I was always interested. I like money. I started when I was 16 or 17 years old and started working and making good money and living with my parents. I started buying small penny stocks, bank CDs, bonds.
Q. What is your best investment so far?
My houses. In Port Charlotte, I paid $700 apiece for empty lots and sold after four years for $8,000 to $9,000 each.
Q. What is your worst investment so far?
Trans World Airlines. The company went bankrupt in the mid 1990s.
Q. What have you learned about investing that you think all investors should know?
Stay conservative. Stay with growth and income funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs), regular real estate; CDs if they have at least $50,000 to invest; anything less than that, it doesn't pay.
Q. How would you describe your approach to investing?
Diversified, leaning more to fixed and guaranteed returns.
Q. How are you invested now?
Right now, 90 percent real estate, 10 percent everything else; usually, 75 percent conservative (real estate, REITs, growth and income funds) and about 25 percent in individual stocks.
Q. What do you find the most difficult about investing?
Trusting a broker. I do use brokers; I do use agents.
Q. What changes if any have you made in your investments in the past year?
I've heavily shifted to real estate . . . especially in Pinellas County, where there's no more land. Everybody still wants to move to Florida.
Q. Do you think now is a good time to invest?
Definitely. With the upcoming presidential election, everything is a little bit low. The big boys are a little uncertain. After the election, things will become more stable. It doesn't matter who wins.
Q. What is your goal for your investing?
It's retirement by age 40.
Q. What is your biggest money concern right now?
Fixing up the four houses I just bought to make them good rentals.
Q. Where do you get your investment tips?
I do have a mutual funds agent when it comes to stocks and mutual funds. I believe in hiring a professional.
