In thinking about Twilio’s 35% rise so far today, and it having been one of my two largest positions before the rise, I was struck by an important thought: I got into Twilio in January at $25.70 largely because of Bert’s recommending it in his Ticker Target newsletter. It’s now up roughly $70 from when I bought it, which is worth probably hundreds of years of a subscription to his newsletter. All it takes is one stock like this. I feel the same way about subscribing to the MF. It was their recommendation of Shopify two months in a row which got me into Shopify, which investment quintupled for me in two years, and was up over $100 when I sold it. Think how many years of subs I could have bought with the profit I made on that recommendation. It seems to me that to cut yourself off from information sources like these, saying to yourself that you can’t afford them, is very shortsighted thinking.
Just my reflection for the day.
Saul
PS - Note that neither Bert nor the MF isn’t always right. Sometimes they are very wrong. Sometimes I am very wrong. But as sources of ideas and analysis and stocks, they are invaluable, as are the sources on our board (which is also provided for free by the MF, by the way).
S
Completely agree. I would add this board to that list. This board is a special, special place. The support/reassurance from the regulars on this board really helps out during times like the recent dip.
Not because we have group think and all toot each others’ horns, but because we have hundreds of years of investing experience and investors with so many different backgrounds, upbringings, experiences, time horizons, etc to bounce ideas off of.
For me as a 30 year old, it is so comforting to know people like Saul and others have been investing through ups and downs for 30+ years.
Thank you all, I can’t stress this enough. You all have literally changed my family’s financial future and made it possible for us to prioritize more time with each other, less time on work, and within the next year, purchase EXACTLY the house we want to live in, in exactly the place we want to live.
You all have literally changed my family’s financial future and made it possible for us to . . .
Oh no, you don’t!
No offense, Austin, but no one is taking credit for your success, just as when things blow up, no one will take credit for your pain. It is your own thinking that got you here, made the decisions you made, and accepted the gains and the lumps resulting from those decisions.
Maybe Saul feels differently. Personally, I don’t want to, and won’t, feel responsible for your results. Anyone who follows any advice I give should do so knowing that they have the ultimate responsibility for those results.
I know you know this, but “You changed my life!” is placing much too much weight on any recipient’s shoulders and methinks “Thanks, Saul” (or whomever) should suffice.
I love participating in this group. But when I go broke, if I go broke, I will hold no ill will to any members. Likewise, when I win big, if I win big, I will not share my winnings with Saul, Paul or Superman’s cousin.
The returns are certainly a result of my own decisions, however this board and everyone’s thoughtful interaction and write ups helped me completely shift how I invest which is the very foundation of my returns this year.
It’s now up roughly $70 from when I bought it, which is worth probably hundreds of years of a subscription to his newsletter. All it takes is one stock like this.
Now, I know there has to be other Fools who have made less than me. I started investing in individual stocks in 1999. I found the Fool then, but didn’t know what I was doing.
Plus, for many years, I had no new money to add as times were really tight. I remember for many years saving up $500 to open a position.
So, for a small investor, unless they put all of their money into one stock, it does take more than one big win to be successful.
I’ve had 3 positions so far go up over 1,000% for me. That’s great, but if you are starting with $500-$1000 for the buy, it isn’t that much.
Now, with all of that being said, since both of my boys grew up and got free, full rides to college, I have added more money in recent years. So, my small pot of $ has grown quite a bit in the last 6 years or so. However, it’s still not that much.
I retired recently at age 50 with a pension, so my goal now is to grow my $ into a lot more in the next 5-10 years.
That’s why I’m slowly closing some positions to get more $ into high growth companies.
I can definitely recommend Bert’s newsletter, which I actually like much more than my Rule Breaker subscription. His articles are very well written and he is also always nice to answer additional questions from subscribers by email.
