A Motley Fool 5-Stock Sampler: Ten Years Later

September 2015. Feels like ages ago. That's when David Gardner, Motley Fool co-founder, launched his first five-stock sampler. Now we can look back. Ten wild years. Market chaos. A pandemic. Tech explosions.

His "5 Stocks for the Next 5 Years" was quite the mixed bag:

1. Activision Blizzard (ATVI) - Gaming giant soared 234.9%. Microsoft gobbled it up in 2023. Not bad.
2. Casey's General Stores (CASY) - This rural convenience chain? Shocking 373% return. Market crusher.
3. FireEye (FEYE) - Kind of a sleeper. Became Mandiant. Returned just 16% before Google snatched it.
4. Mercado Libre (MELI) - The star. Latin American e-commerce beast turned into a 21-bagger with a mind-blowing 2,069% return.
5. Middleby (MIDD) - Kitchen tech company. Bit disappointing at 27% over a decade.

Together? This odd collection delivered 544.1%. The market? Only 202.6%. Seems picking stocks isn't completely random after all.

What did we learn? Leadership matters. A lot. Acquisitions give quick gains but cap your upside. One massive winner can carry several duds. Patience pays.

Looking ahead to 2025, Motley Fool folks still love Mercado Libre. They're eyeing AI stuff too. Alphabet remains a favorite. Not entirely surprising given their AI push.

The big takeaway? Real wealth doesn't happen overnight. It's not about months. Not about years. It's about decades. Trading is fun. Investing is wealth.