You could have been a millionaire today

IF you had bought 100 shares of Wipro at the rate of Rs 100 per share in 1980, they would be worth Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) today.

If you had invested Rs 10,000 in Infosys shares in 1992, you would be richer by Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million) today.

If you had invested Rs 1,000 in Ranbaxy in 1980, you would have got Rs 1.9 crore (Rs 19 million) today!

And, not so far back in time, if you had invested Rs 40,000 in Unitech during the lows of 2004, your bank account would see a whopping Rs 1.1 crore (Rs 11 million) today!

Some guy out there knew this. Today, he is laughing all the way to the bank. So, what was this guy's magic strategy? It is simple.

He bought, he waited
Waited for all those share splits and bonus declarations. Waited for the company to grow from strength to strength. Waited even when the shares teetered only to recoup in a few years' time.

Just as a child takes time to realise his/ her full potential, so does an investment need time to reward you handsomely. Sure, the times are uncertain now. But let that not scare you to sell for a loss.

Patience pays
Look back. You will notice that selling in such times makes no real sense in the longer run. Those who didn't sell their stocks during the May 2006 crash but had, in fact, bought more would be a very happy lot today. Investing long term is like that: it rewards you handsomely. Always.

Exercise patience. As champion broker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala said recently, if you want to learn more about patience, get married!

The way I see it, you don't really need to get married to learn patience. Just look back in time. All these stocks have been multi-baggers for those who stayed on for the long-term. They would have fetched you unimaginable returns today.

Do your research
You will learn a thing or two about making millions from a few thousands. You can still make those millions! Turn a deaf ear at the sceptics; look at beaten down sectors. Consider aviation and hospitality. Today, aviation stocks are way below their lifetime highs. But, as India grows, so will travel. And within the next three years, they will reward you handsomely.

Most people ignore aviation and hotels. And that is why they merit my attention. Pick up stocks that others are ignoring. People who create wealth do things that others do not.

I am sure you could make millions if you do, too!