Ingeborg Mootts – almost a typical German pensioner. She is 83, she lives in the tiny town of Gisenyi, in a small apartment, furnished with old-fashioned furniture. In the refrigerator it is worth the juice of black currant, and on the walls hang yellowed photos of deceased relatives or rambling. A perfect portrait of the average German woman her age, if not one “but”. Mrs. Mootts – one of the most successful private speculators Germany. For eight years, a lone pensioner managed to earn on the stock exchange 500 thousand euros and is not going to stop there. Today it is very popular in Germany, although, of course, not as the legendary investor Warren Buffett in the U.S.. She wrote a book, lecturing, giving interviews and teaches seniors how to make money in the stock market.
The correspondent of “Expert” met with an iron Frau German economy, to learn the secrets of its success.
Success Story
– Mrs. Mootts how it all started, how you came to mind to play on the stock exchange?
– You know, it’s fate, from which no escape. Seventy-five years of my life I lived very poorly. I grew up in a poor family where there were many children and very little money. Then I got married and became a homemaker. And I again had no money. That is money in the family were, but my husband I just do not let them. I had to beg him every mark. When I asked him five marks on some purchases, he gave me two and added: “At no longer count on. When I tried to go to work, my husband told me: “You’re a fool, you can never make money.” Once I could not restrain herself and told him: “If you think that I can not work, then I’ll play the market!”. I think he is seriously thinking about this my sentence, because when he died six months later, I discovered that shortly before his death, he bought a thousand shares of the concern VEBA. They cost about forty thousand marks. That was my starting capital. I decided that this is simply a sign of destiny: I wanted to play the market – and here in my hands fell off a thousand shares. I said to myself: from the thousands of stocks you should make a million. No hesitation, I was not. I just do not have forgiven myself if I do not take this chance! And the choice of special I did not have. Overnight, I became a poor widow. Really poor. My pension was just a tiny – in terms of less than a thousand euros a month.
– And this method proved very successful.
– More than! During 1997, the state I grew up a hundred percent for the year 1998 – already at a hundred and thirty percent! But it was a year of financial crises around the world. Today, after eight years in my pocket half a million euros. Three years ago, my niece gave me in the management of their savings, and I earned her a hundred thousand, which she bought a house. This was the first house in Gisenyi, for which it was paid a hundred thousand in cash. When we concluded the deal at the notary was very puzzled face! In general, I am no longer a poor widow, I shall not live on a small pension. On living expenses are enough for me dividends. I can travel around the world and no longer worried that I will have nothing to pay for heating. And its half a million state, I continue to multiply.
– How did you manage to eight years to turn forty thousand euro in half? No special education, no experience of gambling? Yes, and in very old age?
– In fact all quite simple. All my condition made on a single simple trick. I do not invest in any investment funds or bank savings in the program. I simply buy shares and sell them. Inherited from her husband share VEBA I sold a year – one hundred percent profit. With the money bought shares in banks IKB and Commerzbank. She waited until they grow up, and sold again – for such is capable of even eternal housewife like me, is not it? I buy shares at lower rate and a year and half sell for high. Then buy other shares. It is very simple.
A few tips
– I would not say so. That is, of course, buy cheap and sell dear – indeed, sounds simple. But how to find stocks that are likely to rise in the price?
– And it too easy! See for yourself, here’s my scheme. I have it from no one hide. I buy shares at a primitive, but very hard algorithm. First, I clearly delineate the range of companies with whom you can have it: only those whose shares form a stock market index DAX-30 or, in exceptional cases, M-DAX. That is, in terms of my interests fall only stocks the most capitalized companies in Germany. Of these, I isolate those that existed a hundred years or more, and thus likely will stand in the coming years. I also invest in new subsidiaries of large firms. All new subsidiaries are insured against risks, and therefore if there are any problems, the insurance company will cover the costs. So, my first rule: I will only buy shares of companies with a solid history.
