From the time I was 5 years old to about age 18, I had an uncle that would buy me shares of stocks every year for birthdays and Christmas.
DuPont Stock Certificate
He was pretty good at it. By the time of the start of my junior year, the portfolio was worth about $15,000. Unfortunately, I was short on cash for my final college years, so I cashed in most the stocks so that I could paid for my remaining years of college. I still had some money left over, so I put the remaining cash in a savings account that I would mostly use up for rent.
Lately, I’ve been wondering how much that money would be worth if I just left it alone. By my calculations, it should have worth more than $30,000, and maybe even close to $40,000.
Even though the money went to good use, it was nice know that I had that money. Some days, I play devil’s advocate and regret using it, always asking “what if”…
I think it was great of my uncle to be so generous and wise. I’ve taken my uncle’s lead and investing small amounts of money in the stock market for my kids and a 529 program. Hopefully, they will be more wise with their money than I was.
– D
Whoa! That $20k was a nice little stash. I think you spend it wisely since you used it for education and basic necessities like shelter. But still, I hear you…just thinking about it being $30k or $40k does make my heart beat a little faster!
I thought that stocks were boring when I was younger, so I mostly just ignored them… I was pretty shocked when they added up to around $20,000 during my junior year in college…
That little surprise is what got me interested in stocks. Today, I’m mostly I’m invested in mutual funds (and maybe ETFs in the near future).
I am invested 100% in stocks and I need to diversify but I feel that right now I can stand the risk and as I get older I plan to diversify.
I agree, I have my kids in some more risky stocks (hehe I call them lottery tickets), although I am starting to diversify their asset allocation more… like a portion in foreign stocks, another portion in dividend paying REITs (most people think I’m a bit crazy to do REITs), a lot is still in small company stocks though…
We don’t own any penny stocks… their are limits in how much risk I’m will to take with their accounts… 😮
Based on the posts on your site, it sounds like you’re a pretty smart cookie! 😉
Pingback: Is the Stock Market A Fool’s Game For Us Small Investors? | Money Reasons
Pingback: Family is the most important aspect of my life | Money Reasons