Liberty Maven

[This is the first article in a new financial oriented weekly column here at Liberty Maven by Alex Drummond entitled "The Free Investor". We will be adding a new section of the site dedicated to this column soon. Alex explains the idea behind the column in this first installment. It will be published each Friday. Please consider participating with comments, ideas, and/or questions for Alex in the comments area. Thank You.]

First and foremost, I would like to thank Marc and Liberty Maven for the fantastic opportunity to write here at Liberty Maven. To begin, I will make the first disclosure of many to come: I am not a financial advisor. None of my suggestions are firm recommendations of securities or properties to be purchased; I encourage each and every investor to do their due diligence in investing by thoroughly researching every asset before purchasing or divesting.

That being said, I will give you some background information about myself. I am currently a student at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Illinois. I am the president of the Teenage Republicans group, as well as the founder and president of IMSA Entrepreneurial Engineering Club. Over the past 4-5 years, I have studied the financial world with intense concentration, and have begun to advise my family as to financial purchases in the past year or so.

As for the focus of this segment, there are two main components upon which I will construct this series. First, and foremost, is my personal belief that there is a dependable, long-term growth strategy available for each investor. This growth is primarily available to those employing buy-and-hold strategies in market index funds. I am not a fan of individual investors dabbling in options or penny stocks. The commission fees are atrocious for many small investors, and over the long run, rarely deliver the type of return that a proper retirement necessitates. I will expand on this in future installments.

Secondly, I would like to focus on ‘liberty’ investments. Many who support Ron Paul and other like-minded candidates often advocate for investing in precious metals, as a hedge against inflation. I would like to discuss other alternative hedges against inflation, as well as reasons why gold may not be the best investment for every individual. Beyond that, I would like to concentrate on companies and charities who have shown themselves to be strong supporters of freedom.

Most importantly, this column is about you. The more questions and comments we receive, the greater amount of material that I can discuss in future installments. By either posting in the comment section or e-mailing me, we can start a dialogue about an particular investment you may wish to discuss, as well as the market in general. It is a tough time for many investors, but by framing the current investing paradigm properly, and looking into the long-term, we can develop a strategy for long-term, stable yields. I hope you enjoy The Free Investor.