GROW YOUR FUTURE

Every young person who discovers the world of investing eventually feels it — that itch to buy a stock. Your 401(k) doesn’t feel like investing. It’s automatic. You never choose a company or click a “Buy” button. So you start thinking about owning something real: Starbucks, Apple, Disney, SpaceX — a company you recognize and believe in.

Artificial intelligence has become a powerful research tool for new investors. It won’t tell you to buy or sell a stock, and it won’t make decisions for you—but it can help you understand the economic backdrop behind your investment choices.

Most young people have no real sense of how long a working career actually is. When I speak to high school students, I tell them something that always gets a reaction:

Space travel is one of the clearest examples of what long‑term investing really looks like. The rockets, habitats, and orbital systems being built today may not generate meaningful profits for another 10–20 years.

One of the most effective long‑term investing habits is also one of the simplest: Dollar‑Cost Averaging (DCA). It means investing a fixed amount of money on a regular schedule — for example, $100 every payday, 26 times per year — regardless of what the market is doing.

Your “Rate of Return” (ROR) is the percentage amount your investments have gained, or lost, over a period of time. “Rate of Return” is the fuel that powers compounding gains. For consistency, investors like to compare performance for each year. And yes, your ROR might be negative in some years.