Secondly, I will only buy shares of banks. You may laugh, but this is my personal preference. Caprice old woman. However, he is easily explained: the banks have huge sums in the accounts. Their income from the provision of services for the accounts are growing year by year. These revenues allow banks to not only pay its customers three to six percent annual interest on deposits, but also pay good dividends to shareholders. Banks are not so much depend on the fluctuations of supply and demand, and since the introduction of the euro has become much easier to work. Look: in 2001, Germany had paid one billion eight hundred million euros in payments by inheritance. What do the heirs of those fallen on them the money? Of course, some of them just spend. But the fact that they have not spent at once – refer to the banks. In the banks to convince them to start a savings account, to participate in the funded program, and so on. That is, offering all the financial stuff with guaranteed three-seven per cent per annum. At best, the book persuaded to give money in an investment fund, where they can easily disappear. That’s why I buy shares of banks – they never have problems with the influx of cash, they can cope with any problems.
– Excellent, with a field of activity we have identified. What’s next?
– More even easier. I open the newspaper and watch stock reports. By the way, I do not have a computer, all the information I receive only from the newspapers. In the stock quotes of interest to me three numbers: How much are shares of the company today and what was their maximum and minimum price for the last year. If the current share price is close to a minimum, this means that the company had serious problems. But because this company has a century-old history, you can be sure that within a year or two of these difficulties, she climbs, and shares will rise again in value. To ensure that, immediately after the purchase price will not fall much more, check what was at least the fall of the last five years. After this, deducted from the maximum stock price minimum – and here I have a sample of my income forecast for the coming year.
Of course, these forecasts are never completely true, but the general idea of the situation they give. After this preliminary analysis, I begin to look further: what dividends are paid on these shares? If the company pays a small dividend, I refuse to purchase. For large investors to hedge funds, for the millionaires it can, and does not play a role, but I – the old single woman, I’ve got something to live. So for me, the dividends are very important. Finally, I study the composition of the shareholders of the company and if I see that the majority of shares owned by a pair of large shareholders, it is also a bad sign. This means that, most likely, the payment of dividends will be very small: the major shareholders have less incentive to share profits with small investors.
– All the same, it sounds too easy.
– Yes this is easy! You know, I sometimes perceive myself as the biblical David. I – poor old woman. I am struggling with one of the great stock market system, with this Goliath. And do it the easiest weapon, as did David. I have experienced that the exchange of Goliath is a weak spot – the cyclic fluctuations of the shares of large companies. At this weakness, I earned five hundred thousand euros, or a million marks. Now my goal is not even earn more money, I have already earned them enough. My goal – to tell all the Germans, as you can to defeat this Goliath, and secure financial freedom.
Money rule the world – is, unfortunately, a fact. Millions of Germans sit in hateful office from eight to six for the sake of a few thousand euros per month, saving at all, than we can. They hope that someday will become rich, but wealth is one step away from them! The problem is that the Germans were completely illiterate in financial terms. And big companies, especially banks, that illiteracy strongly support. When a person comes to the bank, the management company, he hopes that he will multiply his money. Of course, he or she would tell us that the best investment – this is long-term investments. The same nonsense he told economists from the TV screens. Give us your money in the management of ten, twenty, thirty years – and we will make you rich!
Certainly not! A member of the management company – the usual forced laborers. It will offer the client is not what really makes money, but what is advantageous to his company. Of course, the client will receive any profits, but it’s just paltry sum compared with what is really possible to earn on the stock exchange. In addition, the customer will have to pay a one-time fee for opening an investment portfolio, and after the sale of the unit – and more income tax. Customer may incur losses in general, and no one will answer for it! I am sure that the maintenance of the Germans in this illiterate state – it is absolutely a conscious position of banks and investment funds, and ultimately the state.
Of course, they absolutely do not want the ordinary Germans like me became millionaires. What will live investment funds? What will the live lottery that every week, earning millions of euros on the exploitation of the Germans desire to become rich? It is because I want to change this situation, I do not hide its methods of gambling. I wrote a book about how I earned money. I give practical advice to all who wish to: giving lectures in the women’s club, giving an interview and answer letters. It comes mass of letters, mostly from older women who have heard about me on the radio or read in the newspaper and finally believed in myself. All they ask, with what they start and what mistakes should be avoided.
– And what do you tell them? Furthermore, now that I was told?
