Most of you use Sharesight to manage your investments—whether for performance tracking, asset allocation, or tax reporting. But I think another reason (and benefit) to use Sharesight that’s often overlooked, yet just as important is to ensure your wealth is manageable in the event of something unexpected.
The reason I bring this up is because we often receive emails from estate executors, administrators, or surviving family members trying to access a deceased investor’s account—and that’s only if they even know a Sharesight portfolio exists.
That usually marks the beginning of a long and difficult process:
- verifying the accuracy of the investments
- tracking down where the assets are held (e.g., which brokers)
- deciding whether to sell the shares or transfer them to loved ones
- handling family disputes, and more.
On the flip side, we also get many who create a Sharesight account after inheriting shares from their late parent or grandparent. They go through a similarly complex process:
- Starting with incomplete records (if there’s one)
- Work backward to reconstruct the cost base and acquisition date
- Other complexities like multiple transfers (e.g., estate to estate), dividend reinvestments, and corporate actions.
I think there are a few simple things we can do now to help minimise the pain of this transition later.
What Sharesight can do to make this transition easier
Transfer any unused subscription
We can transfer any remaining subscription time to the beneficiary, giving them ample time to sort through paperwork and organize the portfolio.
Assist with trade adjustments for tax purposes
We can assist with adjust trades following a transfer—especially if these affect the cost base, which can be important for accurate tax reporting.
What you can do to make this transition easier
Keep all your investments in one place
Tracking all (or most) of your investments in Sharesight makes things more manageable—not just for you, but for anyone who may need to step in later. It also helps others understand the full picture without digging through multiple platforms or accounts.
Use trade confirmations and broker integrations
If your broker has integration with Sharesight or if we support your broker’s trade confirmations, enable them. Manually added trades offer limited traceability unless you also upload the corresponding documents.
Share your portfolios
Share your portfolios with your loved ones so they’re not left in the dark. We offer three access levels, allowing you to maintain your privacy while keeping others informed.
Keep corporate actions up to date
Always record corporate actions—like capital returns, demergers, mergers & acquisitions, or off-market transactions—to ensure your portfolio remains accurate and up to date.
Add notes and attachments
Use trade comments, notes, and file attachments to provide added context. These can be invaluable for those who may need to step in later.
I just think doing all of these now to make sure your financial affairs are organised and accessible when it matters most is going to save your loved ones a lot of time and stress later.
Hope you find this helpful.