Wes Bratton is a retired civil engineer, not a finance professional.

But the Richland man knows a great deal about the stock market thanks in part to his involvement in a local investment club. The Barney Bunch Investment Club was founded in 1997, and it’s been going strong for the last 27 years, helping members learn about buying, selling and the like.

“The goal is not so much making money as it is education,” Bratton said, although he noted that the club has “beaten the market” more often than not.

Today, the club has about a dozen members. Throughout its history, more than 30 people – including up to three generations of one family – have been on the rolls.

Bratton was an early member. The group used to meet in person, but it’s shifted to online meetings since the pandemic. Members pay $20 a month, evaluating stocks together.

“Our club portfolio has grown pretty steadily over the years,” wrote Richard Collingham, a longtime member who died last year, in an article published in the fall in BetterInvesting Magazine. 

“In the early years, we could only afford two to three stocks, but after five years we had settled in on a portfolio of about 10 to 12 stocks. This worked out well as that gave each member a stock to track and report on for the year. Each year we would randomly assign the stocks in the portfolio to different members to ensure we got different and fresh perspectives on how the company was doing. Buy-and-sell decisions are always made by a group vote,” he wrote.

The club got its name because a founding member was associated with Smith Barney Broker in Richland, and the club used that company as a broker. The Barney Bunch formed as a member of the nonprofit National Association of Investors, now known as BetterInvesting.

Back in the early days, the club didn’t have the benefit of internet tools to help with stock evaluation. 

“One (member) took classes to understand how to input the (Stock Selection Guide, or SSG) using tattered value-line books that could only be found in our city libraries,” Collingham wrote. 

But the club adopted SSG automation tools as they became available and eventually expanded its methodologies, he wrote. The club now has a framework that will serve it for years to come, he wrote.

While the Barney Bunch Investment Club isn’t currently looking for new members, there are plenty of resources available for people who want to learn more about investing, said Bob Heck, club president. He recommended visiting BetterInvesting.org, which has information and classes.

The organization also offers support to people looking to start their own clubs.

Heck, of Richland, was been interested in investing for years and relied on resources from BetterInvesting to help. He joined the Barney Bunch after relocating to the Tri-Cities. He’s glad he did.

“It’s been very worthwhile to learn how to evaluate companies and make proper investments,” he said. “It’s been very helpful in terms of my own learning in how to invest.”

Bratton feels the same way. He joined the club after he moved to the Tri-Cities for work years ago. He sought out an investment club and found the Barney Bunch.

“Everybody’s bringing different perspectives and different thoughts on where the market is going to go. I think it’s beneficial,” he said. “I think it’s great in terms of education, especially for newer members who don’t have much experience. They’re learning along the way."