Back on 3/01/2001 I took control of some stock. Where can I find out the
cost basis value of that stock then? The Stock is AMX, it has split several
times so what does it do to the original cost basis?

You can get historical stock prices from yahoo.com:

AMX Historical Prices | America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. A Stock - Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=AMX&a=02&b=1&c=2001&d=02&e=8&f=2001&g=d)

From this you can use the average of the high and low prices for March 1, 2001 to get a cost basis of $17.45/share. Since then the stock has split, so you now have many more shares each with a cost basis reduced by the ratio of stock splits. The Yahoo! Site indicates that today's equivalent cost per share for March 1, 2011 after the splits is $2.42/share.

However, please explain what you mean when you say you "took control" of the stock on March 1, 2001. Did you purchase the stock that day? Did you receive it as a gift that day? Or could it be that you had previously owned Telmex stock and received the AMX stock when it spun out in 2001? The answer to your cost basis question depends very much on answering these questions. If you received these as part of the spin off your cost basis depends on the cost basis you had in your Telmex stock pre-spin off. The method for calculating how to allocate that original cost basis between AMX and Telmex post-spin off is described in this PDF document:

http://www.americamovil.com/amx/en/cm/investor/carta_de_impuestos_eng.pdf?p=29&s=53

You can get historical stock prices from yahoo.com:

AMX Historical Prices | America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. A Stock - Yahoo! Finance (http://finance.yahoo.com/q/hp?s=AMX&a=02&b=1&c=2001&d=02&e=8&f=2001&g=d)

From this you can use the average of the high and low prices for March 1, 2001 to get a cost basis of $17.45/share. Since then the stock has split, so you now have many more shares each with a cost basis reduced by the ratio of stock splits. The yahoo! site indicates that today's equivalent cost per share for March 1, 2011 after the splits is $2.42/share.

However, please explain what you mean when you say you "took control" of the stock on March 1, 2001. Did you purchase the stock that day? Did you receive it as a gift that day? Or could it be that you had previously owned Telmex stock and received the AMX stock when it spun out in 2001? The answer to your cost basis question depends very much on answering these questions. If you received these as part of the spin off your cost basis depends on the cost basis you had in your Telmex stock pre-spin off. The method for calculating how to allocate that original cost basis between AMX and Telmex post-spin off is described in this PDF document:

http://www.americamovil.com/amx/en/cm/investor/carta_de_impuestos_eng.pdf?p=29&s=53

I inherited the stock on that day. Yes, there have been a lot of twists and turns with that stock. Like you say the cost basis on that day was $17.45 and today it is at $2.42

Looking at Scottrade where I have it, they are showing a CB of $1.530 which is a difference of .89 cents X 4000 will cost me $3,560, I need to find out why the diff.

Please clarify: did you receive the stock shares on March 1. 2001, or is that the date of death of the person you inherited it from? Your cost basis should be based on the fair market value as of the date of death, which is earlier than the date it was credited to your account. So - do you know what the date of death was?

As for the data that Scottrade has - the only cost basis that they can be sure of are for trades you executed through them. That's not what happened here, so at some point over the past 12 years someone (you? Or a financia advisor at Scott Trade?) must have entered a value for the cost basis of this stock in your account data. I suggest you call their customer service to ask how that figure was arrived at. You can also try going into your account and changing it yourself.

By the way, according to this site: America Movil SAB de CV - AMX - Get Stock Split History (http://getsplithistory.com/AMX) your AMX stock has split 6:1 since March 2001. So if the decedant's date of death was March 1 2001, your cost basis would be $17.45/6 = $2.908/share. The lower figure from the Yahoo! Site is because they assume reinvested dividends.

Please clarify: did you receive the stock shares on March 1. 2001, or is that the date of death of the person you inherited it from? Your cost basis should be based on the fair market value as of the date of death, which is earlier than the date it was credited to your account. So - do you know what the date of death was?

As for the data that Scottrade has - the only cost basis that they can be sure of are for trades you executed through them. That's not what happened here, so at some point over the past 12 years someone (you? or a financia advisor at Scott Trade?) must have entered a value for the cost basis of this stock in your account data. I suggest you call their customer service to ask how that figure was arrived at. You can also try going into your account and changing it yourself.

By the way, according to this site: America Movil SAB de CV - AMX - Get Stock Split History (http://getsplithistory.com/AMX) your AMX stock has split 6:1 since March 2001. So if the decedant's date of death was March 1 2001, your cost basis would be $17.45/6 = $2.908/share. The lower figure from the yahoo! site is because they assume reinvested dividends.

Thanks for hanging with me on this, I need to find the original C/B I was given by the
Lawyer who handled the Estate. I knew nothing back then and I know very little more
today. Will get back soon. One additional point, I have not (until this year) done anything with AMX.

Update Father passed on Sept. 9,1997 on Jan. 24, 2001 I received 931 Shares of Telefonos de Mexico valued
at $46,782.75 with a $50.25 per share price. Using your split of 6, I come up with 50.25/6 for $8.375 as a rough
figure for today's C/B am I right or all wet?