Blog

Tip #17 - Don’t fall prey to “shoebox syndrome”

by Andrew Bird, Executive Chairman, Sharesight | Sep 3rd 2013

Every week we post a tip that we hope will help you become a successful share market investor.

Tip#17 — Don’t fall prey to “shoebox syndrome”

As all share market investors know, the benefits of being in the market come with responsibilities to the tax office, not to mention the need to provide information to your accountant and frequently other interested parties as well. If you’re not prepared to keep your paperwork in good order throughout the year, or use an online share portfolio management service to do it for you, you most likely will end up in a last-minute scramble to get your affairs in order.

Paperwork haters like me know the shoebox drill – hunting around at the 11th hour (13th hour?) for trade confirmations / contract notes and dividend statements, scouring through bank statements and desperately trying to remember details of share splits, bonus issues and everything else that happened in your portfolio over the last year.

This information is not a recommendation nor a statement of opinion. You should consult an independent financial adviser before making any decisions with respect to your shares in relation to the information that is presented in this article.

FURTHER READING

Sharesight product updates June 2026

Sharesight product updates – June 2026

by Ben Clendon | Jun 16th 2026

This month's focus was on a new Australian tax pack, UK-specific tax settings, support for the Saudi Stock Exchange and a range of other improvements.

Sharesight AI file importer

Import your trading history to Sharesight using the AI file importer

by Stephanie Stefanovic | Jun 10th 2026

Sharesight's AI file importer lets you upload almost any file — spreadsheets, PDFs, screenshots — and import your trades without manual formatting.

NZ top trades May26

Top trades by New Zealand Sharesight users — May 2026

by Stephanie Stefanovic | Jun 10th 2026

Welcome to the May 2026 edition of Sharesight’s monthly trading snapshot, where we look at the top 20 trades made by New Zealand Sharesight users.