This is part of a series of profiles highlighting women
investors in the Fool community. Find out what makes the fairer
sex better at picking stocks at
fool.com/girl
.
New Hampshire native and golden retriever fan Linda Queen first
got into investing while working for a tech company. She calls her
sales position an "accidental job," but her success in investing --
an early
Netflix
purchase enabled her to buy a house! -- has been no accident.
Though she's drawn to many different types of companies, her stocks
all have one thing in common -- a good story. Read on to learn more
about Linda (
goldengirl2362
on the boards), including what she's buying right now.
How did you first get started investing?
I just found my first seed money check from 2006. I worked for a
tech company where I could buy company stock at a 15% discount
through auto deduction. So I did that, but I wanted to learn more
about the company and buy other stock, so I started reading
articles on Fool.com, and eventually subscribed to
Stock Advisor.
In one of my first issues, they recommended Netflix, so I bought
at under $20. I could see the potential, in part because I couldn't
remember the last time I'd gone to Blockbuster!
I really didn't start buying a lot of stocks until 2009 during
the early recovery -- that was when I realized I could use my
401(k) to buy stocks.
How would you describe your investment approach? What kinds
of stocks are you most drawn to?
I'm pretty heavily weighted in tech companies, because that's the
industry I work in. Stocks with good stories also appeal to me --
companies like
Whole Foods
(Nasdaq: WFM) . I really look for stocks that are fun to follow and
that I can easily explain. I like to be able to do the quick pitch.
I'm starting to identify more with the
Rule Breakers
approach now, so I'm trying to incorporate more of those
stocks.
Any notable investing successes or failures?
Well, Netflix bought me a house, so that's been the biggest
success. Whole Foods has been a good one, too -- I'm so excited
it's coming to New Hampshire! As far as failures, I bought one of
my customer's stocks, but I didn't evaluate it at all. It's down
68%, so I'm trying to think of it as gone money. I learned my
lesson for sure -- its management wasn't strong.
In our upcoming book,
Warren Buffett Invests Like a Girl
, we make the case that women are better suited
temperamentally to be great investors -- they are generally more
patient, take less risk, stay calmer in turbulent markets, do more
research, and hold for the long term. Do you think you invest like
a girl?
My strategy is to take small positions and buy in thirds. I know
every two weeks I'll have a little more money to invest and I just
keep buying. I'm not a short-term thinker and I don't sell often.
When I have it's because the company was being acquired or because
the Fool has recommended we sell. Occasionally, I sell to offset
capital gains or for political reasons.
Finally, what stocks are you buying (or watching) now?
I just bought my first position in
Ameresco
(Nasdaq: AMRC) . It's a Massachusetts-based company, and I like the
alternative-energy story behind it.
Westport Innovations
(Nasdaq: WPRT) is another stock I like -- it's in the natural gas
industry, and I think that will be very well received.
I'm watching
Seaspan
(
SSW
) because I like the dividend play there. Oh, and Sam Adams maker
Boston Beer
(
SAM
) -- it's local and I know and like the product!
Want to learn more about how to invest like a girl? Warren
Buffett Invests Like a Girl is available June 21, but you
can
get Chapter 1 today for FREE
.
Robyn Gearey does not own shares of any company mentioned
here. The Motley Fool owns shares of Boston Beer, Seaspan, and
Whole Foods.
Motley Fool newsletter services
have recommended buying shares of Whole Foods, Ameresco,
Netflix, Boston Beer, and Westport Innovations; writing a covered
straddle position on Seaspan; and buying puts on Netflix. Try any
of our Foolish newsletter services
free for 30 days
. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all
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considering a diverse range of insights
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.
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