Longest held investment?

[secondcor521]

I'm a long-term-buy-and-hold investor, or at least I think I am and claim to be.

I was wondering recently about this topic, and so I wondered what was the investment I have held the longest.

My records don't go back any further, but apparently I have owned shares in VFINX from at least December 31, 1992, so about 21 1/2 years.

How about you?

[Cheddar Stacker]

Since 2006 - 8 years. Random mutual funds, but I will be selling them before this time next year to fund a rental real estate purchase.

I bought a few stocks this summer that I hope to hold indefinitely though.

21 1/2 years? Damn. Impressive.

[Middlesbrough]

401k mutual funds. Started the month I turned 21. So, just under 3 years.

[begood]

Does whole life count? My parents took out a small policy on me in 1965 and we still have it today! The premium is $64/year. Dividends could cover the premium, but we go ahead and pay it since it's such a small amount. We've borrowed and repaid the cash value in it twice over the years.

[ThriftyD]

At age 27, I've only been investing on my own (outside of my employer's retirement plan) since 2011 when I opened my Scottrade brokerage account and Roth IRA.  In response to this thread I opened up my account to see what I have had in there the longest.  I tend to have a long term focus as well so I haven't exited many positions yet.  Prior to getting on board with Mustachianism, I mainly bought individual stocks. 

-My longest position is 800 shares of Sirius XM (SIRI) that I purchased back in March of 2011 for $1.65/share.  It was the hot talked about stock of the day at the time I guess.  It's currently hanging around the $3.50 range.  I've added to my position there a bit but not significantly.

-My next oldest (and my favorite individual stock I hold these days) is 50 shares of Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) I purchased in June of 2011 for about $23/share.  Just yesterday they released Q3 earnings and they surged up over $52/share!  I wish I would have bought more!!!

So I'm a relatively new investor but I plan to buy and hold for the long haul.  I've certainly balanced out my portfolio with greater positions in mutual funds and ETFs but I do enjoy researching and buying individual stocks from time to time as well.

[AssetGrinder]

gold and silver bars. they are doing pretty good since I have been holding over 16 years

[Leisured]

I am Australian, and bought what is now BHP Billiton in 1982. BHP has been very good to me. It is now the largest diversified natural resource company in the world, and in Australia is known as a 'mums and dads' investment.

[soccerluvof4]

Northeast investors (some kind of annuity) and Vanguard Equity and Index funds. Bought all 3 in late late 8os or early 90s so 25 years Id say.

[clifp]

My oldest investment is my Intel stock options which I exercised in  1987 at price $.625/share considering that they pay $.90 a year a dividend it is been a very good investment even if this century has been pretty bad.

My mom has shares of AT&T, which she inherited from my dad, who turn inherited them from his aunt. I about 15 years ago I spent a entire weekend trying to establish the cost basis for these share before giving up, my mom is going to die with those shares.   As far I can tell the original purchase was 60 share of the original A&T company in the early 1950 and a DRIP plan for roughly 25 years.  Since that time through an amazing number of stock splits, spin offs, and mergers its has turned in 1094 share of AT&T worth 40K and $8K worth of Comcast shares, and few hundred dollars worth of stocks. 

[chasesfish]

My grandmother gifted me 100 shares of Coca-Cola 14 years ago.  I'm grateful I had a learning opportunity about what it means to reinvest dividends and how stocks can split, but I can't say I really understood or felt all that lucky to have it when I was 10 years old.

I'm up to about 250 shares now without adding a single cent to it all this time... Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it as I learn more about investing...

Just hold it.  That's probably one of the few companies out there to never, ever sell.

In another 10-20 years, you'll get as much in annual dividends as your grandmother originally gifted you.

[secondcor521]

My oldest investment is my Intel stock options which I exercised in  1987 at price $.625/share considering that they pay $.90 a year a dividend it is been a very good investment even if this century has been pretty bad.

My mom has shares of AT&T, which she inherited from my dad, who turn inherited them from his aunt. I about 15 years ago I spent a entire weekend trying to establish the cost basis for these share before giving up, my mom is going to die with those shares.   As far I can tell the original purchase was 60 share of the original A&T company in the early 1950 and a DRIP plan for roughly 25 years.  Since that time through an amazing number of stock splits, spin offs, and mergers its has turned in 1094 share of AT&T worth 40K and $8K worth of Comcast shares, and few hundred dollars worth of stocks.

Intel -- wow.

My Dad bought shares in the original AT&T back in the 1960s and went through the same basis nightmare.  I think his approach was going to be to hold them for the rest of his life so we could reestablish the basis at his death.  My approach, when he gifted me some, was to donate them to charity -- deduct the FMV and forget about the basis.  I wonder if charities get a lot of AT&T stock :-)

[Catbert]

Many of my mutual funds were originally purchased in the mid-1990s with a life insurance payment from my late first husband.

My best long term investment was 100 shares of Qualcomm stock bought for about $4300 in 1996 or so.  The stock has split numerous times since them so now it has turned into 1600 shares worth about $125,000.

[Nords]

Berkshire Hathaway since 2001.

My father has Fidelity mutual fund shares going back to 1991.

My oldest investment is my Intel stock options which I exercised in  1987 at price $.625/share considering that they pay $.90 a year a dividend it is been a very good investment even if this century has been pretty bad.

My mom has shares of AT&T, which she inherited from my dad, who turn inherited them from his aunt. I about 15 years ago I spent a entire weekend trying to establish the cost basis for these share before giving up, my mom is going to die with those shares.   As far I can tell the original purchase was 60 share of the original A&T company in the early 1950 and a DRIP plan for roughly 25 years.  Since that time through an amazing number of stock splits, spin offs, and mergers its has turned in 1094 share of AT&T worth 40K and $8K worth of Comcast shares, and few hundred dollars worth of stocks.

I love those stories!

I've read of professional brokers who do the cost basis research for an hourly fee.  Apparently it's a big part of settling an estate, especially when the executor finally gets into the safe-deposit box and finds it stuffed full of paper share certificates.  It takes that much research just to establish the current value of a 50-year-old share and determine the total value of the estate.