Q1 When I try
to start the program, I get an error message that says I have to join the StockTracker
Workgroup.
A At the Windows desktop, click
on the Start button, then Run. In the Run dialog box, type wrkgadm. This will
bring up the Workgroup Administrator dialog. Click on the Join… button,
and in the next window, click the Browse… button and locate the StockTracker
directory. Select the stwrkgrp.mdw file and click on OK, then OK again. You
will see a message that you have successfully joined the workgroup. Click on
OK, then Exit.
Q2 I joined the
Workgroup, so now what do I do?
A If you have just installed
StockTracker, the next step is to establish a User ID for security purposes.
Only the Admin User is allowed to create a User ID, but the Admin User may not
process transactions. When you open StockTracker, you will be asked to log on.
Type in admin as the User, and temppassword as the Password. When you click
on OK, the Main Menu will open. Select the Security tab and click on Add New
User. There are four blanks on the form. Type in the user name in the first
box. The second box requests a User PID. This is a series of 4-20 characters
that you make up. It is not necessary to remember the PID. Finally enter a password
in the third box and again in the fourth box for verification. Click on the
Create button to set up the user. Repeat as necessary to establish other users.
When you are finished, close StockTracker and then reopen and log on with a
Used ID. You are now ready to process transactions.
Q3 StockTracker
won't let me process a transaction. It says I can't access the file because
it is read only.
A When StockTracker is installed,
the files in the StockTracker directory may be copied with the read-only flag
on. If this occurs, close StockTracker and open your Windows Explorer. Locate
the StockTracker directory. The default location is c:\Program Files\StockTracker.
There is a file in this folder named readonly.bat. Open this file by double-clicking
on it. This is a short program that will run in a DOS window. When the caption
in the title bar of the DOS window says Finished, close the window and restart
StockTracker.
Q4 Can I set up
a faster way to access the program?
A The basic way to open the program
is to click on Start…Programs…StockTracker to get to the StockTracker
shortcut. As an option, you may create a desktop shortcut to make it easier
to access the program. Using your Windows Explorer, locate the copysc.mdb file
in the StockTracker directory. Open this file. The program will run, creating
a StockTracker icon on the desktop, and then close automatically.
A Yes. First, you must enable
certificate printing. From the Main Menu, select Maintenance…Classes tab…Maintain
Class. Select Common Stock and click on Edit. Click on the Print box for the
common stock class for which you want to print certificates (normally there
is only the one default class). When you are finished, return to the Maintenance
Menu, select the General tab, and click on Certificate Print Fields. This allows
you to select which, if any, optional fields will be printed. Normally, these
fields will be preprinted. Finally, from the Maintenance Menu, click on Select
Certificate Form to select which printing format you require.
Q6 When I print
a certificate, it doesn't print in the right position. What can I do?
A Various printers may act differently
when outputting the field data to the certificate. Print a sample and check
each of the print positions to determine if all the fields need to be moved
or only selected, and by how much. From the Maintenance Menu, select the Certificates
tab and click on Adjust Print Positions. From here you can opt to move all fields
by an amount up to .25" at a time: up, down, left or right. Then click
on the Move Now button Or you can elect to select a new position for one or
more individual fields. Note that this option requires the absolute measurement
from the left and top margins. Simply add or subtract the distance you want
to move a field from the existing measurements and click on the OK button. Print
another test and make further adjustments if necessary.
Q7 What if my
certificate form is not included in the list of forms?
A The GOS 50 is a standard form
available in Office Supply stores. If you use a different form and wish to have
StockTracker print them for you, send five blank forms to Market ID. Indicate
what information is to be printed in each blank. Your form will be set up for
printing and included in the list of available forms. A program update will
be available to you in a few days.
A This is a service performed by a number of stock brokerage
and independent companies to hold certificates for their customers. This will
occur in almost all cases for certificates in a retirement account, such as
an IRA or SEP. Other certificates as well may be held by a brokerage. This is
fairly common after the initial offering is closed. Shares of stock will naturally
be bought and sold. Sometimes sales will be processed through a stock broker,
and the broker may hold the certificates in safekeeping.
Q9 How are safekeeping transactions recorded?
