Evolution of an Investor: 5 Years in Results Begin to Materialize

Today, after 5 1/2 years of nearly all of my waking hours spent learning and researching, results are coming in. My wife has come on board after her first pick, Kroger, went from 33 to 77. We bought 100 shares for $3300. When the dust settled a year and a half later, our $3300 was $7400 and my wife was convinced that individual stock ownership was for us. We bought Kroger because the company was buying back shares and reducing the amount on the open market and same store sales growth was up for ten years running. We have closed our Kroger position with a $4100 profit. Next came Republic Services. Bill Gates bought over $200 million worth in the spring and summer of 2015 and we bought 100 shares with him @ $38. Republic is now at $61. I sold 30 shares @ $55 for $1650 and now have 70 remaining shares earning 2.32% in dividends. In December of 2016 I bought 50 shares of Nvidia corporation @ $33 selling 25 shares @ $66 for a profit of $800. Meanwhile the stock continued to run up as high as $120 and I am holding. The reason I bought Nvidia is because their chips are in big in gaming and autonomous vehicles and because they are a major player in the internet of things or IoT. Three examples of how paying attention and doing a little research can make you money that you never actually "worked" for.