GECCO Investment Club
About GECCO

OUR MISSION

The Greater Evansville Capitalists with Common Objectives, also known as the GECCO Investment Club, was founded as a general partnership in Evansville, Indiana on April 13, 2000.  We formed with two goals in mind: (1) to learn how to invest in the stock market and (2) to make money over the long term.  We invest in companies for the long haul, intending to hold them for months/years as opposed to days/weeks.  In other words, we are not out to make a "quick buck".

OUR APPROACH

We are dedicated to the pursuit of building personal wealth through investing in common stocks.  Our club adheres to a long-term investment philosophy built upon the basic investment principles recommended by the National Association of Investors Corporation (NAIC), specifically:
Invest Regulary, Regardless of the Market Outlook
Reinvest All Earnings
Invest in Growth Companies
Diversify to Reduce Risk
We aim to double our money every five years, implying a compound annual growth rate of at least fifteen percent.  In selecting stocks for our portfolio, we employ the fundamental analysis techniques of NAIC's Stock Selection Guide (SSG).  (For additional information, see Starting and Running a Profitable Investment Club, O’Hara and Janke, Times Books, 1998.)  An SSG is prepared for each prospective investment and its competitors, and the results are evaluated to determine if the stock in question is worthy of purchase.  This analysis must be completed before a given stock is purchased.  Once a stock is added to our portfolio, it is assigned to a club member for ongoing monitoring.

Our aim is to build an investment portfolio providing above-market returns.  To this end, we place heavy emphasis on ongoing education.  We regularly pursue education on a variety of financial topics to enhance our investing knowledge by learning new techniques or improving upon old ones.

OUR MEMBERSHIP

GECCO currently consists of five member households ranging in age from their late twenties to their early forties.  Our members possess varying backgrounds and investing experience.  We regard this diversity as a key strength, as it provides a variety of perspectives key to identifying and evaluating investment opportunities.  Membership in our club isn't restricted to those with experience.  We gladly welcome anyone with a strong interest in investing and a willingness to contribute regularly to the club's activities; however, every member is expected to regularly:
attend club meetings (at least half over any twelve-month period);
pay annual club dues to cover operating expenses;
add at least $50 per month to their interest in the club's portfolio;
contribute toward the selection and/or ongoing monitoring of the club's investments; and
devote time outside of club meetings to the club's activities
For more information concerning our club's operations, view our Partnership Agreement and By-Laws.

OUR MEETINGS

GECCO meets regularly at 4:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month.  Meetings are usually held on Evansville’s West side and generally average between one-and-a-half to two hours in duration.  The meeting agenda typically consists of the following topics:
Review/Approval of Minutes from Prior Month's Meeting
Presentation/Approval of Monthly Treasurer's Report
Reports on Key Developments for Existing Stock Holdings
Stock Study Presentations and Buy/Sell Decisions
Educational Presentation
Old/New Business

OUR PORTFOLIO

ARE YOU LOOKING TO JOIN/FORM AN INVESTMENT CLUB?

If you are interested in investment clubs and would like to learn more about GECCO, please click to contact us.  We will forward additional information and gladly answer any questions you may have.  Further, you are welcome to join us as our guest during an upcoming club meeting to observe us in action.