Is there an easier way to determine a cost basis than sorting through nearly 20 years of transactions?

Question

I need to determine the cost basis of one of my stocks for tax purposes and I'm finding it daunting to do this because there were so many reinvestment instances (the shares were in a trust fund under my father's control for most of their life.) Although I do have Fidelity statements, I do not have the original purchase receipt or any of the reinvestment receipts. Is there any way around this headache?

Answer 1

Pick the year that you think your father bought the stock. Take the high and low selling price for the year add them together, divide by two and use that as the cost per share. Don't forget to take into account any stock splits between the year you think they were purchased and the sale date. You can find out about a companies stock splits on Yahoo Finance.