Early lessons in constructing a portfolio
I had decided not to do anything too risky or which required close monitoring while I was in the Service as I wouldn’t be able to react quickly or make quick decisions. So I deliberately structured my portfolio into reasonably valued conservative stocks which provided a good yield. The dividends were running at 5-6% and that was much better than I could get at the bank.
My financial highlight was when I went home on a pass and found out my Lion Oil was being taken over at a nice gain for me. That was my first takeover.
I was then sent to Ft. Knox Kentucky and got to fly down to Louisville the first time I had ever flown. Ft. Knox is where you get tank training ten weeks worth of it. It is also where the Gold depository is and where "Goldfinger" was filmed. A few years ago, I was in Louisville and went to Ft. Knox and it was exactly as it was in 1955, Wooden Barracks and all.
That training was followed by a bus trip down the road to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 11th Airborne Division. This was my new outfit. A big billboard by the entrance expressed their Philosophy: "When the Going Gets Too Rough for Everyone Else, that's when We Begin to Like it". Actually, I did like it there. They were tough, but fair and everyone, including me, got into terrific physical shape. We went to Germany, but my business was to work in an office, but I did make the basketball team and go to practice or go to places like Ulm, Stuttgart, Munich or Heidelberg for games every afternoon.
The Army Table of Organization and Efficiency called for our office to have 14 people working there, but as we had 40 I had lots of time and so I sent home for all the Stock market books I had bought, but had not had time to read in the U.S. And so began my formal education in stock market behavior and discipline.
I was also able to accumulate a lot of money there as many soldiers did at time. More on this next time as I learn a lot from some terrific books.
© Chartcraft Inc, November 16, 2001
