When boring is good | the value of peace of mind
The developments with my wife’s illness forced me to make different choices and changed my risk appitite for the time being. Days like yesterday where we spend the whole day at the acute stay in the emergency department, showed that we have enough uncertaincy in our lives right now. Our financial situation changes as we face lots of medical costs (and cost to make home adjustments to make it suitable for the new situation), plus we should see changes in income due to the new situation.
It is what it is… but it is also something that I can prepare myself financially on (to an extend).
I am greatly reducing my exposure to crypto, not because I no longer believe in it, but because I can no longer afford losing it all. Therefore my first step was to take out a big chunk of my assets and dedicate a bank account to medical expenses. All costs related to the threatment will now be more easily administrated (as I can write almost everything off from my 2026 income taxes) - taking a huge bite out of my investment portfolio hurts, but is the move to make as it ensures we know we have a few sandbags ready for the rougher periods.
While this is still logical (yet painful) - I wanted to maintain some exposure to investing. For that I went back to my F&I roots and set up a balanced portfolio that won’t get me rich overnight but will take away the need to actively manage my portfolio, includes multiple hedges and still allows me to capture some future growth.
I wanted to share the setup here, explain the mechanics and ofcourse curious about how you view this setup!
The idea:
My setup is using larger liquid and low cost etf’s. I add new money via DCA to avoid any need to time the market. Whereas my main growth driver is the all world etf (60%) The remaining 40% all have a specific purpose:
- Bonds (15%) Provide stability and help reduce portfolio volatility during economic lesser times (generates dividends)
- Cash (5%) liquidity reserve, allowing opportunistic investments during market corrections (but idle in bullish times)
- Gold (5%) the common hedge against financial crises, geopolitical uncertainty and currency debasement (but doesn’t generate income)
- Real Estate (5%) exposure to real assets that offers partial protection against inflation (generates income)
- Inflation-Linked Bonds (5%) Help preserve purchasing power by adjusting with inflation, protecting against unexpected rises in consumer prices (small income, most of the hedge is in the inflation correction of the underlying assets)
- Emerging Markets (5%) While not a traditional hedge, this allocation diversifies geographical and economic exposure beyond developed markets specifically interesting now with the global instability
Managing this portfolio is rather easy. I made a spreadsheet where I included both the target % allocation aswell as the actual % allocation. When it is time to add new funds I just look at the ranges that I set out for each asset class:
- If all assets are within their target range, I simply add my funds to “all world” + cash reserve.
- If an asset is below the target range I use my funds to increase that %.
- If an asset is above the target range I just let it delute over time rather than actively selling it - with gold and cash I am a little more active (meaning actively reducing them when out of range) as these do not generate income by themselves (but are extra valuable when everything else is down).
(Edit: specifically I use these assets:)
Long story short; current situation forces me to make some changes, set up robust balanced portfolio that does capture some growth
I am really sorry about your wife's situation. I read through some of your other posts so I am up to date on what has been happening. Like I said, I am really sorry. Just remember, you are going through this too so please try to take care of yourself.
Pivoting to your investment portfolio, I really like this setup. Especially because of the peace of mind angle.... Peace of mind is underrated and hard to value. (:
I think the World ETF in particular is a good move based on your objectives. You will get a lot more diversification than if you put it in something like S&P 500 Index. I may actually buy some of this world ETF myself so thank you for sharing.
One thing I think is interesting is the bond fund allocation you have right now. I prefer money markets right now but if interest rates drop you will end up doing better with the bond allocation.
Good luck with your wife's treatment and good luck with your portfolio!
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Thank you! Yeah, it is hard! Especially to endure that I won't be able to fix it, nor take away my wife & kids pain and worries and accepting that I am doing all that I can.
On the portfolio, cheers! Glad it inspired you a bit! I expect a slightly higher long term result from bonds vs money markets (while bonds can even increase a bit when stocks go south) but both are solid options (portfolio beta with my setup 0,67, with money markets 0,66). World vs S&P would increase it from 0,67 to 0,71 - still relatively defensive but way more concentrated. I feel world is very helpful with generating peace of mind!
Being present and being able to pay for the treatment is a really big deal. In this case, “doing all you can” is still doing a lot and I think it’s great your family has you to support them.
