The most heartening part of last night’s roadshow presentation in Cape Town came from an unexpected source – the nephew of a long-time community member, introduced to me after the formal proceedings were over.
A well-spoken lad, he turned out to be the chairman of the investment club at historic Bishops, a 170 year old boy’s school. I was surprised such an organisation even existed. And more so when discovering the club has 200 members. Youngsters taking a cue from Warren Buffett, who bought his first share at just 11 years old.
We never got around to discussing how and when the club started, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there was encouragement from the chairman of the school’s council, Simon Peile. He is an actuary better known in financial circles as co-founder, with his high profile wife Magda Wierzycka, of asset management disruptor Sygnia.
With investing, the earlier one starts the greater the chance of success. Those 200 lads may not yet realise it, but joining this club is likely to be one of the most valuable decisions of their entire school careers. After all, Warren Buffett bought his first share as an 11 year old. And look at how that turned out.
