POWERGRAMS

29 P O W E R I N V E S T O R S EmployEe, retirEe club portfolio worth $3 million BY CARLA DAVIS Start investing early and oen. That's Adam Kirk's philosophy for saving money and building a nest egg for the future. It's no surprise, then, that when a friend and co-worker invited him to attend a Power Investors stock club meeting, he said, "Absolutely." "My parents raised me to plan, because you never know what will happen," said Kirk, Transmission Line Design engineer, Corporate Headquarters. "So, any investment opportunity that comes along, I'm listening. I thought surely I can learn something from this experience, and it's a great networking opportunity." Kirk, who joined two years ago, is a relative newcomer in the club, compared to many of the other members. "I looked at these guys who have been investing for decades, and thought, 'There has got to be some wisdom there,'" said Kirk. "They have seen a lot of market events, plus, what better way to occupy your time than to join a club that interests you." The Power Investors club began in 1959, with a group of 30 Alabama Power employees meeting for lunch to compare notes about their shared interest – buying and selling stocks. Starting with $25 each, those employees from the company's engineering department decided to pool their money and begin investing. Today, despite financial ups and downs nationwide and the pandemic, the club is still going strong, said Perry Stowe. Its portfolio was worth $2.8 million in July. The club's 27 members, or partners, together own 18,355 shares in 22 companies. The club has paid more than $4 million to current and previous partners or their estates. "We've had some bumps in our portfolio over the years, but over time, we have made money," said Stowe, club secretary/treasurer. "We look at the down times as times to invest. If you are willing to invest consistently over the long haul, you will come out positively, based on our history." The club has scored big with some of its investments, said Stowe, who retired in 2010 as director of Southern Company Transmission Planning. Its initial $30,000 investment in Pepsi has grown to $345,300. It risked $52,819 in Microso stock, which is now worth $341,900. The club has investments in many other small and large companies, including Walmart, Apple, Stryker, Home Depot and Visa. Stowe knows firsthand the importance of "letting an investment ride" through thick and thin. When FINANCE Kirk is one of the younger members of a group that began in 1959.

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