When filling out a "Schedule D" while doing your taxes, what exactly do you put in columns (d) and (e)?

Question

I sold some stocks this past year and received a "Form 1099-B". I understand that I am supposed to fill out a Schedule D using this information, but I don't understand what I list in columns (d) and (e) in order to determine column (f)--the Gain or Loss. In column (d) do I list the total proceeds I received from the stock sale (as is listed in 'box 2" on my 1099-B)? And I have no idea what to put in column (e)--the "Cost or other Basis". My particular confusion revolves around the fact that I purchased this stock about 17 years ago and it has obviously changed a lot (split, etc.) over that period. So while this past year I only sold a portion of the shares I own, I don't know how that compares to when I purchased it. In other words, in column (e) do I report what I paid for everything that I bougt in 1990 or just a portion of it?
Thanks for any information you can give me.

Answer 1

If you only sold some, not all of the shares you own of that particular stock, you'd only show the cost of that many shares. The easiest way to calculate that is to figure out your basis on ALL of the shares, then divide by your total number of shares that you had to get the basis for one share, and then multiply by the number that you sold.