20/20 Investment Club members; Front row: Sharon Maddox, Pam Bryant. Back row: Holly Parker, Laseanda Wesson, Sonya Weaver-Johnson, Mia Merritt

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLACKNEWS.COM

Staff Report

LOS ANGELES, Ca. — Celebrating its 20th anniversary, 20/20 Investment Club has launched Campaign INSPIRE!, a national women’s empowerment initiative designed to celebrate the power of unity at a critical time in our nation’s history.

Led by the club’s founder, Sonya Weaver-Johnson, a seasoned IT executive, the effort is designed to educate and engage women around the country about the importance of not only investing, but also coming together for a great purpose. Campaign INSPIRE! is an outgrowth of the club’s motto, “Learning and Earning” together.

“It’s hard to believe 20 years have gone by since I mailed the now infamous letter to 20 of my closest friends,” Weaver-Johnson said. “In this letter, I shared my wild idea of starting an all-female, investment club and I invited everyone to join me. About two weeks later, and to my surprise, 14 friends arrived at my home ready to hear me out.”

Weaver-Johnson said the club has helped her gain the financial knowledge and investment profits she was seeking. “I’ve learned a great deal about the global economy, running a business and have established life-long friendships, well beyond my imagination.”

20/20 Investment Club has a diverse, all-female membership, all whom reside in the Greater Los Angeles area and have a wide variety of professional backgrounds. Guided by an intensive stock study program, it uses pooled resources to regularly invest in the U.S. stock market. While the club’s primary objective is to maximize profits, another focus is providing each member a solid foundation in the principles of investing. 20/20 Investment Club has a proven investment strategy and consistently operates as one of the best performing investment clubs in the United States, according to Weaver-Johnson.

The club’s primary goals are ongoing education, maximum profits, and “lots of fun,” she added.

The club’s members represent many industries including: legal, education, healthcare, entertainment, insurance and information technology.

Since its inception, 20/20 Investment Club has been a member of Better Investing (formerly NAIC), a non-profit investor organization, and has used Better Investing resources as a guide for managing club operations and investment education. Here are a few highlights of 20/20 Investment Club’s success:

* The club’s portfolio recognized a 9.4 percent Compounded Annual Return (CAR), for the 10-year period ending 12/31/16.

* During the most recent 1-year, 5-year and 10year periods, ending 12/31/16, the club outperformed both, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund (comparable to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index) and the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (similar to the Wilshire 5000 Index).

* In celebration of its 10-year anniversary, club was featured in Black Enterprise magazine, in 2006.

* Club announced its commitment to investing during the economic downturn when featured on Voice of America (VOA) – U.S. federal government broadcasting network, in 2008.

For more information, visit www.the2020investmentclub.com