In my economics class, one of our assignments is to create and maintain a stock portfolio over the course of the semester. Each member of the class gets $100,000 to start, but unlike normal stock picking games, the goal is not necessarily to reap the largest return. Instead, we must research our decisions, write a prospectus, and basically act as if we were running a mutual fund. This assignment is especially timely because my parents gave me my birthday present on Thursday: stock in the company or companies of my choosing.
For a long time Dad was heavily into stocks. When he and Sue got married, the groom's wedding cake had a climbing price graph on it. I remember every morning he would turn on CNBC and watch the ticker as my sister and I got ready for school. He has told me several stories about his investment experiences: About the time he "" on some stock and could not sleep for three nights worrying about the price. About the tech stock that split twice and paid for part of his previous car. About the that cost him nothing but crashed with the dotcom bubble. He has paid less attention to the market more recently, but he still has some "hot tips" and advice for my investing.
Eric said, "That could be either a really good birthday gift, or a really bad one." I am confident it will be the former. Between the economics assignment, my father, and the long amount of time I can afford to let stock sit, I feel I have a good chance of seeing a return in the future.
