I Thought the Financial Industry Would Teach People How to Invest
When I first became a stockbroker and financial advisor, I believed the financial industry existed to help people learn how to invest.
I assumed clients would learn about companies, how investments were evaluated, and how to make informed decisions for themselves.
That seemed reasonable to me.
The more I worked in the industry, however, the more I realized something was missing.
Early in my career, I was told something that surprised me.
I was told not to teach people too much about investing because if they learned enough, they would eventually do it themselves.
At first, I didn’t believe it.
But after several years as a stockbroker and financial advisor, I realized there was truth in what I had been told.
Most people are far more capable than they’ve been led to believe.
They don’t need someone making every decision for them forever.
They need someone willing to explain investing in a way they can understand.
My Biggest Investing Mistakes Came From Not Understanding What I Owned
Before I truly understood investing, I made many of the same mistakes I see people making today.
I didn’t always know what to buy or how much.
I didn’t know how long I should hold investments.
I owned mutual funds without understanding what was inside them.
Some of those funds owned hundreds of companies.
They charged fees whether they performed well or not.
And despite putting money into investments, I often couldn’t explain why they were succeeding or failing.
The problem wasn’t intelligence.
The problem was understanding.
Once I learned how to evaluate companies for myself, investing finally started making sense.
Why I Created First Strike Investing
The turning point came when I started seeing how certain products were sold.
Some advisors focused heavily on products that generated the biggest commissions.
I heard the same explanation many times why they would sell a certain product:
“The client doesn’t know.”
That never sat well with me.
Because I believe the client should know.
You should know. Not everything, but a good idea of what it is.
You deserve to understand what you’re investing in, why you’re investing in it, and how it fits your goals.
The more I learned, the more convinced I became that education—not dependence—was the answer.
That’s why I created First Strike Investing.
I don’t want you to trust me.
I want you to know for yourself how simple it can be.
What I Believe About Investing
I believe investing becomes much less intimidating when you understand what you’re doing and what you’re looking at.
During my career, I’ve served in the United States Air Force, worked as a stockbroker and financial advisor, and taught more than 800 people how to better understand investing.
What I’ve learned is simple:
Most people are capable of making far better investing decisions than they’ve been led to believe.
You’ve already done harder things.
They don’t need more complicated products. They need to keep it simple.
They don’t need more financial jargon.
They need a simple process for understanding companies and making informed decisions.
That’s what I teach.
Ready To Understand Investing For Yourself?
If you’re tired of guessing, tired of relying on opinions, and ready to understand what you’re buying, I’d be happy to help.
My goal isn’t to tell you what to think.
My goal is to teach you how to think about investing for yourself.
That’s where confidence comes from.
That’s where clarity comes from.
And that’s where better decisions begin.