There were many wonderful stories about your clubs that are told in the entries to our Birthday contest.   I encourage you to take a little time to read them all here:  www.bivio.com/birthday.   One of the entries tells the story of some of the members of a club who joined a group of women who purchased a diamond necklace.    They’ve written a book about their experience.   I just finished reading it today.   I couldn’t put it down.  It’s called, The Necklace,  thirteen women and the experiment that transformed their lives.

It’s about real people who decided to share something that is unreal to most of us.    At first,  the experience was about being able to have something they never thought they would,  but things soon changed.   They found themselves sharing the necklace with others.  The value of what they had was not the ownership of a pricey piece of jewelry,  it was the richness of the experience of sharing that ownership with those around them.    The wealth they added to their lives was not the diamonds,  it was the connection to the people they shared them with.

Their necklace has became a community icon used to generate funds for worthy causes, to reward those who contribute to the community and to bring joy and excitement to many many people’s lives.    The necklace has became a symbol of opening up and  giving,  not of exclusivity.    

Forming an investment club can be a similar experiment.   Many of the birthday entries about your clubs show a similar theme.    Two of the 4 finalist entries were from clubs started by groups of teachers.   One was by a club formed by a group of federal career employees  who share some of our nations most difficult assignments.  Another was by a group of active community volunteers.    All have found wealth, not only in their investments but also in the experience of sharing the journey with others for many years.

The common starting point for all the groups is that they formed the club because of a desire to pursue something that sometimes seems unattainable,  building wealth and a secure financial future.    Doing it with their friends allowed them to take a first step to overcome anxieties they might have had about how impossible it would be to achieve that.     Now,  many years later, they can look back and see that what it takes to build wealth is steady, consistent attention, month after month after month,  year after year.  What it takes to build riches is sharing the journey with other people.

Investing is not a get rich quick process.  Owning a diamond necklace can be something other than a goal,  it can be the beginning of a journey.  I encourage those of you out there who want to feel more in control of your future and your finances to take the first step.  Find a group of friends or family to start an investment club with.    Jump in and do something to learn about investing each month.  It will be quicker than you think that you’ll be looking back and realizing how far you’ve come, rather than looking forward and worrying about how far you have to go.

     Laurie Frederiksen