”I’m Not Buying”
Picking stocks to invest in is a gamble for most people, so we rely on the advice of stock analysts and traders and hope for the best. We research the companies, look at the various formulas to judge whether the stock is worth its price, then shell out and wait. Sometimes, even usually, at least over a long period, and assuming the company doesn’t just fold, you make a little money. We also buy stocks based on buzz. There’s a trend now toward “ethical” investing, i.e., investing in environmentally friendly companies or companies that themselves practice business according to ethical standards we approve of. And then there’s Google. I want to invest in Google, because it is the search engine to end all search engines on the internet. It has a clean interface, doesn’t bombard me with ads, and is free to use. They own Blogger, too, so I feel like I’d be investing in myself. Shares are expected to go for between $108 and $135, however, so I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it. If I had $10,000 sitting around, there would have to be something wrong with me (because why haven’t I spent it already, or to be more mature about the topic, why isn’t it invested someplace already?). But then I hear that people like Steve Wozniak don’t plan to buy in. Is that information I can use in making a decision like this? Should I actually believe him? What if he doesn’t invest and Bill Gates does? (Actually, Microsoft’s trying to develop their own version, so if he does invest, it would be short-term anyway.) Maybe I’ll just buy one.