Scott chose to invest in 4 stocks: Apple (AAPL), Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B), Microsoft (MSFT), and the S&P 500 index. He purchased shares of each on August 28th and did not sell any by December 2nd. Over this period, the total value of Scott's portfolio increased by 9.24% or $9,648.42, with gains made on each of the individual stocks. Based on his positive experience, Scott says he would be willing to purchase stocks again in the future but would focus more on retirement accounts and start with a smaller balance.

1. Stock Portfolio
By:
Scott Heathcoate

2. Today I will cover the following:
1. Which stocks I chose and why?
2. For each stock, the number of shares as well as the
purchase price and the current price.
3. Whether I bought or sold stocks? Why and why not?
4. Discuss the performance or trends of the stocks. How
much money was lost or made?
5. Whether or not I would buy stocks in the future and
handle my own account? What I learned and what
advice I would give others interested in purchasing
stocks.

3. 1. Stocks Chosen
I chose to spread my funds over 4 different stock options.
1. AAPL – Apple Inc.
Chosen because of the launch of the iPhone 5S and 5C.
Forecasts for AAPL stock has been projected to head up to $580
per share. Since the recession of 2008, technology seems to be
the one thing consumers cannot do without.
2. BRK-B – Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Chosen because the company is owned by one of the richest and
most knowledgeable investors, Warren Buffett. The company
started from a small textile company but now has a number of
wholly-owned companies – including railroads, newspapers, and
clothing companies. It also has big holdings in American
Express, Coca-Cola, and IBM. I believe purchasing stock in
Berkshire Hathaway to be very similar to a mutual fund because
the money invested is spread out through several companies.
Therefore, maximizing growth and minimizing losses.

4. Stocks Chosen Continued
3. MSFT – Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation’s net income is around $5 billion. The
company is one of four U.S. companies with the highest AAA
credit rating. The company paid a 3.4% dividend yield as of
9/17/13. I projected the launch of the new Xbox One would
assist with stock growth.
4. ^GSPC – S&P 500 Index
S&P stands for Standard and Poor. This index is the top 500
U.S. companies as far as worth. As of 11/3/13, the return of
the S&P 500 index year-to-date is 23.52%. This investment
has the most risk but the most to potential gain as well.

5. 2. The number of shares
purchased, purchase
price, and current price
AAPL (Apple) – 50 Shares purchased 8/28/13 at $491.89 per share
– Current price $551.23 per share
BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway) – 200 Shares purchased 8/28/13 at
$111.77 per share – Current price $115.33 per share
MSFT (Microsoft) – 200 Shares purchased 8/28/13 at $33.26 per
share – Current price $38.45 per share
^GSPC (S&P 500) – 28 Shares purchased 8/28/13 at $1,636.13
per share - Current price $1,800.90 per share
***$452.86 was held in cash because I was trying to buy an even
number of shares and did not have enough money left to purchase
and even number of the S&P 500.

6. 3. Did I buy or sell any of my
stocks?
I did not sell any of my stocks that I initially purchased.
The reason for this is because of advice I received from a
Financial Adviser years ago:
“Invest money in the companies that provide products that
you like and use. If you like the products that a company
provides, you are probably not alone.”
I also wanted to see how these stocks would perform over
the entire semester. I am not personally motivated to jump in
an out of different stock options unless absolutely necessary.

7. 4. The performance or trends
of the stock. How much
money was made?
50 shares of Apple cost was $24,594.50 on August 28th, by
December 2nd, the value of the 50 shares increased
to$27,561.50. The financial gain was $2,967.

8. 200 shares of Berkshire Hathaway cost was $22,354 on
August 28th, by December 2nd, the value of the 200 shares
increased to$23,066. The financial gain was $712.

9. 200 shares of Microsoft cost was $6,652 on August 28th, by
December 2nd, the value of the 200 shares increased to
$7,690. The financial gain was $1,038.

10. 28 shares of the S&P 500 cost was $45,811.64 on August
28th, by December 2nd, the value of the 28 shares increased
to $50,425.20. The financial gain was $4,613.86.

11. Total amount of money made!
I invested $99,547.14 of the original $100,000 balance.
As of December 2, 2013, my overall portfolio was worth
$109,195.56.
This reflects a 9.24% increase in the value of the portfolio!

12. 5. Would I buy stocks in the future and handle
my own account? What did I learn and what
advice would I give others interested in
purchasing stock?
The answer is absolutely. However, I would place my focus
primarily on my 401K and IRA first. I would also start with a much
smaller account as opposed to the amount that we started with this
in this class.
What I learned was even though the market is volatile, patience
sometimes pays off. Also I would not recommend watching the
market everyday, as it can be very stressful.
My advice to others would be to invest in companies that have
been around a long time. If you personally enjoy the products of
those companies, others will as well, and this can lead to growth of
your investment dollars.

13. Works Cited
Berger, S. (2013, December 2) AAPL –Breakout Accomplished! Here’s the
Next
Level of Apple Stock. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from
investorplace.com/2013/12/apple-stock-aapl-breakout/
#.Up4Ju6Xlb8s
Dutram, E. (2013, October 7) Bull of the Day: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B).
Retrieved December 2, 2013, from
www.zacks.com/commentary/29289/Bull-of-the-day-BerkshireHathaway-BRKB
Goren, A. (2013, November 3) S&P 500 Best Value Dividend Stocks According
to
Portfolio123’s Ranking. Retrieved December 2, 2013, from
seekingalpha.com/article/1800432-s-p-500-best-value-dividendstocks-according- to-portfolio123s-ranking
GuruFocus (2013, September 17) Microsoft’s Strength in Difficult Market.
Retrieved December 2, 2013, from
www.nasdaq.com/article/microsofts- strength-in-difficult-market-cm277659
Yahoo Finance (2013, December 3) Investment Charts. Retrieved December
3,
2013, from finance.yahoo.com