For new investors, the stock market can be scary. It can be challenging to know which stocks to invest in, which to drop, and when to do all of it. Mr. Sherman teaches a full-year investment course for students interested in learning and covering taxes to day trading. As Eastern’s only Investments teacher, Mr. Sherman was asked which stocks he is investing in currently, and which ones he would recommend.  

While Mr. Sherman may be the Investments teacher, these stock suggestions are for informational purposes only. One of the first lessons in Sherman’s class is that each investor should do their own research and analysis before making any decisions.

That being said, here is Sherman’s list of 5 recommended stocks.

“This is a tough question to answer,” Sherman says, “because I have many different investment accounts, each with a different purpose. Some are for retirement, others are for fun, and I even have an investment account that I manage for my daughter, who is one year old.” 

Sherman recommends a diversified profile, complete with retirement savings: mutual funds, index funds, and ETFs. Along with “fun” stocks: blue chip, growth, income, penny stocks, and crypto. 

First on the list is Twitter. Sherman describes it as a “relatively safe investment with steady growth potential over two years.” The stock keeps his portfolio moving in the right direction but doesn’t have particularly huge returns. “I don’t see myself holding onto this stock for many more years.”

Next up is Sherwin-Williams, described as his “Workhorse.” Sherman was lucky enough to get into Sherwin-Williams early, about 13 years ago. The value was less than $20 a share and has had continual growth since then, recently surpassing $700/share. In addition, it completed a 3-for-1 stock split earlier this year. “This yielded me three times my number of shares,” he said, “and the stock has continued to grow, currently sitting just shy of $300.”

The third is Athira Pharma, a clinical-stage therapeutics company developing therapies for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s. Sherman calls it a “risky investment with ten times large growth potential.” He doesn’t expect to see a profit from this until January 2023, when data from clinical trials come back. “This investment is not for the faint of heart, as they are a very young company with volatile price swings. However, the payoff would be worth it if it pans out.”

The fourth company comes with a disclaimer from Sherman. “Let me start by saying you should never invest more than you are willing to lose in any single investment, especially one as EXTREMELY RISKY as Dogecoin.” Dogecoin, different from Bitcoin, is riskier but will achieve more of a profit than the other crypto coins. In addition, there is unlimited DOGE, so the “HODL” or “Hold On for Dear Life” aspect is less of a factor. In other words, the idea of “ignore the volatility and hold” is not applicable. Sherman says he doesn’t have a lot in DOGE, but he’ll “jump back in when it dips and out again when it bounces back.”

The fifth and final stock Sherman would recommend is Zoom. Although it has not been as successful since October 2020, Sherman believes that there is a potential need for more virtual learning with school starting back up. He also believes more companies will purchase subscriptions to Zoom for their employees who are now working remotely. “I’m betting the stock bounces back over the next 12 months and settles in around $350-400/share.” 

With each of these recommendations, Sherman recommends caution and personal research, but he encourages students to begin learning about investments, which stands as a jumping-off point.