Patent ID: 8712901

Claim:
A method of investing over a computer network that promotes long-term saving, comprising the steps of: providing a collective investment entity that offers shares of stock in the investment entity for sale to investors, the collective investment entity providing investment returns earned on investment property to purchasers of the collective investment entity; receiving one or more requests via a computer network from a plurality of investors to purchase shares of stock in the collective investment entity, the requests being transmitted from one or more client computers across the computer network, the shares of stock being subject to a qualifying period comprising a predetermined period of time; processing the received requests, using a processor, and purchasing shares of stock in the collective investment entity based on the processed requests; allocating one or more disbursement values, the one or more disbursement values being separate from the investment returns provided to purchasers of the shares of stock in the collective investment entity; determining a number of eligible investors from among the plurality of investors, the investors being eligible by virtue of owning at least one eligible share of stock; and conducting one or more disbursement events, wherein the one or more disbursement values are disbursed to at least one eligible investor chosen in a lottery selection process from among the eligible investors; wherein an eligible share of stock comprises a share of stock that has remained under the ownership of a single investor for the at least the duration of the qualifying period.