Designed by Jeff Nitcy jnitcy@potlatch.com

During the summer or fall of 1802, President Jefferson informed Meriwether Lewis that he would lead an expedition to the west.  For approximately one year, prior to the beginning of the expedition on August 31, 1803, Lewis prepared for the expedition by learning Botany and Geography, and navigation by Sextant from Jefferson.  Lewis knew that he would need trade items for Native Americans so he obtained beads, cast-iron corn mills, etc.  He obtained supplies such as rifles, powder, lead, salt, and portable soup.  Lewis conferred with map collector Albert Gallatin.  He obtained medicines for sickness and boats for river travel.  Of course, all of these supplies cost money, and though Lewis planned well for a year, the cost of the trip was well over budget due to unforseen circumstances.
Stephen E. Ambrose's, "Undaunted Courage" tells the story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  On pages 53 and 54, the book describes the 1801-1860 (Thomas Jefferson era to Abraham Lincoln era) revolution of transportation.  "...Americans could move more bulky items in great quantity farther in an hour than Americans in 1801 could do in a day, whether by land or water."  A leap forward in transportation by a factor of  twenty or more.  Additionally, there was a great leap forward in information transmittion.  "In Jefferson's day, it took six weeks to move information from the Mississippi River to Washington D.C.  In Lincoln's day, information moved over the same route by telegraph all but instantaneously."

During the last decade, our lives have experienced a great leap in information transmittion.  The Internet allows people to converse and trade goods via computer from continent to continent.  It also serves as an almost unlimited source of almost any kind of information one desires.  One kind of information in great quantity on the Internet is financial information.  Twenty years ago if a person wanted to purchase stock, a broker's trade commission was at least $50.00.  Internet brokers such as Ameritrade now charge as little as $8.00 for the same trade.  Financial information one used to have to pay for and order via "snail mail" now is available for free via the Internet.  With such a great source of information available to anyone 24 hours per day,  taking advantage of such opportunity could be a big "boost" to one's financial well-being.

A couple of "sure-fire" ways to become financially independent is to inherit a lot of money, or be born into a wealthy family.  If you’re like most people, though, you’ll spend the rest of your life as a middle-class person/family.

For decades, though, the stock market has provided all people with the opportunity to make money, with an average yearly compounded return over the last 60 years of approximately 12 percent.  Suppose a person (possibly you) wants to retire at the age of 60 years of age.  If you’re 20 years young you have 40 years to use compound interest to your advantage.  One hundred dollars invested in the Stock Market at the age of twenty likely will earn about 12 percent interest compounded annually (yearly).  By the time you’re 60 years young your $100 investment will have grown to about $9300.  If you invest $1000 how much money will you have in 40 years?  About  $93,000!  $2000 invested at the age of 20 could turn into about $186,000 in 40 years.

The Internet provides the amateur investor with easy access to a wealth of financial and investment information.  This webquest is designed to help you become familiar with some financial websites, help you realize financial opportunities at hand, and help you understand how choices you make in your early years of life can affect you and your familie's quality of life as you age.