Real Investors

Real Investors

Meet the BetterInvesting Family
These are just some of the people who have benefited from BetterInvesting's mission to provide education that helps investors make sound investing decisions for their portfolio.


Mutual Investment Club of Florence, Ala. “The club in June 2007 voted to cash in all club holdings and become an educational club. The 15 members (on average since 2007) would continue to invest in the club stocks but at their own discretion in their own accounts. In addition, we decided each member would contribute $100 faux cash per month for club investing. “We also committed to be a model BetterInvesting club in every way. To join MICF, one must commit to attend a Stock Selection Guide class and Annual Report Analyzer class within one year of joining, follow one of our portfolio stocks, present at least one company for consideration during the year and attend the Advanced Investing Seminars. “A visitor would believe the club was investing actual cash, as the discussions can be intense. As a result of this process, our club faux portfolio grew from $200,000 in 2007 to the current $850,000 — a testament to the value of the BetterInvesting process rigorously followed.”


Capital Savvy Investors (online club based in Iowa, Illinois and West Virginia) “Investing is a learning experience. … The entire network of BetterInvesting members is just a gift. The level of support from them has been truly tremendous.”


Gotham Investment Club of Oregon “The club set about educating themselves using BetterInvesting resources. Initially, members were required to take BetterInvesting-sponsored classes to help them learn the Stock Selection Guide. All members take advantage of ICLUBcentral's Toolkit 6, essential to their investing success, and use the Internet exclusively for classes and investment resources, including BetterInvesting’s webinars and the Investor Advisory Service newsletter. Toolkit’s been an invaluable resource in guiding them through all investment transactions … “The club recently outdid itself by managing to earn a 51 percent return on its 2013 portfolio.”


Clear Lake Investment Club of Texas “You don’t have to have a lot of money to start off. No matter how little you have, invest it and let it grow. And you’ll learn more and more as you go along. The first year in a club is the time to really soak in all the education. That’s when you learn how to use the Stock Selection Guide and the BetterInvesting principles, and you bounce ideas back and forth with other club members to decide why a company is or isn’t a good investment.”


$In the Black$ Investment Club of North Carolina “BetterInvesting’s educational benefits have been invaluable. It’s important to stay connected and keep learning. Technology has greatly improved the productivity and effectiveness of this work. All clubs should take advantage of investment fairs and conferences to learn the latest concepts and tips to investing.”


12 Girls in Finance of San Diego "Our best advice for other clubs is to take the BetterInvesting classes! BI’s ongoing education opportunities are so easy to access, both online and in print. We can’t think of any other financial organization that provides so much information to people who are new to stock buying and selling and to building a community portfolio."


S.P.E.E.D. Investment Club of Flint, Mich. “One of the biggest benefits of membership has been BetterInvesting’s local, regional and national conferences as well as access to education based on the Stock Selection Guide. “BetterInvesting National Conferences are so helpful to us. One longtime but not very active member emerged so energized from this member’s first BINC that we’ve acquired some of our more profitable growth stocks based on research from this trip. Other clubs should consider joining BetterInvesting because of the access to information about investing and understanding the principles of investing through the conferences and websites. It’s the best way to be successful.”


Market Movers, Phoenix ”The club began by keeping accounts by hand and is very grateful to BetterInvesting for the advent of club accounting software. At each meeting, discussion covers the condition of the economy, the performance of each stock, any stocks that seem to be failing and a new stock proposal. Decisions require a current Stock Selection Guide.”

			Friends Investing Together Group of Greater Chicago "We have used BetterInvesting as our foundation from the beginning. It’s a mandatory requirement for us to use the association’s tools. “BI is a terrific guidebook that offers a solid foundation for making investment decisions. So many BetterInvesting members are willing to help mentor and share ideas. We all look forward to the monthly magazine, which holds many ideas for us to consider. “During that very first club meeting back in 1987, one of our members said, ‘Someday we’ll have real money.’ Thanks to a solid and consistent methodology combined with regular contributions and reinvestment of dividends and profits, we now have ‘real money,’ a portfolio of 12 stocks currently valued at more than $500,000. The BetterInvesting methodology works!”
			The Glen Investors of Glen Ellyn, Ill. In early 1962, a group of 10 couples —most with a connection to Sears, Roebuck and Co. — created the Glen Investors. Fifty-two years later, one member of that original group plus 10 more investors are still having fun investing and learning together. BetterInvesting’s resources help people get over their fear of investing. BI provides practical knowledge on how to invest in individual stocks for the long term. The website, software and magazine have greatly benefited us all. Members have used their club earnings to buy cars, an RV and make a down payment on a convertible. One member put a roof on his son’s house and another bought a new furnace. Looking forward, some are planning to withdraw money for special vacation trips. We’ve developed some great friendships through the club and enjoy each other’s company.

			Fortune Fourteen Investment Club of Minnesota In 1994, three generations of Martha Simms’ family formed the Fortune Fourteen Investment Club (FFIC) in part to teach its youngest members more about financial literacy. Today’s 11 members range in age from 13, to Martha, 80, and education is still at the heart of the club’s mission. Their program has focused on subjects ranging from definitions of financial language to learning to use BetterInvesting’s Stock Selection Guide. “Investing keeps your mind active,” Martha says. “I plan to use my investments to enjoy my retirement.” Martha’s fellow club — and family — members also have plans for their investments. Her oldest son, Joe, will use the money for his daughters’ college expenses.
WIN Investment Club of Madison, Wis. “Looking back over the last 30 years, members of the WIN Investment Club feel we’ve lived up to our club’s name. The club started in 1983 with 15 members each investing $1,000. WIN’s valuation in 2012 increased 28 percent, easily beating the 15 percent performance of the benchmark Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund. For the past 10 years, our compound annual return is 19 percent. Initially, all accounting was handwritten. Today we take full advantage of digitization. We use BetterInvesting software for club accounting and tax preparation.”


			Standard and Rich Investment Company, Cleveland, Ohio “The Standard and Rich Investment Company, of suburban Cleveland, Ohio, has enjoyed following the mission of BetterInvesting to provide sound investment information, education and support to its members to create lifetime investors. Friendships fashioned on the sidelines of t-ball and Little League games, CYO basketball, high school sports events, bridge tables and travel friendships were the basis of this group (organized in 1992). “At the inception of the club, many of the members were in their early 50s, a time of life to take a very close look at oneʼs financial situation. “This is a well-read group that takes its cues from a wide variety of media sources and first-person experiences. “One member used her financial knowledge to submit a stock market curriculum to National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). The curriculum was approved and used in classrooms in an area school district.”


Financial Foxes of the Fox Valley Investment Club, Fox River Valley, Wis. “We officially became a club in January 1997. We’ve grown a lot since the beginning. The Stock Selection Guide has been essential in helping us. You have to take emotion out of the equation. Knowing when to sell is as important as knowing when to buy. We own 23 stocks in a portfolio worth around $220,000. Our favorite holding is probably Harley-Davidson (ticker: HOG). When we bought it, we were a group of ladies reaching or passing middle age, and Harley seemed to epitomize a certain freedom, wildness and fun. “We have a self-imposed limit of 15 members so that friendships can form. We’ve always wanted to remain open to any member, regardless of how much money she has to invest. Though we surely want to see our money grow, we have always believed that this is a learning experience, not a get-rich scheme.”

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