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STOCK INVESTING FOR THE NOVICE (STOCKS FOR DUMMIES WAS TAKEN)
This book is a primer for the novice investor that gives them a template on how to successfully trade and invest using a finite group of stocks known as 'The Dividend Aristocrats." With a minimum investment starting as low as one thousand dollars, Mr. Simonelli will show you how to optimize your profit, yet stay relatively risk averse, by basing your purchases and sell discipline on the dividend yields of these very well capitalized companies. Using his experience from a twenty-five year career as a stockbroker, this book give you a short lesson in the pit falls of investing and shows you want not to do as well as what to invest in. The language is kept simple so even people with no prior financial or Wall Street experience can understand what makes Wall Street work and how they can profit from it....... Introduction -So why is a successful published playwright writing a book on investing? Well, before I got started in theatre, I had a prior and concurrent career as a stockbroker. (Financial representative, registered representative, financial advisor, - take your pick, they all mean the same thing. A person who has passed his series 7 and Life insurance exam and has become licensed to sell and solicit common stocks, mutual funds and annuities) I did not have a burning desire to trade stocks as a youth and did not go to Wharton Business School. I did however, have a burning desire to eat so when the opportunity presented itself to become a stockbroker, I took advantage of it and actually liked it. On the other hand, I have always had a burning desire to write so at age forty I wrote my first play and as of this writing I have written over twenty full length plays! In essence, I’m writing this book for my longtime girlfriend and muse, Lori. She has a good head for business as she had run a nonprofit business in New Jersey for decades and currently runs a theatre in Florida. However, as for many, the stock market seems like an abstraction to her. A specialized place where only the fully initiated should tread. As it was to me before I got involved in it. She will be proofreading this, as she does for all of my plays, and if it passes muster with her then I’ve accomplished my goals. If she sees something too confusing or abstract, then I will fix it. All the Lori’s of the world, in her case, a single mom who raised three children on a paltry (until recently) salary with zero financial support from her ex, should have the opportunity to make a little extra money trading stock.What do I hope to accomplish with this book? I want to de mystify the world of investing for the common person who just depends on putting their money in a mutual fund and hoping for the best. I will try to give you a few simple and uncomplicated strategies that you can use to maximize your profits. Since many of you might not have the time to monitor your portfolios on a daily basis, I will show you a way to devote as little as a half hour on a Saturday or Sunday morning to check your holdings. (Devoting more time would be better, and as you delve in, I think your interest will be piqued so you will find yourself spending more time to on your portfolio and enjoying it.)How am I going to do this? Largely by getting you to set up a portfolio based on ‘The Dividend Aristocrat Stocks.’ You can start this portfolio with as little as a $2,000 to $5,000 investment. Not only will I guide you to what you should invest in, I will also tell you what NOT to invest in.Throughout the book I will disperse some random musings on my twenty five-year brokerage career and the things I’ve learned.
ADDENDUM (as of August 2025. The best hint I can give you for speculative investing that can make you a reasonable amount of money with the least amount of risk. In my experience, the most amount of money can be made on the least expensive stocks. Because of their low price they can make huge percentage gains. I will give you a few examples as of the date of this addendum then tell you how I chose them. JMIA - cost 3.25 6/2025 current 9.25 8/2025.....plug power cost .95 6/2025 current 1.60 , Rig (trans ocean) cost 2.60 8/25 Current 3.10........How did I find them? Simple, I listened to people smarter than me on the halftime report on cnbc. Whenever I hear a pro money manager mention that they are buying a low priced, speculative stock, my ears perk up. I don't always buy them when they recommend them. Often I wait to see if they trade lower and even revisit them for years. About five years ago one of the money managers liked a stock called Jumia (jmia) He called it "the amazon of Africa" it when from about 6 or 7 to well over 30. I traded in and out of it. Then it started coming back to earth and after Trump announced the tariffs so Ii bought it back. With the advent of AI I just asked chat GPT to give me the lowest priced stocks of 5 top money managers. It spit out sony and jhg. I have not yet purchased them but I'm watching.