am very new to this thanks for bearing with me.

[JamesIG]

---

KIPPER wrote:

Thanks for your response but I am still a little confused !

 

When or how will I know if dividends are due / have been paid and how do they find their way into my account ?

 

As I said I am very new to this thanks for bearing with me.

---

Hi - if you want to know in advance which stocks in your portfolio are paying dividends, you'll need to research this yourself, however we do notify you for any open positions you may hold.

 

Every time a stock pays a dividend, and you have that stock in your name, then we'll automatically send you the funds to your IG account (a couple of days after the pay day for that stocks div). The system will automatically notify you of the dividend paid and the amount. 

 

I hope this clarifies things but please let me know if I can help further. 

[Guest ash-sp]

Hi James,

I've just bought my first shares today.  They appear in my IG Share dealing platform in "Open positions".  Am I right to assume that they will remain in that state indefinitely and would only "close" when I come to sell them?

Thanks,

Ash

[JamesIG]

Hi  - that's correct - your share positions will remain in the 'open positions' tab until you either close them, or an order you have specifically set to close the position gets hit. 

 

There are some other instances when they may go (for example if there is a corporate action, take over or merger, delisting etc), however these are on a case by case basis.