Informational Update on Buying Stocks

My great investment adventures in the stock market continues.  I am investing anywhere from $300 to $700 a month.  I consider this my retirement fund.

I really like the Disney stock (DIS).  It has been good to me.  My 14 shares have gained $444 since I starting purchasing them a year ago.  I bought my first 4 shares at $68, and an additional ten when DIS was around $75 a share.  It is currently about $110 and I think it will hover there a while.

I also was surprised how well my Rite Aide stock has done.  I bought it thinking it a good risk, and it has risen and made me a few dollars.  It is still cheap to get in at under $9 a share.  It doesn't pay dividends, but it has potential.

I also just purchased INN and have been happy with it. It is a dividend paying stock and my 40 shares have made me $5 in just 2 days.

I am really disappointed in my Real Goods (RGSE) stocks.  They reverse split, and that is never a good sign. This was a company I really believed in, but then the original company bought itself back out of the bigger company. This was the first stock I bought.  I used to own a 100 shares, but thanks to the reverse split I now own 5.  For me to make my money back, those 5 shares would need to be worth about $65 each. I just don't see that happening, so I am going to sell what I have at a loss and get out.  I figure it will be a good tax deduction.  Thankfully my Disney stock has made more than RGSE has lost me.

Canon Inc. has also be a decent stock to own.

My other investments are just hovering and haven't really cost or gained me anything (though some pay a dividend).

Since I'm not a day trader, but investing long haul for retirement, I have time to see if my so-so's go up.

Happy Investing!

The Stock Market, Scribophile and Life

I have always liked learning, as well as writing, so finally I have decided to learn about the Stock Market and investing. This has been somewhat of a challenge. I am discovering that almost everyone I know does not own stocks other than what is in their work-established retirement plans. The books available at my local library cover how to pick a good stock, but not the nitty-gritty of how to buy stocks. I've discovered the on-line brokers won't let you into their websites unless you give away you social security number and your bank account. I wouldn't mind that if I was a hundred percent certain their site is the one for me, but I sure would like to look at them first before I sign over all my vital stats.

I pumped the one person I know who has owned and purchased stocks today, but his experience was limited to buying utility companies, and only through a broker many years ago. He has no experience buying over the computer. He did say I need to make sure that when I buy a stock that it is registered in my name with the company and not held in some joint account. That sounds like sound advice. Clearly, I have more research to do.

Meanwhile, I have found a great website for getting my writing edited. The one glitch is I have to edit other people's work before I can post mine. That isn't so bad though, because almost all the stories I read are really decent.

This site is free (though you can pay for the extras). It's called Scribophile and can be found at scribophile.com.