Investment record keeping

The ATO doesn't ask you to be perfect.

They expect you to be accurate.

Accuracy comes from records, not memory.

The mini-story: "I'll just use my broker's annual statement"

You rely on an annual statement.
Then you change brokers.
Then you consolidate accounts.
Then you realise the annual statement is incomplete or doesn't reflect adjustments.

Now your investment history is fragmented.

What to keep (in normal language)

You want to be able to prove:
- what you bought and when
- what you paid (including fees)
- what income you received
- what changed the cost base
- what you sold and when
- what you received (net of fees)

That's the whole record set.

The easiest habit

Once a month:
- reconcile transactions
- categorise income
- store meaningful statements/events

You're not "doing admin".
You're protecting future you from future pain.

How Self Managed helps

Self Managed supports a bank-and-evidence workflow:
the timeline exists because transactions exist, linked to the right asset.

Useful context:
- Wealth roadmap
- Tax minimisation