A All safekeeping is treated as pools of shares. For example,
ABC Safekeeping holds certificates for 15 shareholders and there is a total
of 25,000 shares. There is a record for each shareholder in the database showing
the number of shares held by each, and there is an indicator showing that the
certificate is held by ABC Safekeeping. There is also a record for the safekeeping
company indicating the total number of shares held.
Q10 Why is safekeeping treated as a pool?
A This is a matter partly of convenience in being able
to manage these certificates and provide detailed reporting of activity and
ownership. Additionally, safekeeping companies typically deal electronically
with the total number of shares (pool), not with the paper certificates. It
is not unusual for them to request you to process a transaction for a shareholder,
but send you a paper certificate that is not related to the correct shareholder.
You may try to have the company send you the correct certificate, but experience
says that will probably be a waste of time. StockTracker is set up to reflect
the way these safekeeping companies do their processing. This is a rather complex
topic, so it is best to refer to the detailed description in the User Manual
(see Chapter 5: Transfer to Safekeeping section) to become familiar with the
procedures. You may also contact Market ID technical support for assistance.
Q11 Can I print statements to send to
shareholders?
A No. This capability is under development and will be
available in a future release.
Q12 What about Preferred Stock?
A Currently, Preferred Stock transactions are not supported,
but are planned for a future release, depending on demand.
Q13 My management is asking for a report
that I don't find on the Print Menu. What can I do?
A The immediate way to solve this is to export data from
StockTracker and then use another program, Excel for example, to produce a report
in your own format. Also, when this situation arises, contact Market ID technical
support and describe the requirements for the new report. We will attempt to
accommodate requests for additional reports that can be included in the general
distribution program.
A Many common errors, such as spelling or other typing
errors, or just entering incorrect information, can be corrected by selecting
the Transaction Menu…Edits tab and the appropriate area, Legal Owner, Customer
or Certificate.
If you make a mistake and need to issue a replacement certificate, you can accomplish
this by using the sale and purchase functions. On the Sale confirmation form,
be sure to check the Correction checkbox. On the Purchase form, select the appropriate
Transaction Code, 31 or 32, depending on whether the certificate is held in
Safekeeping.
Q15 What if a shareholder wants to sell
fewer than the number of shares in a certificate?
A The normal way of handling this situation is to sell
the original certificate and issue (purchase) a certificate for the new shareholder
and a new certificate for the remaining shares retained by the original shareholder.
The difficulty arises when the sale price of the shares is not the same as the
original purchase. When you select the sale transaction, an input form is displayed
for you to enter details about the sale. You are allowed to sell a portion of
the shares and enter a sale price for those shares. When you finish the partial
sale, you can return to the sale input. When you enter the certificate number,
the remaining number of shares will be displayed. At this point you can sell
the remaining shares or split the shares again. When you sell the shares that
will be retained by the original owner, enter the sale price with the same value
as the original purchase. Likewise, when you create the new certificate, be
sure to use the correct values for the respective certificates. The original
owner's purchase price will be the same as for the original purchase.
Q16 How can I tell if I am in balance?
A The total number of outstanding shares should be available
from your accounting department, although there may be other control methods
for your organization. When you obtain the correct number of outstanding shares,
you can input this value in the Maintenance Menu. Select the Classes tab, and
then click on the Maintain Class button. Select Edit Common Stock. Enter the
number of Outstanding Shares and the number of Authorized Shares. These require
editing in this same manner anytime there is a change in the Authorized or Outstanding
Shares. Outstanding Shares change if there is a stock split, and additional
issue of new stock or if shares are repurchased as Treasury Stock.
The Summary of Total Shares query on the Main Menu displays
the number of recorded shares and whether there is a difference between that
and the Outstanding Shares. When all certificates have been recorded and after
completing both sides of subsequent transactions, these numbers should show
no Difference. Any discrepancy indicates and incomplete transaction or an error
recording the number of shares in a transaction.
Q17 How do I get additional help for questions
I may have about StockTracker?
A If you need more help with questions, call Market ID
at 253-862-4470. You are entitled to five phone calls for support per year.
This is covered in the annual maintenance fee, along with periodic software
updates. Additional calls are billed at $20 per incident.
Q18 What is the maintenance fee?
A After the first year of ownership, an annual maintenance
fee of 20% of the retail value is charged. This covers normal updates to the
software as well as the first five phone calls for product support.