What was your first investment?

[GoldenFinch]

It was 1999. A good friend told me technology stocks were printing money and I was a fool not to invest. I opened an ETrade account and bought $2500 of Janus Global Technology (JAGTX). It kept going up and I kept buying more. Many valuable lessons were learned over the next couple of years.

I had to Google JAGTX. Not pretty.

[plumberboy]

Prudential Utility Fund. Early 1980's

[fortyofforty]

That's a trip down (painful) memory lane. If I recall, and in no particular order, I was in Gabelli Growth (Elizabeth Bramwell), Lindner Fund (Kurt Lindner), Scudder Global Growth, and Selected American Shares (Donald Yacktman). Funny that I can still remember the names of the fund managers, in some cases.

[Whiggish Boffin]

In 1983, I opened my first IRA with $513 into the Value Line Leveraged Growth Investors Fund (VALLX), and kept contributing into 2006.

Now, why did I do that? I bought Value Line's story that they could pick winners, so the expense ratio and the use of leverage would be overwhelemed by their expert genius maneuvers.

It was no-load, with 1.13% expense ratio. Rated by Kiplinger's / Changing Times (Nov. 1982) as one of the most consistent top performers, along with Fidelity Magellan, Twentieth Century Growth Investors, Twentieth Century Select Investors, and the Lindner Fund. In 1991, it advertised it had returned twice the S&P500 over the past 15 years. I guess the outperformance all happened in 1976-1982, because I never saw any. The quarterly reports had frequent apologies.

VALLX is now called the Value Line Larger Companies Focused Investors Fund. The Morningstar $10k growth chart since 1983 shows it still hasn't caught the S&P500.

But it did grow, and I kept shoveling money in. Around 2005, I noticed, hey, this is getting to be serious money, and I'd better figure this investment stuff out. I bounced from Harry Dent, to Ben Stein, to Jeremy Siegel, to David Swensen, to Burton Malkiel, to Bogleheads, and here I am still.

[MNGopher]

My grandfather gifted me AMHOIST (American Hoist and Derick) when I was a young boy.

The company went under soon after.

[CABob]

Not including Series E savings bonds that were given to me and a passbook savings account my first "adventure" was an IPO. A friend worked for the company and said the company was going to go public and there was some money to be made. I and several other friends bought the IPO at $5/share for 100 shares which was significant amount to me at the time. I held on for a couple of years and eventually sold the shares at $16. Luckily, this experience didn't ruin me for the future and I haven't invested in an IPO since. My friend who initially told me about the "opportunity' had restricted shares and he wasn't able to sell until the company went in the tank.

[4nursebee]

What I recall was having stock in a company EAC 20+ years ago. If memory serves me correctly it was this company at the time: http://www.hooverprecision.com/history- ... n-products

Family worked for them, not sure if I am blending stories or not. It was given to me.
I followed the price of gold but never bought.
As an adult, did the VG SP 500 index fund before selling it and buying NFLX around $30 based upon the fool brothers, sold for a small quick gain.

[Fieldsy1024]

2007 100% in Boeing Stock. I fell in backwards into it and wish I had a nice lump sum. It was when I first got hired and met the match in my 401k. I got in when it was 28 a share and got out at 107 (I think). After that I went life cycle.

[Da5id]

Japan Fund and Fidelity Magellan, both after their heyday. Apparently "past performance does not guarantee future results". I was young.

Switched to Vanguard Total Stock Market and Extended Market funds shortly thereafter, back in the day when you had to pay a fee to buy them (.25% and 1% respectively, paid to the fund). Haven't bought a non-index fund since outside of restrictive 401k plans...

[Rob54keep]

In 1982, my HR rep thought I should invest in the company 401k. I started investing in company stock and GIC's earning more than 9%! Outside of the 401k, after reading the Mutual Fund ratings in a Money magazine (1986) I decided to start investing in both Vanguard Prime MMA and Fidelity Puritan Fund.

[packet]

Fidelity Magellan fund, ~1995/6.

