Putting your money where your mouth is

There has been a great deal of discussion, and debate, lately with regard to the Facebook IPO and whether or not it’s a good idea to invest.

 

My IRA contains a wide range of stocks that I’ve invested in. Looking at my top holdings, I’m surprised to see Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) listed, not because I invested the most money in these stocks, but because they’re worth the most. Since purchasing stock in these companies years ago, they’ve increased in value over double what I paid. Over a 200% increase.

I purchase stocks based on my own personal spending habits and companies that I respect from a business standpoint. I don’t own stock in Wal-Mart because I don’t like their business practices, nor do I shop there. Target, however, was a company I worked for in high school and since I shop there quite often, it only makes sense to invest in them. Same goes for many of the other companies I’ve invested in over the years. Some have grown considerably, while others have disappointed. That’s the nature of the stock market.

Facebook is one of those stocks that people are unsure of because of its social standings and because of the fear based on the dotcom fallout. I would guess the majority of Facebook users (and based on stats, this is pretty accurate) don’t use it for business, like those in my particular circle of bloggers, social media managers and marketing execs.

My full-time job has me focused on Facebook pretty much all day long. It’s oftentimes a 24/7 role, monitoring the dozen Facebook Pages I manage. So, when people ask if I will buy stock in Facebook, I say, “Of course.” I invest most of my time and energy into Facebook and other social media sites and because this is where my job lies, it only makes sense – for me -  to invest financially.

What are your thoughts on the Facebook (FB) IPO?