– All novice players give some practical advice. Council first: starting player needs to understand what goals it wants to achieve. What is said in books on business: a strategic target, tactical and so on. I always recommend to start small: buy, guided by my method, shares a thousand euros and set a goal after some time become the owner of thousands of shares of companies included in the index DAX. So to speak, to fill the hand. This is the first and most important goal at the initial stage. Because once you have a thousand shares of any of these companies, the amount of the dividends you receive are already big enough, but for poor people is always important to have at least a small but steady source of additional income. Because we all – people not rich, we need to have an opportunity not to think about the most necessary expenditures, dividends, and therefore very important to us. In addition, a thousand – it is a great magic number. The player must feel that he was lucky. And if you owned suddenly turns a thousand shares of a large company with a centuries-old name, it gives confidence in its strength.
The second advice I give: have patience, but be capable in time to jump out of the train. Keep stock at least one year but not more than two years – during which time the paper big reputable company certainly grow, but you do not have time to become attached to them, that certainly would have led to financial losses.
Third advice: you should not apply to the money invested in stocks, how to zanachke for a rainy day, as to the means that you can, if necessary to put on their consumer needs. Later both postponed. Let them grow, help them, send them, but do not remove them from the growth process. The passion to consume – is one of the main threats to the stock market player. Yes, you can leave the game after a year or two and buy-earned money on a car. This is certainly much better than taking a consumer loan. But what next? Again, take every euro? And if you type patient and allow money to grow another two or three years, you can become a millionaire in a literal sense – and you will not be any financial problems. I always tell those who ask my advice: you can only spend the dividends.
Without haste
– Start with small, able to wait and not indulge in consumption – it sounds very German.
– Unfortunately, no longer. Modern Germans have long lost those German qualities and become a frivolous consumers who do nothing about what goes on in advertising, borrow and buy a lot of unnecessary things. And, of course, can not pay debts. I get tired of repeating: give up the senseless instantaneous consumption. Set a goal – to earn a million. And calmly, without haste and without the random motion will go to it. That is why my next practical advice to beginners is this: Stop thinking about their actions in the category of their value. Think about them only in the category of shares.
If you buy shares and start each day to monitor the quotes, then go crazy. Today, some hedge fund bought a large stake, and the price rises to ten percent. A couple of days to make a profit, the fund sells them – and the price drops again. For the hedge fund to make a purchase on the thirty to forty million euros – is still to buy nuts. But the small shareholders who hold shares of a thousand or two, will never be able to make money on such fluctuations. It will only confuse, undermine their health and even lose the money that he had. Therefore, the only working option for us, the small shareholders – to consider his status as the number of shares and set a goal each year, doubling that number.
– Frankly, it looks a bit naive. What is the difference in humans at the hands of the shares, if, say, their price will fall a few times?
– Of course, in most cases that is true. You can buy shares of any company, even at the lowest price, but they never rise to its previous high level, and you will remain with nothing. However, I have already explained that my method should only buy shares of large, proven over the years companies. And buy when they approached the minimum over the years, a mark, and therefore ahead of their only growth, we just have to wait. The amount of shares is important in my system because I recommend buying only those for which pay good dividends. See for yourself: the average for the shares of large German bank like Commerzbank paid twenty-five to thirty cents. Private banks, such as the same IKB, pay a very generous dividends, to eighty cents, but it is rather an exception. In any case, if you have a thousand shares of the same Commerzbank, which means only two hundred and fifty to three hundred euros of dividends. But if they have two or three thousand, the dividend amount to a thousand euros or more – for every German pensioner is a very good increase in their pension. And with every doubling of the number of shares, this amount increases. Moreover, if the action is yours for over a year, and the total amount of dividends does not exceed two and a half thousand euros, then under German law, you are exempt from income tax. So what exactly dividends allow me calmly wait until the stock price reaches a maximum, and not flinch every time the news of the short-term fluctuations.
– And what is your method never gave failures?
– Only once. In 1998 I bought shares in the bank Bankgesellschaft Berlin. Then I thought that once the board of the bank is composed of leading politicians, it must be reliable. But everything turned out differently: all this time the bank actually at a loss sponsored the Christian Democratic Union. Remember the scandal with Chancellor Kohl? So, when the scandal surfaced out, the shares fell even more, and I had to sell them at a loss. I lost on this ten thousand marks. Since then, I never trusted politicians and only buy shares of those companies, the boards of directors are not party functionaries. However, this story is not my very damaged state. Just at the same time greatly increased shares Commerzbank, and I finished the year with a profit.
– I never had a fear of losing money?
– Never. I just do not fixated on money. I have already said: I speak not with money, and shares. Their loss, I’m not afraid.
