My kids will be millionaires by the time they are 40.
Here's how:
In 2004, when I was 37 years old, I realized the power of investing was all about time in the market. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I had waited so long to get going.
So, I decided to give my two boys a
1. $MELI - MercadoLibre
Owned since 2013
19% position
Latin America's leading e-commerce and fintech platform with massive upside still ahead. Founder led. Its ecosystem of e-commerce tools/services creates a strong network effect and wide moat.
My family has stocks in 6 different accounts.
Tracking the performance was a nightmare.
So, I built my own solution.
Here's how it works (and how to build your own for free):
Keys to investing with your kids:
▪️Don't wait until they are "old enough"
▪️You don't have to invest a lot, the key is consistency
▪️Let them make their own decisions
▪️Mistakes are a great learning tool
▪️Have fun with it!
Love to hear about your experience or questions.
In 2004, when was 37 years old, I realized the power of investing was all about time in the market. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I had waited so long to get going.
So I decided to give my two boys a 30-year head start.
$MELI is my largest stock position and one of my highest conviction holdings.
One of the reasons? The long-tenured management team.
✅ Founder still involved
✅ 5 of 7 have > 20 years with MELI
✅ Most have experience in multiple functions
Their results have been amazing.
The best part is that they really "get" the benefits of buying and holding stocks for the long term.
This exercise has helped me be a better investor and I've passed the bug on to my kids. Probably my best investment ever!
I quit my 6-figure corporate job and took an 80% pay cut to start my dream job.
That was 3.5 years ago.
These 7 money principles enabled me to make it a reality!
2. $SHOP - Shopify
Owned since 2016
7% position
A powerful suite of tools and services for entrepreneurs, SMBs, and enterprises to run e-commerce businesses. Founder led. Revenue aligned with customer success creating a flywheel of growth.
Since 1998, I've owned stocks through:
▪️ dot-com boom and bust,
▪️ the financial crisis, and
▪️ the coronavirus market mayhem.
Whatever this is now, it too shall pass.
Now my "kids" are 24 & 26.
Unlike me, they have grown to be extremely patient investors and rarely check their portfolios.
We stopped funding their account once college came around, and left the stocks to grow in the background.
I always wondered why companies use EBITDA as a metric.
@BrianFeroldi
explains everything you ever wanted to know about EBITDA (and more!) in an easy-to-understand thread.
~80% of my stocks purchased since Jan. 2019 are underwater.
If you are new to investing, your results are probably similar.
Be patient...
~60% of my stocks purchased before 2019 are crushing the market's returns-- on average by 412%.
Time in the market matters.
10. Get comfortable doing nothing
This is the hardest part of investing. For most things in life, more work = more reward. Not so with investing.
“Lethargy bordering on sloth remains the cornerstone of our investment style.” -- Warren Buffett
5. $MDB - MongoDB
Owned since 2018
10% position
Most databases in use today rely on tech that was designed in the 1970s before the internet, broadband, and mobile phones.
MDB is designed for the modern era. Upgrading these legacy DBs will take decades.
The decisions were always theirs. Regardless of how I felt about the stocks.
I remember 2010 specifically. I was selling Netflix, but the kids wanted to buy shares. I let them.
At one point, those shares they bought that year turned into 40-baggers.
Because they graduated high school with a sizable nest egg, they have a massive headstart over their peers.
These investments and the LTBH habits they've built could make them millionaires before they are 40.
4. $SQ - Block
Owned since 2017
4% position
Tools for SMBs to run their business like a large enterprise. Add in the Cash App for personal finance management. Founder led. Complimentary ecosystems create a sticky platform.
9. Selling too early is hazardous to your returns
I sold out of $NFLX and $APPL in 2010, $NVDA three times, and $TSLA in 2019 (just to name a few).
Of all my investing mistakes, this one has been the most costly.
Let your winners run.
8. $OKTA - Okta
Owned since 2018
3% position
The leading player in identity management, a cornerstone for any cybersecurity plan. Plus its single-sign-on capability means users love it too. Founder led.
In 2008-2009, the market downturn wrecked my portfolio.
▪️I had no emergency fund,
▪️was the only income provider for my family, and
▪️ in March 2009, I was laid off.
I had to sell stocks at big losses to pay the mortgage.
Don't be younger me. Create an emergency fund.
$SHOP + $ETSY make up 11% of my portfolio.
My favorite thing about these two is their business models align with customer success.
A majority of revenue comes when their customers make sales. This arrangement ensures leadership acts in the best interest of customers.
3. $TEAM - Atlassian
Owned since 2017
12% position
Ecosystem of SaaS tools for work management, IT service management, and agile development. Founder led. Awesome mission to help unleash the potential of every team. Land-and-expand strategy is driving growth.
During that summer, I sat down with my two boys (ages 5 & 7) and an 11"x17" piece of construction paper. I split it into 6 sections and placed pictures or items that represented 6 companies.
Every company has 3 financial statements.
Each answers a unique question:
1. Balance Sheet: What’s your net worth?
2. Income Statement: Are you profitable?
3. Cash Flow Statement: Are you generating cash?
At the end of 2004, I owned 25 stocks...
