Tak3natheFlood (94.14)

The Investment Upside of a 21-year old College Student

August 31, 2008 – Comments (0) | RELATED TICKERS: BFBC , BAGL

Go back many years to a time when you still took classes, drinking was taboo yet widespread, women were ubiquitous and the possibilities in this amazing world seemed greater than the open sky. Maybe I make a poor assumption in this blog but I imagine many of the readers of this post are well beyond that space in an American person's lifetime commonly called college.

For myself that time is now. In a regular week I attend four different classes, run 85 miles a week for my cross country team, socialize with my fellow students and occasionally hop on the internet to check out google finance and the articles posted on Fool.com. I have supplemented this unique education with reading some great investment texts. Therefore it has become no secret that I can do things financially with my life that many others never dreamed of. Despite costs for books and running shoes I use the money I earn working on campus to build the critical mass which will get my investments rolling. Basically if I can get enough invested to use the dividends to support my portfolio, compound interest will take care of the rest. 

Clearly age is my greatest asset towards becoming a strong investor but I think I have acquired a couple other attributes that include a good temperment and the ability to choose companies that will stand the test of time. Granted there is still alot I don't know but as long as I stay with my plan of gradually increasing my holdings each year great CEO's like Bob Iger and Michael Haverty should take care of my financial future.

Being on campus near Boston is a great boon for an investor as I get to notice massive societal trends, see prospective businesses and use the University's research resources. Free subscriptions to Fortune and Forbes magazine can aid my perspective on business and a city like Waltham is a great place to learn about Micro-Cap stocks like Benjamin Franklin Bancorp or Einstein Bros. Bagels.  

As some of my stocks have been battered over the past few months I am looking to reinforce those positions especially considering they all had stellar quarters. I hope you all do the same because, "There is a tide in the affairs of men when taken at the flood leads on to fortune."