How many of us plan out their financial future? Well some do, some don’t, and some don’t care.
Let me share with you my experience…
One day a friend of mine recommended me a book and he said it will change the way I look at money. Well, I took his advice and started the reading the book. It got me intrigued; adrenaline started pumping, and I became restless – in a good way! 
The next few days, I spent time thinking about investing. The objective was to earn extra money – wise money, stable future, retirement golf etc. The book focused on real-estate investment but not much about stock markets, but the idea was clear – invest and make wise-decisions and build a stable future!
Anyway, I decided to a research on companies, which had high-risk stocks. High-risk usually results into High-returns, but it is High-risk!
I started reading about these companies, their latest ventures, income statements, latest news etc. on Yahoo.com, MSN.com, and Fool.com Trust me; these websites have wealth of information.
Finally, I picked up 2 stocks (April 2007) and did some more research. Invested some money and sat back and relaxed. I was little was afraid though. The thought of loosing money is no fun, but think of it as an investment – a fee paid towards learning about stock markets. Think positive – always.
Anyway, the next month I bought stocks in two more companies – again high-risk stocks, and suddenly few months down the line I realized that I had bought stocks in 7 different companies! Sweet!
I remember in the first couple of months the stocks took a big plunge, but the recovery was quick. As of today my overall return has been 21%. Not bad. Better than my Savings and CDs.
So here is my individual return portfolio -
Communication (US): -23.61%
Oil and Gas – Oil Sands (Canada): +47.46%
Electronics Manufacturing and Supply Chain Services (US): +22.08%
Software Services (US): +14.96%
Oil and Natural Gas (US): +16.27%
Natural Gas (China): +52.53%
Gold and Copper Concentrate Producer (US): -4.84%
Being careful and reading is essential for this game. Don’t jump into something, if you don’t have a clue of it’s depth. Don’t be greedy.
“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” – Erich Fromm
By the way, the book was “Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money—That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!” - by Robert T. Kiyosaki (Author), Sharon L. Lechter
An awesome book!
