Getting Started....or scroll down to LET ME DO IT FOR YOU...

If you are Internet savy, you can visit the DRiP Investing Resource Center at http://www.dripinvesting.org/Boards. If not, you can contact me directly and I will do the work for you, all it takes is a simple email or phone call. Or you can scroll right down to "Let me do it for you."

What follows here is the procedure - if you want specific opinions or a discussion on what stocks to look at contact me ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

1. Review the Canadian share offerings that offer both dividend reinvestment plans and share purchase plans that appeal to you. Watch for transaction fees as some drips have begun to charge them. Some companies offer a 2 or 5 per cent discount off shares purchased directly. Also note that some companies that offer drips have limits and calendar restrictions on their share purchase plans or may require payment by certified cheque or money order, which will entail a trip to the bank first and some small administrative fees.

2. Find someone who will sell you one share. Register for free as a member with the "Canadian drips" chat room at www.dripinvesting.org/Boards.

3. Take your share transfer form, which must be signed by the previous owner, who has transferred it to you, and witnessed by a "signature guarantor", a bank official whose official signature is listed in a book and will be checked at the transfer station. Attach the business card of the guarantor to the transfer form, so the clerk can quickly look up their signature for verification. (The share transfer cannot be witnessed by an official of a brokerage house, as the man in the lineup ahead of me discovered.)

4. Go to the securities transfer agent that administers the shares from your company, typically either Computershare or CIBC Mellon. This information will be given on the share certificate or you can look it up on the company's website, under investor relations. In Toronto, Computershare, www.computershare.com, offers a very helpful customer service window on the 9th floor of the north tower at 100 University Ave. (at the southwest corner of King and University). You can call ahead if you have questions to 1-800-564-6253. CIBC Mellon, www.cibcmellon.com, can be reached at 1-800-387-0825 or you can send your completed enrolment forms by mail to CIBC Mellon Trust Company, P.O. Box 7010, Adelaide Street Postal Station, Toronto, Ont. M5C 2W9. If you opt to register for the dividend reinvestment plan and share purchase plans by mail, you can print off the required forms from their websites.

5. Once you've completed the share transfer, you must fill out a form to register in the dividend reinvestment plan, which means all dividends earned from your share will be reinvested in more stock rather than paid to you in cash.

6. At this point, you can also register separately in the stock purchase plan, which allows you to add to your holdings later without brokerage fees!.

7. You may be interested in helping a friend set this up for themselves as well. Sell them a share or tell them about this website.

LET ME DO IT FOR YOU...email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will start the process.

1. I will suggest a share (company) for you. Or if you are familiar with the companies that have DRIPs and SPP, you can tell me which company you are interested in. 

2. I will have it registered in your name by the trust company that manages the Dividend Reinvestment Plan and  the Share Purchase Plan (sometimes also called the Optional Share Purchase Plan).

3. In due time - sometimes it takes as long as 1 - 6 months, you will receive a share in the mail from the Trust company - of which you will make a copy for your binder and then place the original share certificate in your safe.

4.  I will ensure you are registered in the specific DRIP and SPP - or have those forms mailed to you - fill them out and mail them back with a cheque to ensure your compliancy concerning The Proceeds of Crime Act. I will be more specific with you as you are doing this.

5.  To help you become a regular contributor, I will prepare the form for you to sign along with a cheque for the minimum amount for the DRIP - each plan is different, this will depend on the company you choose and what you have to invest - be it $10 every year or whatever.

6. Keep in touch via email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone, to answer any questions, discuss any issues you may have.