By 2018, I’d saved up quite a bit of money (around CHF 450 ~ USD 450) and bought my first stock: Geberit AG. I kept that stock for about three years and sold it for approximately the same price, except I’d lost a lot of money on account fees, netting at best negative CHF 60! So, even though it wasn’t the biggest flop ever, my first experience with investing wasn’t very successful.

I had learned about this stock and why it was probably a sound investment during a short internship at a private bank. I was 16, going on 17, and I was writing my high-school graduation thesis (called Matura in Switzerland) about investing in stocks. In the context of this thesis I analysed multiple companies, created my own hypothetical portfolio and made an introductory course to investing on YouTube called – I give you one guess – CNM Investing (you can still find the videos at https://www.youtube.com/@cnminvesting2641). I stopped making videos because I started my Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, which I have now completed.

Since completing my Bachelor’s degree, I have taken and passed the CFA Level 1 exam in February 2024, where I learned how to forecast. I have also continued investing using a strategy I believe suits me best, and while I will not share specific results, I can state that I am quite happy with my portfolio as it is.

Last but not least, of course, CNM stands for my initials!