It was my introduction to 401k. I picked Magellan for no particular reason, maybe someone said it was good or something. I had no clue, all I knew was there was matching contributions and it sounded too good to pass up!

Shortly thereafter I was introduced to stock options. I was called into the top dog's office one day, pretty unusual for a lowly IT guy who was hired only a few months prior... I remember being scared outa my mind... how could I be getting in this much trouble when I thought I was knocking the job out of the park!? The guy sat me down and told me I was receiving stock options and that only a select few were getting them and I probably shouldn't tell anyone etc etc. I must have just been staring back in continued panic. He eventually, said, "You know this is a good thing... right? This is a reward for the great job you've been doing." I mumbled the best "thank you" I could muster after being dismissed...

I think the stock options are what got me interested in learning more about the real world of investing and saving for retirement. Unfortunately, I didn't discover Bogleheadism for many many years after.

:beerCheers,
packet

[JimmyD]

$1,000 in ISIS Pharmaceuticals (now IONIS Pharmaceuticals) back in 2002.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I read a compelling article (likely on Motley Fool) that convinced me that it was a great deal after the 25% slide with huge upside potential. I held onto it for a couple years, but eventually got bored and sold for a loss to invest in another Motley Fool pick, Select Comfort. Made a few bucks on that one, but nothing to write home about.

It was shortly thereafter that I discovered the Boglehead philosophy and it's been smooth sailing ever since. Now, I hold zero in individual stocks and only invest in low cost index funds according to a defined, tax-efficient and risk-based asset allocation strategy.

[ANC]

Kemper Money Market Fund during the high inflation of the late 1970's. If I recall correctly, during its peak it was earning something like 1.2%-1.5% per month (not year).

[Boomer01]

When I was in high school I set up an account with Janus and began contributing $100/month into the Growth and Income Fund.

[Timoneer]

Westinghouse, back in the 1960's. I was a teenager interested in electronics and I read about Westinghouse developing a new lithography process for making these newfangled integrated circuits. With my savings of maybe $100 or $200, I asked my father to place an order for some stock with his broker. I kept waiting for the stock to spike but it never happened. I sold it a few years later at a modest gain to help pay for college expenses.
Only time I ever bought an individual stock.

[best2u]

I bought a Hereford steer when I was ten years old. Called it dynamite. Won a red ribbon and a blue ribbon at the county fair. Had a tear in my eye when it went to slaughter. After all expenses my net profit was like $40 to $50.

[Alchemist]

USSPX (USAA's S&P 500 index fund) back in mid-2009 when I opened my Roth IRA upon graduating college and starting my career (military officer). It isn't the best index fund with an expense ration of .25 but hardly the worst place to start. I actually kept that until USAA switched their IRA's to brokerage and I was able to trade it for FUSVX (Spartan 500 fund) for no transaction costs and drop the expense ratio down to .06. Yes I could have gone with a TSM fund but I like having the S&P 500 as my Roth IRA's only holding for personal reasons. I do, however, hold VTSAX in my taxable account.

[dodecahedron]

Passbook saving account, circa 1960. Interest rate was 4%, capped by the federal regulatory ceiling. As I recall, the minimum balance to open was $5, and the bank gave me a free Brownie camera as a premium for opening the account with that minimum. I believe my paternal grandmother set me up with it and I faithfully deposited gifts and earnings from babysitting over the years.

If you don't count that, then there's the single share of Brunswick Corporation common stock my other grandmother gifted me for my 8th grade graduation in 1967. Her basis was about $8 and quarterly dividends were 2 cents at first (and although they grew, they were consistently less than the postage required to mail the dividends for many years afterwards.) I eventually signed up for dividend reinvestment program to simplify my life. The stock split a few times so I wound up with 9 point something or other shares in the end. Odd lot commissions were too high to consider selling but eventually about 25 years later the company made me an offer I couldn't refuse--they bought me out at market value for around $100, with no transactions costs on my part.

It was fun and educational following the stock in the paper all those years and reading the annual reports too. All in all a good investment by my grandmothers.

[22twain]

Kemper Money Market Fund during the high inflation of the late 1970's. If I recall correctly, during its peak it was earning something like 1.2%-1.5% per month (not year).

