# Do you hold your shares in your own name?



## Tyler Durden (9 May 2011)

I'm in the middle of the book 'How to reduce your tax legally", learning about company structures and trusts. I mean, I learnt about them in uni, but it was never in the context of tax minimisation and asset protection. 

If there's one thing I've learnt from the book so far, it's that I'm going to need the aid of an accountant once I start putting more funds into investing, to help me decide what type of structure is appropriate for my own situation.

So it made me wonder, who here holds their shares in their own names? Or in someone else's name? Or under a company/trust structure?


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## Julia (9 May 2011)

In SMSF.   Unclear as to whether you consider this "in your own name or not".


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## skc (9 May 2011)

Something to think about here - how much profit you need to make before a company or trust makes sense...

https://www.aussiestockforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21436&p=603167&viewfull=1#post603167

EDIT: LOL just realise you were the one who asked the question in that post as well


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## bellenuit (9 May 2011)

In my own name and in a company name.  I tend to hold short term in the company name and the company is taxed as a trader and hold long term in my own name and I am taxed as an investor. There are advantages and disadvantages to both and there are many threads that cover the differences.

One advantage to having both structures is that I can often get two bites of the apple for capital raisings etc., since the company and I are independent legal entities from each other. There have been a few capital raisings in the fast few years where an individual legal entity has been limited to (I think) $15K in total, even if spread over multiple broker accounts. In those cases, I can invest $15K and the company also $15K.

I pay about $1K a year to run the company - $218 to ASIC and $700ish to the accountant, but I do most of the preparatory work for the accountant.


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## kingcarmleo (10 May 2011)

Thinking of swapping mine offer for tax purposes


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