Mikeoxenormous
Diamond Member
- Thread starter
- #101
The difference between you and me, is that i study what i am investing in, instead of just looking for the get rich quick Crypto phase. I want to know what the business plans are, where their growth is coming from, what they are doing to keep the customers happy. It isnt hard to do this, just takes about one hour a day, but to most uneducated people, all this stuff, is just way over their head, which is why they never invest, but bitch and moan that they have to live paycheck to paycheck. I got my degree in the school of life, i am living it to the fullest.Although hindsight is perfect, picking a winner over a 40 or 50 year period is not that easy. Take a look at some top picks in the 60's and 70's, companies like Polaroid, who declared bankruptcy in 2001, Xerox whose return on investment is less that treasury bonds, and IBM a sure winner in the 1970's whose return has been about 2 percentage points lower than the S&P 500. And then there was K-Mart who went from Blue Light Specials to bankruptcy. You were lucky with Home Depot. Seeking high risk is not the key to investment success, minimizing risk while maximizing returns is.I have been investing since 1987 and i was newly married and a son on the way. I put as much money into HD stock which was 10 percent of my minimum wages per year, my wife was a nervous Nelly just like you, and said "what if the stock drops", in which i replied, i will buy more stocks when it is lower. Today, with all my investing i have over 35,000 shares of HD. There is still money out there to be made, it isnt FINITE, but in a capitalist society where the market is free, the wealth that is created is enormous. Those that sit on the sideline bitching and moaning how life isnt fair, so want the government to steal from me so the government can give it to those not deserving of it, really pissing me off.I was addressing investing in the stock market. Taking a high risk job overseas to provide for your family is a different ballgame.Again, it was providing for the family that i took the risk to leave the United States and go into a Muslim country so i could give them a better life once i got back. I mean we went over there just to do a two year tour, and when it was found out, it wasnt as bad as i thought, we stay 5 1/2 years until the camel jockeys blew up the Khobar Towers killing young kids while they slept. You can thank Bill Clinton on that one...Risk is for those that can afford it. Failing to provide for your family's immediate needs in order to take the risks needed to accumulate a fortune is not a good idea if you truly care for your family. First you provide for the families immediate needs, a home, food, clothing, healthcare, dental care. life insurance, and misc. needs of the family. Then a safety net when the bad times hit, then retirement, college education for the kids, and if anything remains, investing for the future of the family. Today 41% of American families are not able to cover a $1,000 emergency and certainly can't afford to risk what little funds they have in the market.I had a family to support and that was the major reason to have some risks. Do you think the pioneers who went out west with their families did it so they could be safe and secure, hell no, they took the risk in finding a better life...some didnt, but many did..Not everyone can take risks, particularly if they have a family to support. I too have done very well financially. I only wish today, I had spent more time with my family and less time chasing the almighty dollar. In the long run, it's not how much money you accumulated in your life but rather what you actually did with your life that made a difference in the lives of others.After high school i went to work at McD's at $2.10 an hour while going to the University of Cincinnati. After 6 months i realized that college wasnt for me, so i tried to get a full time job, but McD's only had part timers, of my age. I went to work at Bill Knapp's as a short order Chef again making $2.10 an hour but after i was certified to work the whole kitchen i got a 15 cent raise and was able to work alone during off peak hours. Then 6 months later the wonderful government decided that minimum wage should be $2.25 an hour so i was working entry level wages again, even though i had the responsibility to be alone, while entry had to have supervision. Thanks Progressives. So i left Bill Knapp's and went into the military where i could fix jets. Spent 9 /12 years there, learning all i could about A-10s and F-15s, and when i got out, had to go back to making 10 cents above minimum wage, but at Home Depot, a stock clerk. This is where i learned about investing in stocks, and since HD was going for 35 dollars a share(after all the splits the cost value is under a dollar), i put in the max contributions , while the dividends were only paying 16 cents per share. Then the break i had been waiting for happened. A job opening in Saudi Arabia working the Royal Saudi AF F-15s base pay was $12 an hour with $6 cost of living allowance plus contract bonus complete award of $7,000 and 2 paid vacations($10,000 per family to use or put in the bank). So every year for 5 1/2 years i continued to purchase HD stock, also contribute to McDonnell Douglas stock(which got bought out by Boeing). Today i have over 35,000 shards of HD, and plenty of other dividend paying stocks. Why, because i took risks, with risks come rewards(and sometime failures), those who dont take a risk, mostly live paycheck to paycheck, live moderately in lifestyle, and those i respect, but the progressive slave who bitches and moans that their lives were made victim because someone like me took their shit away, are just that, slaves to their progressive masters. That is a little history that i share. I have had plenty of people go and take a risk, and they have been rewarded. Those that didnt listen, are still slaves..
hd stock history - Bing
Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.www.bing.com
View attachment 488727