Buy Low, Sell High

I made $207 today. And I did nothing to earn it. Well, technically I did do something, having invested retirement funds into shares of the Walt Disney Company some months back.

The company's stock ended the day at a 52-week high of $29.09, up 69 cents. So my 300 shares earned me -- on paper, anyway -- $207. I'm up $1,100 from when I bought it. Certainly not enough to retire on but a decent return on money that otherwise would have been sitting in a SEP-IRA account that I can't touch for another 26 years.

I got my first shares of Disney stock for my 15th birthday. I was told about the purchase on my way to celebrate at Disneyland. I remember looking at a decorative knob on the railing at Main Street Station and saying to myself that was probably what my share in Disney was worth. But it was cool to say that I was an owner in the company that I loved so much.

My two shares allowed me to go to shareholder meetings, which at times were held at the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from Disneyland. It was neat to see all of the company's executives come out and make their announcements and preview some cool new thing planned for the next year. And we got free tickets to visit Disneyland afterward.

My two shares got me annual and quarterly reports. It got me into the Magic Kingdom Club. It got me an attractive certificate that I framed and hung on the wall of my bedroom. It got me dividend checks with little Mickey Mouses up in the corner. The company did well and my two shares would eventually split multiple times.

Disney shares also helped finance the purchase of my first house. My wife had Disney investments that her parents had bought her with gift money through the years. She also was able to take a percentage of her paycheck at the Disney Store and contribute to an employee purchase plan. When it became obvious that we were going to have to wait another year before affording a house, I sunk our nest egg into Disney, which I felt was devalued when stocks fell after 9/11. I guessed right and we made a nice sum from that investment a year later. Selling all of our Disney stock helped us put a down payment on our place.

I'd like to invest more in Disney but haven't decided whether to or not. There are probably other stocks out there that will make me more money over time. I might want to invest in mutual funds or bonds or some other vehicle that may pay off better so that I can retire and enjoy life visiting Disney theme parks.

But I believe in Disney as a company. I think they have great market penetration and wonderful offerings. Who else sells pixie dust and magic? Who else provides its customers such happy dreams and remembrances? Who else is going to make you feel proud to own a decorative knob on a railing somewhere?

Walt Disney once said, "Dream, diversify and never miss an angle." I may wind up spreading my financial investments over a variety of instruments over time but I'd be surprised if I didn't include some more Disney stock within that portfolio.