In 2010, I was in debt, unemployed, and financially literate. I was overwhelmed with my circumstances and felt completely powerless. I had been living my life paycheck to paycheck never saving money and was totally dependent on the job I had. Due to a layoff at a plant I worked, for a major defense contractor, I was somewhat desperate to change my life. It was then that I decided to take a risk. Because of my technical training from the military, I knew I could get a six figure contracting job overseas. I applied for many jobs in my field. Finally, I got an offer. This was the beginning of a three year adventure that would teach me a lot about myself, and allow me to realign my goals.
Once the checks started to roll in, I began investigating how I could better understand my finances. I knew to pay down debt. I didn’t have all that much debt because at the time my credit wasn’t good enough to get into that much debt. I wanted to capitalize on the amount that I had managed to save. It was the most money I had seen before at the time and I didn’t want to lose it or squander it like I seen so many other contractors do. One day by chance, I started talking to one of my colleagues about investing. He gave me several investing books to read. I read them all. He also showed me his Scottrade account, which had around 300k in various stocks. He showed me a chart of his portfolio performance and I was impressed. He had been contracting for over 5 years and was willing to show me some of the things he had learned. Its then when I started investing in the NYSE and putting my money to work. I applied much of what he taught me as well as concepts that I learned from diligent research. I found out that not only was I making healthy returns on my investments but it turned into a passion of mine. I dived head first into quarterly reports, and annual reports of the major fortune 500 firms in the US. I also read news articles for factors that influence the price of my stocks seeing how it correlated in the market. I also discovered the value line investment survey which parses much of the data for me. Anytime I came across something I didn’t understand, I would do more research. I made some mistakes at first like everyone else but I used what I learned in my next trades. I started to developed my own strategy based on my person preferences, publications, and my affinity for technology. After contracting overseas, I decided to continue my education. In other words, I decided to invest in myself. I graduated from Florida A&M University, Sum Cum Laude. This was my best investment because not only did it increase my earning potential but I learn more about the technologies I loved. I also interviewed, visited, toured and received job offers from many of the companies I invested in.
This was important because my biggest strategy when choosing a firm to investing in is analysis of how they are leveraging various technologies such as big data, business intelligence, and analytics to name a few. This goes without saying that my portfolio is extremely tech heavy. I mitigate this by purchasing diverse ETFs and Mutual Funds with low management fees. I also investigate the funds past performance amongst other things. The stocks that I pick are typically blue chip, and I rarely short anything in my portfolio. It is my belief that with enough time and motivation anyone can generate healthy returns in the market. Like Warren Buffet says, “America’s best years lie ahead”. I share this belief and think now is the best time to invest. One just must due their due diligence and not be afraid to pick up a book or two. I created this site because investing is a passion of mine and I want to encourage other people to invest. I also want to provide accurate information so others can learn from my experiences. Many people don’t take advantage of one of the greatest economic engines the world has seen, The US stock market. I hope to play a role in changing this fact and informing others along the way.