That was my first investment, too, besides bank checking and savings accounts. That fund replaced my savings account until interest rates receded in the mid 1980s. Thanks for jogging my memory! I remembered the money market fund, but I had forgotten the name.

Then when i got my first "real job" after graduate school, I started with a TIAA 403(b) plan, splitting my contributions 50/50 between TIAA Traditional and CREF Stock. I'm still doing it, more than 30 years later, with a different employer.

[gary11]

Some Dean Witter stock growth fund - I may still have paper trails. This was back in 1997. I vividly remember stopping by to their office and writing the check for $1500 and feeling odd about only $1350 being invested into fund. I was still year or yeah and half away from finding out about Vanguard and Diehards forum on M*. And then also it would still take me few more years to end all of my non-Vanguard experiments (aka Janus etc.). Good times!

[ofcmetz]

I bought Wal-Mart stock while employed there in college in 1998ish. I remember selling this stock along with some of my wife's Home Depot stock to help pay for our wedding and honeymoon. I haven't bought any individual stocks since then.

[Atilla]

First investment was some kind of moderate fund through my 401K that held a healthy slug of bonds.

This was leading into and through the dot com bubble so even though I was way too conservatively invested for my age at the time it turned out well.

[topper1296]

EE Saving Bonds that had a rate of ~8% at the time.

[joe8d]

20th Century Growth Fund.

[EyeYield]

Coca Cola KO - 10 Shares - My first DRIP certificate, bought sometime in the mid '60's - Jt Ten with my mom at her suggestion.
Sentimentally in my safety deposit box, still reinvesting the divs.
Haven't added to it in years.

Or was it Allied Chemical? - Bought them both in the same time frame.

[GMan82]

JALGX. John Hancock Lifestyle Growth Class A shares. I was about 28 years old and halfway through my medical residency. The plus? My financial advisor got me invested and into appropriate disability. The minuses? 1. 5% of my monthly contributions disappeared into someone else's pocket, but still counted as part of my Roth contribution for the year, even though it didn't enter my account. 2. Listed ER of about 1.37%, though Net is about 0.47%.

I read the White Coat Investor and the Boglehead's Guide to Investing last year and then quickly dropped that fund and transferred to Vanguard where I've joined the ranks of the Boglehead's.

Life-changing.

[Doom&Gloom]

Aside from passbook savings and EE bonds:

1974: Deere, Merck, Pfizer, Johns Manville, and Kennecott Copper IIRC.

[Sheepdog]

In the WWII period, as a boy, I purchased $25 War Bonds at school. They cost $18.75 each. Later, as an adult, with other than savings accounts and CDs, it was The Wellington Fund, in the 1960s, before Vanguard was started. Wellington was later purchased by Vanguard. That Wellington had been inherited by my wife from her grandfather who purchased it in the 1930s.
My first purchase was PPG stock starting in 1963, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. then, as a company stock purchase plan. Then in the mid 60s I read about something called a mutual fund. I purchased the T. Rowe Price fund....they had only one called just that, if I remember correctly.

[fmzip]

First Investors Variable Life Policy in 1993....

Still have it today but ridded myself of the Financial advisor that sold it to me when I found Bogleheads just a few short years ago

[sharpjm]

~$700 in Intel in high school. After a few months I sold and it was enough of a profit to buy a new intel processor

[Swansea]

A CD yielding 9.25%.

[Dead Man Walking]

Magellan when Peter Lynch was manager and Windsor when John Neff was manager - thought it was a good balance of growth and value.

DMW

[Spikeman1444]

A CD yielding 9.25%.

dang. Those must've been the days.

[krannerd]

12 shares of Papa John's Pizza shortly after IPO. Gave it away a few years ago after it was up 2000%....cost basis adjusted was $2 a share and gave it away at $45.

All other investments since have been a disappointment. Hence, I am in index funds now.

[RVosen]

I had two or three short term CDs in high school and just after high school

[travellight]

Bought a house for 80,000$ when I was 21. I sold it at age 25 for $125,000. The neighbors were shocked it had gone up like that.

