In October of 2017, I wrote and published an ebook called The Stock Market Is For Everyone. I wrote the book as an introductory guide for people who may want to invest in the stock market, but did not know where to start.
Over the last year and a half, I have had the pleasure of working with some small investors in their quest to start investing. On average, I noticed something that tended to happen once the concept of investing became demystified in their minds.
People seem to become very engaged with investing after being exposed to it. I’m not saying that they reach the level of “addiction”, like myself, but they’re likely to read more, and ask more questions.
One new investor disclosed to me that he had never in his life saved so much money. Another will text stock ideas, and ask me questions she would never have asked a year ago.
I listen to many investment-related podcasts. From these I have learned that without question, the majority of people that currently invest were exposed to it at a young age. Not everyone took to it. But the ones that did are forever grateful for their parents exposing them to investing.
One of my favorite investment stories involves two of my mentors, David and Tom Gardner, founders of The Motley Fool. The brothers were exposed to investing early in life by their father and their uncle.
One day, their father showed them statements from investing accounts that belonged to them. The father and uncle started investment accounts for the children when they were young, without them even knowing. When they graduated from college their father gave each of them an inheritance, which was an investment account with over decades of compounding.
When the brothers saw how much was invested versus how much was made, they were floored. Imagine owning 1000 shares of a company with a cost basis of 11 cents that is now $150 a share. If that’s not enough to get you hooked, then I don’t know what is!
The inheritance put the Gardners in a position to start The Motley Fool, which is a very successful newsletter and website with 12 million visitors daily.
As wonderful as the story is it starts with one thing – exposure.
I don’t care if you’re 30, 40, 50 or any other age! Get exposed to the market – and get your loved ones exposed – today.
Click the image of the book at left 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.)