It's fair to guess that since you're on this website, you already know that buying stock in the world's greatest businesses is the best way to build the type of wealth that lasts generations. That much is obvious.
But what of your loved ones? Do they know that this is the right route to take, too?
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's definitely that time of year again when we waste money, frivolously buying stuff for other people, simply because we know we're supposed to, without really thinking about that underlying value destruction. Economists actually call the holiday season a "deadweight loss" because of the massive misallocation of resources that occurs when we give someone a gift they don't really need or want.
Sweaters, DVDs, and premium bubble baths are all overwhelmingly likely to end up in the back of the closet, the waste bin or under someone else's tree -- unused and underappreciated. It's kind of the stupidest thing we do.
What's your point?
I adore Christmas, but I hate wasting stuff. Thus, my gifts tend to fall into one of two, very different camps: the highly unnecessary but highly desirable experiential gifts that people really enjoy, or the highly necessary but highly valued gifts that people really appreciate. I hate that inefficient zone in between, where people just accumulate junk they neither need nor want.
When it comes to the latter type of gift, I never skip over the financial part of people's lives, perhaps because I'm such a Fool. We all have friends and family who are otherwise completely functional individuals, but who haven't got the first clue when it comes to extracting value out of the stock market. You know the ones. Their eyes glaze over when you start talking about how you're curious whether that new, hot clothing label is a public company. Frankly, I feel bad for them.
An insurmountable challenge
Despite our best efforts, many of us have failed to effectively educate our loved ones. And unfortunately, market ignorance knows no boundaries. Young or old, rich or poor, vegan or carnivore -- all are equally affected.
For whatever reason, the barriers inherent in filling out an application for a brokerage account and reading a few basic investing books are prohibitively large. In the best of cases, folks load up their 401(k)s and IRAs with mediocre mutual funds that eat away at their money like a powerful cancer. In the worst of cases, we hear horror stories of people walking around with no equity to speak of, and a checking account with $50,000 in it, earning 0.2%. Either way, it's terrible to watch. That's why we're putting a stop to it.
Together with ING's
The best present
We call our offering "The Gift of Stock." With it, our members are giving their loved ones the opportunity to capitalize on the most powerful wealth-building machine ever known to man: the stock market. Our belief is that if we can just get people into the market, get one tiny foot in the door, most of the important work is done. Taking that first step is so critical, though.
The Gift of Stock is designed to address the two fundamental problems associated with rookie investors:
- Getting the account opened.
- Knowing what stocks to buy when you do.
ING/Sharebuilder takes care of the first part by offering a customized welcome process into their full-featured brokerage platform. The Fool takes cares of the second by offering up a complete DVD course led by co-founder and CEO Tom Gardner, who explains how he indentifies the best stocks.
Learning with the Fool
In all market environments, it's crucial that investors learn how to select appropriate investments. That's why, for rookies, Tom stays simple. He focuses on how one need only look around to find great investment opportunities such as Costco -- phenomenal businesses operating within the confines of our everyday lives.
Tom also challenges new investors to park their money in the people they believe in most. Wall Street would never teach you this, but for Fools, it's not particularly difficult to find great corporate leaders like John Mackey at Whole Foods or Reed Hastings at Netflix. These people are doing incredible things at their businesses, and hugely rewarding shareholders in the process. And their companies are precisely the type of uncomplicated, intuitive investments that make sense for investors of all types -- particularly the new ones.
A Foolish deal
Because it's a Motley Fool co-offering, you know that there are some compelling economics involved. ING is selling this life-enhancing gift for $45. For that price, new investors get access to Sharebuilder's robust brokerage platform, a $50 credit in their account, five free trading credits, the aforementioned DVD course, plus a bunch of other stuff.
As far as useful and intelligent gifts go, this one has got to be pretty high up there. So if you're interested in taking a closer look at The Gift of Stock, click right here to get to the site.
Beyond the kit itself, I just hope Fools are thinking smart about how they allocate their precious recourses this holiday season. There's no shortage of stuff out there to buy for our loved ones. But how many gifts really can help people create value? I know of no other gift out there that can set someone in the right direction for life like getting someone into the stock market today.