3 went on to become incredible multi-baggers.
▪️$DECK - 21x return
▪️$AMZN - 52x
▪️$NFLX - 128x
But, I own none of these today.
Selling too early is by far my biggest investing mistake. Trying hard to not repeat that.
I gave them each a number of pennies and asked them to place more pennies on the businesses they liked the best. They picked:
▪️Dell
▪️Pixar
▪️EA Sports
▪️4Kids Entertainment
For each penny, I invested $100 in the stocks they chose in a UGMA account for each of them.
11. $NET - Cloudflare
Owned since 2020
5% position
Cloudflare runs the "express lane" through the traffic jam the internet has become. Expanding TAM. Founder led.
12. $LMND - Lemonade
Owned since 2020
4% position
Disrupting a century's old business model. Using a digital-first approach, it can provide better and cheaper insurance. Founder led.
@gkrinker
You can totally do that.
It's a lot easier for kids to relate to companies that they know.
A market index fund is hard for kids to understand.
“The best stock to buy is the one you already own.”
— Peter Lynch
A great investing strategy and mindset.
I've added to my $MELI position 12 times since I first purchased it in 2013. It's now my largest and highest conviction holding.
11. Holding for the "long term" means decades
A $10K investment in Microsoft in 1987 would be worth $6.5M today. Not to mention the $3.8 in dividends.
Not a bad reward for doing nothing for 35 years.
5. Learn about a company by reading the 10K
A 10K report includes a wealth of information on a company: how it makes money, its growth strategy, and how it's different from the competition.
If you aren't excited after reading 5 minutes, skip it and move on.
6. $TTD - The Trade Desk
Owned since 2018
6% position
As a massive shift to "programmatic" advertising occurs, TTD's platform will enable advertisers to get their ads in front of the right consumers through any digital platform. Founder led.
1. $MELI - MercadoLibre
Since 2013
22% position
Cum. return: 224%
Why?
Its ecosystem of complementary e-commerce tools/services creates a strong network effect, sticky service, and wide moat. Its fintech segment could become even larger than its e-commerce business in time.
1. Sometimes the best investment is one you already own
For years I avoided adding to my Amazon position and made 100s of other stock buys. I knew $AMZN was a winner, but largely ignored it for the "excitement" of adding a new stock to my portfolio.
$DDOG is a 6% high-conviction holding for me. Why?
It has a super "sticky" platform that brings incredible value to customers.
Its product footprint is growing like crazy with existing customers AND its $1M customers have quadrupled in the last 2 years.
14. Buy in thirds
Ease into buying a new position by buying a smaller portion to start and add more later.
If the stock goes up, you feel great. If it goes down, you will be excited to buy more at a better price.
15. $DDOG - Datadog
Owned since 2021
6% position
Leader in observability, enabling IT teams to easily keep tabs on an ever-growing and complex hybrid and cloud enterprise tech stack. Founder led. Innovation engine driving tremendous growth.
17. $PLD - Prologis
Owned since 2022
4% position
Picks and shovels play on e-commmerce. Largest distribution center REIT. Healthy and growing dividend. Founder led.
The financial statements are interrelated.
Each views a company’s financials from a different angle.
When combined, they provide a more complete view of a company’s true financial position.
16. $DLR - Digital Realty
Owned since 2021
4% position
Picks and shovels play on cloud infrastructure. Largest data center REIT. Healthy and growing dividend.
After a couple of years, I shared the account balances with them, so that they wouldn't select stocks that were already more than 10% of the portfolio.
I showed them how to place limit orders and buy the number of shares they wanted.
And some that have bombed:
▪️4Kids Entertainment went to zero
▪️Nintendo and Gamestop shares were sold at a loss
▪️Sony and Outback Steakhouse went nowhere
10. $ZM - Zoom Video
Owned since 2019
3% position
During the coronavirus, Zoom proved that remote work is possible and has become a must-have tool for enterprises no matter where their employees work. Founder led.
1️⃣ Moving into stable dividend-paying stocks over time
This year I've built positions in
■ Digital Realty $DLR
■ Prologis $PLD
Both complement my investing style but pay dividends.
Looking to make dividend payers 40%+ of my portfolio by 2032.
We rarely sold.
I used their returns to show them the power of long-term buy and hold.
When one of the stocks had a great day, or was a double from when they originally purchased. I let them know.
4. Quality stocks carry a premium valuation.
Amazon has never seemed cheap by traditional valuation metrics. Yet over the last decade, it returned investors 10-bagger returns (averaging 25% gains annually).
Pay up for quality.
As they got older, I got them more involved in the process.
They would pick stocks from the summer edition of the Motley Fool Stock Advisor where all the service's stocks were reviewed.
We used a spreadsheet to "split up" the investment based on current stock prices.
12. Just keep buying.
Market timing is a fool's errand. You'll never call the top or the bottom of any investment consistently.
Add to your portfolio on a monthly basis.
In the summer of 2005, I reminded them about the "pennies" exercise. But this time, I asked them to pick companies they were familiar with.
I got eye rolls and a little pushback. But it didn't take too much time and I was able to keep their attention for a few minutes.
