Before joining MyWallSt, I spent 3 years in the Netherlands, where I became an expert on body piercings, having become a writer for a pierci
Before joining MyWallSt, I spent 3 years in the Netherlands, where I became an expert on body piercings, having become a writer for a piercing company’s blog, as well as freelancing for a local political paper. So it’s safe to say, I know a thing or two about a diversified portfolio.
My Investing Experience
I first started investing in 2014. I bought shares in Apple because I was working for them back then and had a generous share-purchase plan. I was definitely a novice investor at the time, as I sold those shares a few years later, not knowing how much I could have made if I just kept them. Now, I follow the MyWallSt approach and have built a pretty strong portfolio for myself.
My Investing Goal
My long term goal is to not have to worry about my retirement, instead I plan to simply invest for the next 20-40 years, and watch my portfolio grow. A byproduct of this approach will be a comfortable nest-egg I can use in 20 years or so to pay college tuition for my nieces and nephews, or perhaps even my own children. I will be building my own retirement fund separately, but for me, investing will give me the opportunity to have a much more exciting, and hopefully earlier, retirement.
Rewind
Here I am, 20 years ago, hard at work. Similar to today, but I’m now trying to grow a portfolio rather than a flower arrangement.
My Favourite Long-Term Stock
Apple is as I like to call it, my ‘anchor’ stock. It is the company I have built my portfolio off of, it’s the first stock I ever invested in, and it’s my largest holding. Not only am I a massive fan of their products, I believe their subscription business is second-to-none, and while many people are only just realizing the strength of their non-iPhone offerings, I think Apple has only scratched the surface of its true potential in services, medicine, and wearable tech. While the company may not show the same growth as fellow Big Tech stocks, I still don’t see anyone doing what Apple does as good as them any time soon. While Amazon and Facebook may have a multitude of potential rivals, Apple simply doesn’t in my opinion. They’re a company I know, that I’ve worked for, and that I believe in.
My Selling Regret
Selling my Apple shares in 2015 after holding them less than a year remains one of my biggest regrets. As a young man who was handed $300 more on an original investment, I saw it as a win. I used that money to help pay for a year abroad, and though I don’t regret that, I still wish I had had more sense. Had I known that that same investment would have yielded gains of more than 300% by now, I never would have sold my shares in Apple (considering I’d have more than $12,000). Luckily, I know a lot more about investing than I did then.
My Investing Strategy
I am currently using a system called dollar cost averaging, which I hope to continue doing right through to my retirement in 40 years, give or take. Currently, I try to add a $100 investment to my portfolio every pay-day. Some months it could be more, others less. I will also try, once a year, to reinvest the difference I make from my portfolio, increasing my holdings, and hopefully seeing my portfolio multiply year after year. I am still young in the investment world, and my strategies and portfolio could change over time, but I am in it for the long haul, and view dollar cost averaging as my key to a healthy portfolio.