I learned about investing in a small-town library.
I was in high school, spending the summer framing houses for a local contractor. We started early. By midmorning, we were usually covered in sweat and sawdust. One day, my boss came onto the job site and said we had to go. He was in a hurry. We got into his truck and drove across town looking for a library. I had no idea why.
This was the early 2000s. The internet was not yet something you carried in your pocket. He needed a computer. We walked into the library covered in dirt and dust. He found an open workstation, logged into his TD Ameritrade account, and closed a stock position. He had made about $100,000.
I watched it happen over his shoulder. I did not understand what he had done, but I knew I wanted to. Not long afterward, I opened my own account with $5,000. I thought I could turn it into $10,000. Instead, I lost all of it.
That was the beginning. The gain showed me what was possible. The loss taught me what the work required.