Posted 21 years ago on
@themotleyfool
forums, this simple sentiment from Motley Fool member "Markoose" continues to stay with me.
Because I saved it. Even spoke to it on
@RBIPodcast
, in my very first "Great Quotes" episode.
Hope it helps you too. Happy Sunday.
#Foolishness
14. $SE - Sea Limited
Owned since 2020
2% position
Gaming+E-commerce+Payments, a triple threat in the massive market of Southeast Asia. Founder led. Long runway of growth globally and within core region.
Think about that.
😟While it's true that $CRWD Net Income LOSSES were over $300M
🤑It's also true that $CRWD Free Cash Flow GAINS were nearly $800M
Knowing that is vitally important with stocks tanking and sources of funding drying up. The company can self-fund if it wants!
1B: What I focus on first:
1️⃣ Cash & Equivalents: How much?
2️⃣ Debt: How much vs. cash?
3️⃣ Goodwill: How much?
4️⃣ Retained Earnings (+ T.S.): Positive?
5️⃣ Receivables & Inventory: How much?
End of January 2020 top ten holdings:
$MELI (11.2% of stock portfolio)
$SHOP (9.8%)
$MDB (5.8%)
$AYX (5.2%)
$DOCU (5.0%)
$SQ (4.7%)
$TWLO (4.6%)
$OKTA (4.5%)
$AMZN (4.4%)
$TDOC (4.0%)
= 59.3% of my overall stock portfolio
8. Saving 10% of your salary won't enable you to retire when you want.
@mrmoneymustache
Laid this out clearly.
A 10% savings rate means you need to work over a half-century before you can retire.
I imagine that's not ideal for most people.
Source:
7. $DOCU - DocuSign
Owned since 2018
3% position
E-signature has been an amazing first "act". Stock is "on hold" to see if they can follow it up with a lucrative and growing second act.
4️⃣ Bought Veeva Systems $VEEV
▪️Leader serving the $2T Life Sciences industry
▪️Proven innovation engine
▪️Financials are stellar: Profitable, great cash flow, and no debt
I've owned Veeva in the past, so welcoming it back to the fold.
6️⃣ Bought Crowdstrike $CRWD
▪️Leader in cybersecurity
▪️Founder-led, massive growth, and innovative
▪️ Recession-resistant critical service for businesses
I've avoided $CRWD as I didn't understand the industry, but it's now clear it can win, regardless of its valuation.
3B: What I focus on first:
1️⃣ OCF: Positive or negative?
2️⃣ CapEx: More or less than OCF?
3️⃣ NCC: Any big numbers? S.B.C.?
4️⃣ Stock: Issuance or buybacks?
5️⃣ Debt: Borrow or repay?
2. Don't overlook the obvious
The accomplished investor Peter Lynch encouraged people to buy what they know. Disney, Home Depot, and Apple have been incredible investments hiding in plain sight for years.
3. Cheap stocks are cheap for a reason
It can be tempting to buy an unloved stock with a low valuation. My investment in Leapfrog's "cheap" stock only got worse as its competition got better.
Avoid cheap.
Summary:
1️⃣ Shifting gradually into stable dividend-paying stocks
2️⃣ "Fully invested 100% of the time" isn't the best approach for me
3️⃣ Industry-focused software tools have an inherent moat
4️⃣ Founders aren't always right
5️⃣ A 2nd act isn't a sure thing, real optionality is key
It's been a tough market for tech investors lately. But patience will be rewarded.
When I get frustrated with the current market conditions, I like to look at my portfolio returns by holding period.
All in, these moves weren't huge.
2% positions: $VEEV, $AXON, $CRWD
1% position: $TOST
But now I have skin-in-the-game, I'm going to watch these stocks more closely and add as I can.
They suggested:
▪️Ebay
▪️Target
▪️Gamestop
▪️Outback Steakhouse
▪️Nintendo
So we did the thing with the construction paper and pennies again. I invested $100 for every penny into each kid's account based on their decisions.
9. $TWLO - Twilio
Owned since 2018
3% position
Digital communications platform that hooks to legacy software providing its customers the ability to engage with their customers without having to overhaul their tech stack. Founder led.
3️⃣ Not ignoring "industry-focused" software tools
Specific industry-focused businesses have an inherent advantage over general-purpose software.
Veeva, Toast, and Axon Enterprise customers can't live without their software.
That's a powerful moat.
$MDB is an 8% high-conviction holding for me.
Why?
▪️ Every application needs a database to run.
▪️ New apps are being developed every day.
▪️ Legacy apps will eventually need an upgrade.
$MDB is a developer favorite and yet has only a tiny sliver of the $85B market.
Top 10 holdings:
$MELI
$TEAM
$SHOP
$MDB
$TTD
$DDOG
$LMND
$PLD
$NET
$ETSY
For transparency: portfolio returns as of 10/31/22 vs. S&P
😤YTD: (57%) vs (18%)
🤬1-YR: (64%) vs (15%)
😐3-YR: 10% vs 34%
😐5-YR: 54% vs 64%
😐10-YR: 183% vs 233%
😁 Since 10/2008: 360% vs 329%