Why invest? My why is based on the desire to have more freedom in my lifestyle. One of the possibilities is that you can trade and invest from anywhere in the world. I like the idea of leverage. Your money can work harder for you instead of you working for the money. You can invest in yourself to grow more and build a prosperous mindset. Ongoing learning and improving. There is no racism, sexism or ageism and no glass ceiling attached to investing and trading in the stock mark. The is a recession proof skill set.. You can trade if the market goes up, goes down or stays neutral.
Gardening can be done anywhere and it does not know your ethnicity, sex or age and there are no limits. You can garden in containers, on rooftops, backyards and any country you choose to visit. Gardeners exist everywhere and there is a common sharing of ideas. Youtube share is easy to learn about garden techniques.
As you begin to develop a portfolio, you can start with as little as $500. You can buy one stock at a time, then add money on a regular basis and add more stocks as there is a 5 dollar move. This is the way to start small and grow over time. Stocks that I have purchased are Microsoft (MSFT), Visa (v) and Master Card (MA), Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T). If you bought one share of each of these you can invest $350. Each month add to your account $50 to $150 and over the next 90 days, you will see your account grow. In addition, each of the stocks will pay a dividend every quarter. You can also place these stocks on a watchlist such as Yahoo Finance.
Play in the dirt or gardening is a lifelong experience. No matter your age, once you have become a player in the dirt you will have lifelong memories of how flowers, veggies or fruits that you have loved. I recently visited my dear aunt who resides in assisted living. She shared her memories of growing flowers such as dahlias and collard greens. Her eyes lit up when she saw photos of my greens in my raised beds. She remembered the leaves of collards and how it was different from mustard or turnips.
When I first started, I set up an account with TD Ameritrade and did most of this online. You can also go to a local TD Ameritrade office. You can get started as soon as today. There is a 24/7 access and help via phone. The most important thing is to get started and build another source of an income stream.
How I got started gardening was when I visited my grandmother in Arkansas as a youth of 10. My grandmother had been farming acres since early 1920’s. She had never been a sharecropper and was independent and lived off the land for her existence and was a homesteader. I learned first hand what it meant to be a self-starter and the importance of being self-sufficient. I received more hands-on training as a master gardener in a local UC extension program.
My initial step into investing was fearful, I chose to work with a mentor and watch a ton of Youtube videos. I now feel more confident. I plan to share more videos and tips in blogs on the way to invest and share my experiences. Venturing into gardening means you study and learn and observe patterns. Since there are so many types of gardening styles, you can choose which style you plan to master. Here are some types that I have used, container gardens, drought tolerant planting, vegetables, fruit trees, flower growing and cottage gardens.
I believe when I share my experiences of investing and how it has changed my life, this will inspire you to take action and control of your financial future. My goal is to support you and to move forward and build your portfolio and armed to be a better investor and trader. Every blog, I will share some tips that you can use to grow and compound your account. Gardening and investing are similar in that tips and ideas can inspire you to try one idea and build on your knowledge base. If you start with a container garden and choose to grow vegetables and maybe add some fruits later. Just like investing, you must start with a foundation, develop a plan or blueprint and decide what is your long-range objective. Growing a portfolio or growing plants happens over time.
My radical change is when I set a goal to earn 2% per month. This was a simple goal is doable. I decided to stick with stocks that pay a dividend and start small. I have selected At&t and Home Depot. Both stocks pay a dividend every 13 weeks. I decided 10 shares of each stock was something that I could watch over time and see how they performed. Your account should begin to grow and compound and can weather a storm.
Planting a garden can be a simple endeavor. You can start with either some seeds or a transplant from a garden into a container. I tried both to grow a lemon tree from seeds and from a transplant. Both were easy to do. I established a container garden; that I added a mixture of soil, compost and then added the seeds and a transplant from the in-ground plant. Today the plant is growing and is ready to be moved to a larger planter and will produce many lemons this year.
Recap: start your growing of making your money work for you open a brokerage account, set a realistic goal, buy 10 shares and watch how the stocks perform. If you want more growing tips for your garden, start small and design a garden one step at a time. If you have questions, you can email me at besavvylivewealthy@gmail.com.
happy growing and investing in your future
Chari Farmer Ogogo
