My First Experience as a New Stock Investor

A few weeks ago I have decided to venture into stock investing. I know, many people are scared of this because of the risks associated. However, if you come to think about it, investing in stocks is actually not that risky if you do your research and you invest in the right companies. It can be easier to do than starting your own business and it does not require that many skills.

Just imagine only working a few hours a day doing a bit of research and placing a few well intentioned trades and you are done. This is my dream lifestyle and I firmly believe that this can be accomplished.

I am not saying that it is easy to make a living trading stocks. However, nothing worth while is that easy to begin with. I guess there may be some exceptions, but you know for the most part this is true. As a new investor I understand all the risks involved with stock investing and I am willing to take my chances.

At this point in my life being almost thirty years old I realize that I cannot risk having to work my horrid customer service job for the rest of my life. I mean don't get me wrong, I am thankful to be making a regular paycheck and to have free health insurance from my company. However, the personal cost is just too high to pay for this little piece of security.

I work forty hours a week. Most of my time in any given year is spent sitting on the phone with a bunch of unthankful rude customers who think that everything in life should be free. They think that just because they pay money to a company they have the right to curse at a Customer Service Representative and be as rude as they possibly can. And get this, we are not allowed to hang up on them or curse them back because the customer is always right even if they are clinically insane.

Now my company is changing policy to where we do not need to ask the person if there is anything else they needed, we can just hang up and end the call. Verizon FIOS actually allows their representatives to hang up on customers if they do not like the way the conversation is going. I use Verizon for my cell phone service and let me tell you I avoid calling these people at all costs. Even at the store they do not recommend to contact the customer service line.

Well, getting back to the topic of investing. I would like to have more personal time and freedom to do the things that are important to me. I would like to get in shape and meet someone special. I would like to have friends and start a family. I would like to participate in hobbies and other fun activities. I would like to have the ability to take a vacation when I want, take a day off when I want, eat when I want, and go to the bathroom without being scared that my boss will somehow penalize me for doing so one time too often or for staying in there too long.

I would like to feel that I am a human being with some kind of personal dignity and not just some body they are using to fill a space. I am important and I want to live accordingly. I know that my dream may be too good to be true. However, nothing will stop me from trying. I have already started investing with only five hundred dollars and I plan to invest more. I will use margin and I will take credit card loans if necessary. No matter what I am determined to get my freedom.

I have a certain type of personality that when I get really determined to do something, there is nothing that can stop me. I feel this weird excitement inside me. It starts from my gut and goes through my heart and often comes out of my mouth. I like to share my excitement with people I know and also with readers like you. I appreciate you stopping by to look at my page and to follow the journey with me.

Freedom is a very valuable asset. Our forefathers have fought very hard to obtain it. However, sadly freedom these days seems to be mainly for the rich. They have unlimited resources and have the ability to do in their life as they choose. Sometimes money can trap you though and I do not want that to happen to me. For me money is not an end, it is the means to an end. It is the necessary thing for me to enjoy my life. However, I am not one of those people totally obsessed with money. Money will never change me as a person, however, I may change a bit the way I behave.

There are no real guarantees in life and unfortunately you cannot walk around with a security blanket. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. I am not a religious person, but still I decided to take a chance.

My first stock investment happened to be a disgruntled Fortune 500 company named Broadcom. This interesting company provides chips for electronic devices like smartphones and tablets. On July 24th, 2013 this stock hit it's 52 week low and I decided to purchase it. The stock did not have the brightest future ahead of it and it certainly was not on anyone's Strong Buy list. The company itself is not so horrible and I thought that it went down just enough for me to make a profit.

As a new investor, I failed to do the necessary research to secure a quick return on my investment. I still think I got a good deal for my money and that in a few months the stock price will go up to where I can sell my shares at a profit. As for now, I am stuck in my position until further notice. I decided to use Scottrade for my investment purposes. This firm has great customer service. They have physical locations in my area and they are insured. They are cheap in comparison to other brokers and I just love the 24/7 online chat feature. Very cool and convenient. There are no fees to maintain an account that is not active either.

My next move will be investing in stocks that have a fairly low risk and a good upside. I may go with a recommendation from a professional stock analyst, but I will also do my own research. As for my current position in Broadcom, it has been going up a bit and I try not to pay too much attention to the cynics. They never do anyone any favors.