Expert: Steven Taylor - 4/26/2011

Question
Your site has been very helpful to me with my Dad's estate but I am stumped how to find the cost base for this delisted stock. I have current value, and transfer agent has been unhelpful, as they only have records for Brookfield Asset Management. BAM's website goes only back to June 1998.
The certificate is dated January 28, 1997.
And is there a way to figure out if it was an acquisition or a purchase? Dad had a few penny stocks that were acquired over the years.
Thanks very much.

Answer
Deborah, BAM has a long history of several name changes and mergers. It was Brascan until 2005, which was EdperBrascan beginning in 2000. EdperBrascan was created by the merger of Edper Group and Brascan Ltd. in August 1997. Therefore, you will need to know which company your father had pre-merger. If you do, you can consult with a broker who should be able to tell you the price on that date.