I wrote my book, The Stock Market is for Everyone, and started this blog to educate, inspire and inform the average Joes and Janes out there who know nothing about investing or the stock market.
It has been nearly a year, and I’m happy to know that several of you have taken my suggestions and are now invested! I’d like to feature your stories in future posts so that together we can inspire even more people to begin their journey to financial freedom.
AnneMarie is a beginning investor who shared her story here last year. She’s back today to talk about what her first year as a stock market investor has been like:
ANNEMARIE’S STORY, A YEAR LATER
Hi, everyone!
I’m pleased to be returning to the Wealthy Joe Investing blog to talk about how my investing is going.
When I left you last fall, I had been investing for a couple of months using the Robinhood app. I held stock in two companies and my portfolio at the time was worth a few hundred dollars.
Today, in addition to my Robinhood account, I have a Roth IRA through TD Ameritrade. Between the accounts, I hold stock in eight companies. Both my accounts have made money since I opened them, and the value of my entire portfolio is a little over two months of the net salary I make at my 9 to 5 job.
I fund my accounts via a percentage of my biweekly paycheck (usually around 10 percent), through side work, and using the Dollar-a-Day method. I didn’t experience some windfall that caused me to have money to invest; my freed-up funds largely came about through habit changes like preparing my own meals instead of ordering takeout. This was all money I would have had anyway. I simply made the choice to use it to invest in my future financial freedom instead of engaging in meaningless consumption.
I LOVE investing. And it’s not because of the returns. Yes, the stock market rises over time, and it’s definitely the best place to be putting away money for my future. But that’s not why I love investing.
I love investing because when I buy stock, I become a part owner of a company. As a shareholder of eight companies, it’s in my interest to follow them, to read about what they’re doing, to be able to explain to others why I’ve invested in them. That is the absolute most exciting part of investing for me.
Two of the companies I own shares in are Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV) and Roku (NASDAQ: ROKU). Myovant is a biopharmaceutical company that is testing an investigational treatment for uterine fibroids, endometriosis and prostate cancer. Roku is the leader in TV streaming devices. I am excited about what both businesses are doing and about the growth potential of each.
As a result of becoming invested, I’m learning things I never knew about before, and never thought I’d be interested in. As a shareholder, I feel as though I am a direct participant in growth and innovation that is transforming our world.
Investing in the stock market is good for me financially, intellectually, and psychologically. It’s hands down the best decision I have ever made, and I hope that those of you who haven’t started yet do so. The time is now!
My book, The Stock Market is For Everyone, is a short guide for the beginning, inexperienced investor that is easy to understand and can be put into action immediately.
Click here to be taken to its Amazon page.
(Disclosure: As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, I earn a small commission on each sale generated through these links.)
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