I want to speak up for one big benefit of stock investing that doesn’t get a lot of publicity.
I think it’s fun!
Yes, fun. And I don’t just mean that making a big killing on a hot stock is fun.
I think the daily drama and the brain work and the blood, sweat and tears of researching, buying and selling stocks is totally engaging. (It may even be as immersive as playing World of Warcraft or diving into Grand Theft Auto, but I wouldn’t know from first-hand experience.)
I know it’s a fact that the ranks of investors are filled with older people, and I think that’s a good thing. I’m positive that analyzing stocks and the discipline of following market movements and making the agonizing decisions about buying and selling helps many of our subscribers keep their brains nimble. And, of course, older people have had more time to accumulate investable capital, without which you can’t get into the game.
But I can’t help wishing that we could get more young people to see stock investing for the kick-ass, full-on cage-match sport that it is. If young people want to match themselves against a worthy opponent, it would seem to me that taking on The Market, which wants to take your money and is totally merciless, would make for a great contest.
I have no idea how to get around young people’s lack of capital. But the price of entry isn’t prohibitive. With online brokers, you can start a trading account for as little as $500, which is the stock market equivalent of a learner’s permit.
Are young people impatient and headstrong? Sure. But the market is more than willing to beat those qualities out of them. The market, with its big beats and huge wins, is a lot like the drama of Texas Hold ‘Em poker; it tests first and teaches afterward.
I may be wrong, but I think lots of young people would find the market fascinating. It can be anything from a hobby to a lifelong obsession. It’s interactive, happens in real time, has a huge fan base and can even reward its players with wealth if they follow the rules. If that’s not fun, I don’t know what is.
I don’t want to be too obvious about this, of course, but a Cabot growth stock newsletter can go a long way toward raising the odds that fun and profit can go together. After 39 years, Cabot Market Letter knows the ins and outs as well as the ups and downs of the market. And the Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report and Cabot Top Ten Report have both been around the block more than a few times.
Everyone learns from experience, but smart people learn from the experience of others. And a subscription to one of Cabot’s growth letters can put seasoned advisors in your corner.
To see which letter might be right for you, just click here to take our quick quiz.