Back in November 2023, when the market was still arguing about whether tech stocks had any gas left in the tank, I quietly picked up 0.49866794 shares of CrowdStrike (CRWD) for $114.18.
Why CrowdStrike? Because if you squinted past the macro noise, you could see a company doing everything right. It wasn’t just “cybersecurity”—it was cloud-native, AI-driven, and more importantly, actually profitable. While the rest of the growth darlings were still recovering from their zero-interest-rate hangovers, CRWD was posting real earnings, growing free cash flow, and quietly expanding its moat.
So I bought a fractional slice—nothing flashy, just a toehold.
Then I waited.
Fast forward to May 27, 2025. CrowdStrike’s stock had done what good stocks tend to do over time: it went up. Not in a straight line, and not without giving bears a few reasons to feel smug along the way—but up nonetheless.
At that point, I sold exactly 0.234140936 shares, bringing in… $114.18.
Same amount I put in, now back in my pocket. But here’s the fun part:
I still own 0.264527004 shares of CRWD.
That’s right—I now hold a quarter of a CRWD share with a cost basis of zero. The rest of my original stake paid for itself.
No options, no leverage, no complicated trade structuring. Just a little patience, and a spreadsheet with a calculator function.
The strategy? I call it the Double-Up Free Stock method.
- Buy a stock you believe in, ideally while it’s unloved.
- Wait until it doubles.
- Sell half.
- Keep the rest—free and clear.
Now I have “free” CRWD shares sitting quietly in my portfolio, compounding away. Maybe they’ll triple. Maybe they’ll get acquired. Maybe they’ll just sit there, spinning off alpha-flavored good vibes. Either way, they owe me nothing.
And that’s a position I’m always happy to hold.
BUY, SELL, KEEP 
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