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John Bart
Chief Mentor
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In 1987, John T. Bart, then a Professor of Finance at the University of Windsor, founded the ShareOwner organization (“ShareOwner”). Its mission is to provide individual investors and investment clubs with practical education and portfolio training to invest directly, and more successfully, in high quality growth stocks.
Acknowledgements
ShareOwner’s educational content owes much to the DuPont Model of profitability analysis developed by the giant chemical company during the 1920s. Today, the Model remains a central element in modern financial analysis.
As well, our content draws extensively on the Stock Selection Guide developed in the 1950s by the National Association of Investment Clubs. Since then, investor organizations from many parts of the world have embraced the Guide’s analytical content and powerful images (See World Federation of Investors).
Education
ShareOwner Education Inc. equips novice and experienced investors with the education, tools and training need to invest more successfully in high quality growth stocks. Today, that skill is taught principally through ShareOwner’s Stock Market
Mentorship.
During the Mentorship, an investor studies with their mentor for three months to design a 20-stock Take-Home portfolio for personal use in a retirement, tax-free savings or other account.
Before building on the portfolio at home, investors give their portfolio a true-to-life, nine-month Tryout by investing a maximum of $100 in each of their portfolio choices.
The 12-month Mentorship operates online and uses a variety of materials and technology: the course text, stock-study software and corporate database; video lessons; mentor-led lesson tutorials (monthly); mentor-led case studies (monthly); research studies (bi-monthly); and, commission-free scheduled trading during the portfolio Tryout.
Stock Market Trading
Canadian ShareOwner Investments Inc. (CSII) operates Canada’s only dollar-based trading service for common stocks and exchange-traded funds. For example, a $100 investment in the shares of ABC Inc. (recent price $35) purchases 2.8571 shares.
With dollar-based buying, investors can enjoy unusually small commissions in relation to those available for purchasing board and off lots.
CSII is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and a participant in the Canadian Depository for Securities.
Investors enrolled in the Mentorship use the trading service to give their Take-Home portfolio its Tryout.
As well, thousands of investors use the service for low-cost portfolio building.
Stock Market Literacy
In 2007, ShareOwner applied its dollar-based trading technology to increasing stock market literacy by sponsoring Canada’s first Real-Money Stock Market Tournament.
Contestants used $1,000 of their money to buy and sell stocks during an 11-month tournament. ShareOwner chose a real-money format because all other educational tournaments use stock market simulations involving “play” or “virtual” money. That format insulates contestants from experiencing their emotional responses to the losses and gains of real world investing. As well, the typical winning strategy in simulations is to bet all of your virtual money on one stock – the most volatile one you can find. That strategy is generally not recommended for prudent, long-term investing.
In 2008, ShareOwner sponsored a second real-money tournament that was exclusively for university and college students. |
