Then:
High school economics teacher Brett Burkey (pictured at left) appeared in our July 2006 issue when he asked the Portfolio Doctor (a monthly feature at the time) about his stock market strategy. Burkey, then 45, was doing well by accumulating shares of blue-chip growth stocks and letting them ride. He wanted reassurance that bucking the common wisdom to rely on mutual funds in general and index funds in particular was okay.
Now:
Ten years later, Burkey is still teaching at Spanish River Community High School, in Boca Raton, Fla., and he’s still partial to investing in individual stocks. And, he tells us, he’s prospering. Even though he “got beat up like everyone else,” he wisely stayed in the market through the collapse of 2007 and 2008. “I assumed it to be a temporary thing, and I did some buying all along.”
As he gets closer to leaving the classroom and taking his teacher’s pension—he’s in his 32nd year as an instructor—Burkey has shifted his holdings from growth stocks to stocks that pay generous dividends, such as Realty Income (O), AT&T (T) and Southern Company (SO). One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is his dedication to buying shares of solid businesses and not looking at their stock prices from day to day. He’s satisfied to receive steadily rising dividends, which he almost always reinvests in additional shares. Burkey and his wife, Diana, a commercial banker, are looking forward to a debt-free, active retirement with a dividend bounty to help support it.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
In addition to cultivating his own portfolio, Burkey has incorporated his sideline interest in finance into his profession. He has developed a popular course in personal finance for freshmen at his high school. Six sections of 30 teenagers each get a semester’s grounding in financial literacy, starting with the basics of credit and banking and moving on to how to buy a car and pay for college. And yes, he issues each student $50,000 of virtual money so the students can simulate stock portfolios.
Burkey is also working to persuade other educators in Florida to make personal finance a high school requirement. He has testified in front of the state legislature in Tallahassee and gives workshops at Florida Atlantic University for public school teachers who would like to introduce personal finance content into their classes—a gig he plans to continue after he retires. “Managing money and investing wisely are critical survival skills for teachers as well as rising generations of students,” says Burkey, because younger teachers aren’t assured of long careers and a secure pension.
-
Ten Cheapest Places to Live in TexasProperty Tax Looking for a cheap place to live in Texas? Look no further. These counties have the lowest property tax bills in the Lone Star State.
-
AI Is Missing the Wisdom of Older Adults: What It Means for YouAI will increasingly affect your healthcare and finances, but young workers are primarily designing the systems and getting most of the jobs.
-
457 Plan Contribution Limits for 2025Retirement plans There are higher 457 plan contribution limits for state and local government workers in 2025. That's good news for state and local government employees.
-
Medicare Basics: 12 Things You Need to KnowMedicare There's Medicare Part A, Part B, Part D, Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans and so on. We sort out the confusion about signing up for Medicare — and much more.
-
The Seven Worst Assets to Leave Your Kids or Grandkidsinheritance Leaving these assets to your loved ones may be more trouble than it’s worth. Here's how to avoid adding to their grief after you're gone.
-
SEP IRA Contribution Limits for 2025SEP IRA A good option for small business owners, SEP IRAs allow individual annual contributions of as much as $70,000 in 2025, up from $69,000 in 2024.
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2025Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
-
SIMPLE IRA Contribution Limits for 2025simple IRA The SIMPLE IRA contribution limit increased by $500 for 2025. Workers at small businesses can contribute up to $16,500 or $20,000 if 50 or over and $21,750 if 60-63.
-
457 Contribution Limits for 2024
retirement plans State and local government workers can contribute more to their 457 plans in 2024 than in 2023.
-
Roth 401(k) Contribution Limits for 2025retirement plans The Roth 401(k) contribution limit for 2025 increased, and workers who are 50 and older can save even more.
