Member-only story
Stock Footage
A socialist in the stock market? Yeah, I’m a hypocrite. What of it?
As much as I may rail at times against the greed of corporations, I also consider myself a pragmatist. Not in the sense that word is being used now. Pragmatist seems to be used now to mean a centrist moderate, i.e. no bold proposals, no overarching vision. No, I mean in the sense of being able to spot opportunities.
Back in 2016, I was as shocked as anyone that Trump won, and grappled with all the ramifications. Having hit 40 and dealing with a mindset that can’t help but look to the future, I was asking myself “What are you going to do if/when you can’t make a living from your physical labor?” Watching the stock market begin it’s steady rise in November and December of that year, I decided it was time to get in.
I like to gamble (conservatively), and in fact, during the fall and winter of 2016, I was playing a lot of bingo. Instead of wasting that money, I figured I’d use it for investing instead. Getting started had always seemed intimidating, but fortunately I’d finally upgraded my smartphone. I started with Acorns, but then switched to the Robinhood app. After some issues funding my account, I bought my first stocks in the spring of 2017 and I’ve been picking stocks ever since.
I was lucky. I got in and started learning the ropes during 2017 when just about everything…
