Sneakers and Stock
I can’t stop thinking how much I’ve learned about investing in the last 18 months, but also how I wish I had started investing eighteen years earlier.
I mean, technically I did. I invested in my education, leading a healthy lifestyle, and career decisions that landed me where I am today. For the most part, I mean investing in retirement with the money I earned throughout my career.
I’ve always been a saver. I’ve been saving sneakers, clothing, and accessories for years with the idea that the value of my worldly possessions would increase over time, letting me resell them for a price that only I can imagine. In some cases, it worked. However, I mostly failed to generate the amount of revenue it took to meet my retirement needs.
In time, it became clear that an adjustment in retirement planning would be the most sensible thing I could do, or I’d be left hawking goods that failed to retain their value over time. I’d be kicking myself forever, especially in retirement.
Like any true sneakerhead, I started investing money from the sale of my sneakers in companies like Nike (NKE), believing this was the new path to riches. For twelve months, my initial investment sat in my account with little movement making me think that perhaps I wasn’t cut out for investing in equities.
Thirty-Six months later, NKE is trading at $82.53 (time of writing) or +71% more than I sold it for. What did I learn from my experience? I know about consumer trends in fashion, sports, and lifestyle but I don’t know how to choose stocks like a professional. To prepare for an early retirement, I’m going to need to learn about investing. That’s when I began reading books, researching, and realizing that I need to take control of my investment future.
Ironically it feels a lot like collecting sneakers, but better!
Peace,
Burke