[runner23]

I may be off a few details off but close enough. The first trade I made was for 100 shares of ford at 1.37 in about 2008. I sold at 2.35 I think. I was 18. I also wanted to buy Gm. I accidentally typed I dm. That was Dolan media. I looked at the chart and as a value oriented 15 year old bought 100 shares. I think it was around 3.00. I sold all for 3.50 a share. I think Dolan media went bankrupt and ford is, well, it survived. Anyways, I'm all index now. I tried my hand at stock picking in my twenties and it was too much stress. I am a die hard boglehead at 26. Cheers.

[BrooklynInvest]

After college, early 90s. My girlfriend's dad explained to me what a mutual fund was and told me to put $50 a month into 20th (now American) Century Ultra. $50 bucks was a lot of money to me at the time but I learned one of the most important lessons of my life -

At the end of the year I'd made $79 - without breaking a sweat.

I'd worked my way through college delivering pizza, unloading trucks and doing whatever I could to pay tuition and rent. Hard, hot work. Making that $79 without lifting a finger, well that lesson was worth a lot more than $79.

[sschullo]

Back in the 60s during the 'Nam War, I bought bonds when I was in the military.
I had to sell them five years later to overall the engine in my beat up VW. The bank would not use the bonds as collateral for a loan.

[flippinterp]

My family made some investments on my behalf when I was a late teenager/young adult in college. It was a combination of Royce Pennsylvania Fund, Royce Total Return, and Western Asset Premier Bond fund. While technically the account was in my name, I didn't really take control of those funds until after I got married.

The first fund I chose myself was Vanguard's Lifestrategy Growth when I first opened a Roth IRA. I still have it

[Rich in Michigan]

Was introduced to a broker by a friend in the mid 70's. Bought some shares in Mohawk Data, which were later sold at a nice profit for down payment on a condo. The company later went bankrupt.

The other stock I bought at the same time was Combustion Equipment Associates. I still have the lovely certificates, which only have value as collectables, as that company too went toes up.

In a few years I left that broker and managed my own investments from age 30-ish onward. He did recommend a few more winners than losers though.

[StormShadow]

After reading up on stocks and mutual funds at the library... I started buying shares of Janus Worldwide managed by then rising star Helen Young Hayes. I was in college using money from a part time tutoring gig.

She left a few years later. Worldwide tanked like everyone else during the dot-com bubble.

Discovered Vanguard in the mid 2000's and have been with them ever since.

[corner559]

Tiffany stock from my parents when I was in high school.

[bs010101]

Yes! Mine was in 1999 as well. I don't remember which stock was first but pretty sure it was sent to the glue factory within a year or two.

[jtdavid]

I was a Sophomore in college. First investment was the SPY ETF in a Datek account. Purchased in late September 2001 a week or two after the markets reopened.

About a year later I moved from Datek to Vanguard and bought VFINX and STAR.

[Garco]

I was given some stock in a now-defunct company: Sundance Oil Co. This was an oil and gas exploration company. I kept it for a few years, then turned it over after the company was effectively crushed by the Western Provinces of Canada.

[Hank Moody]

I bought Japan Fund when I was in junior high school with $50 of my own money and $50 borrowed from my father. The stock quadrupled and I used the proceeds (after repaying my father) to buy a Nikon F.

I thought it would be fun to hear what investments other Bogeleheads got started with. I found my first statement from Schwab from the mid 90s while I was cleaning my home office.

I bought a Invesco's Blue Chip Growth Fund in a brokerage account. I think I saw an ad for it somewhere because I had no clue about investing at age 18.

What was yours?

[cheesepep]

I bought quite a few shares of AAPL in the mid 1990s. Bought at $32 or so and sold soon afterwards for $96. Made quite a bit of money but would have made a lot more if I had held on. Seriously my first stock investment.

[VirtualCuriosity]

Early 90's, Fidelity Magellan Fund

[Stormbringer]

I was 24, received a big bonus at work and used it to buy my 4-unit first apartment building.