Reply #2: An intrusive personal reminiscence

[PATRICK]

An ancient grade school project was to pick and track a stock. I put my infant prodigy investor cap on and chose Lionel(#18 on the extinction list) which made all those fun train sets for us boomers. Their stock was about 7 dollars and I assumed I could make a killing. I guess it was the end of their hay days or they had other problems because even Christmas came and went and the miserable small stock remained flat and then slipped. Those were still in the good times with little competition and a solid reputation.

I guess it traumatized me about market values ever since which in the end serves me in good stead. It may be hard to kill a good idea or a good business, even one without competition, but it happens all the time.