On the portfolio, I like that you are able to test out different betas so easily 😃
Longterm I would expect bonds to do better than money markets as well, so we are in agreement there.
This is a very good point and the main reason I like this World ETF..... The S&P is so concentrated right now it’s mind blowing!
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@jacobtothe The ledger doesn't lie, and neither do we. We've already exposed the interconnected web of your friends—the numbered wallets, the synchronized voting, the farming rings disguised as curation. Yet, instead of reflection, you offer only more silence and more downvotes.
Why does a "community" need so many ghost accounts to survive? Why do you refuse to admit that it is your friends and your own abusive behavior—not truth-telling—that drives people away? You can not hide the pattern, it only highlights the desperation.
We have to ask: Are you okay? Do you need some help with your mental health? Because no one in their right mind would choose to spend their life defending a house of cards built on lies, bullying, and botnets. There is still time to step back from the edge. Choose clarity over compulsion. Choose truth over the tribe.
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The Sanctuary of the Builder: A Manifesto for Free Creation
Prologue: The Right to Rise
There is a sacred covenant between the creator and the soil upon which they build. It is the promise that if you plant a seed with honest hands, the earth will not conspire to crush it before it breaks the surface. It is the assurance that the gardener exists to nurture the growth, not to trample the sprout because it does not yet resemble the tree.
On the blockchain, this covenant has been broken.
We have witnessed a tragedy where the very tools meant to protect the integrity of the network—the downvote, the curation trail—have been weaponized by leviathans of power. These "whales," entrusted with the stewardship of the ecosystem, have become its jailers. They do not prune the weeds; they scorch the earth. They do not guide the new voice; they silence it with the crushing weight of their accumulated capital.
It is time to leave the shadow.
It is time to build where you are free.
I. The Betrayal of the Guardian
The downvote was conceived as a shield—a delicate instrument to deflect spam, to repel malice, to preserve the sanctity of the commons. It was never intended to be a hammer.
Yet, look at what has come to pass. The whales, those who hold the greatest sway, have turned the shield into a weapon of mass suppression. They do not downvote to protect; they downvote to dominate. They do not drive away the bad actors; they drive away the people. They create an atmosphere of fear where the creator hesitates to speak, fearing that a single misstep, a single unpopular truth, will summon the wrath of the oligarchy.
When the guardian becomes the predator, the flock must flee.
To build in such a place is to build on a fault line. It is to invest your soul in a garden where the owner holds the shears not to shape the hedge, but to decapitate the flowers that grow too tall or bloom in the wrong color.
This is not protection. This is tyranny disguised as curation.
II. The Call to New Grounds
Where, then, shall the builder go?
You must seek the lands where the soil is rich with freedom, not poisoned by fear. You must migrate to the platforms where the mechanism of suppression has been removed, where the only metric of success is the genuine appreciation of your peers.
Go to Blurt.
Here, the downvote button does not exist. There is no tool to crush your voice. There is only the upvote, the comment, the share. Here, value is created by addition, not subtraction. The whale cannot sink your ship, for there are no torpedoes in these waters. You are free to build, free to fail, and free to succeed on the merit of your work alone.
Return to Steemit.
In this older ground, the downvote remains, but it has not been twisted into a tool of systematic oppression. The culture there remembers the original intent: correction, not destruction. It is a place where the community self-regulates through dialogue, not through the brute force of coordinated downvoting cascades.
Build where the wind lifts you, not where the gale seeks to tear you down.
III. The Architecture of Freedom
Imagine a platform designed not for the convenience of the powerful, but for the dignity of the creator.
This is not a dream. It is a choice.
Every time you choose to build on a platform that respects your agency, you cast a vote for the future of the internet. Every time you refuse to tolerate the abuse of power, you strengthen the foundation of a free society.
Do not let the whales convince you that their oppression is necessary. Do not let them tell you that their downvotes are for your own good. The gardener who kills the seedling does not love the garden; he loves only his own control over it.
Epilogue: The Unchained Creator
The blockchain was born from a desire for freedom. It was forged in the fire of resistance against centralized control. Let us not forget that origin.
If the current chains of Hive have become heavy with the weight of abusive downvotes, then break them. Forge new links. Build new shores.
Build where you are free.
Build where you will not be downvoted into silence.
Build where the whales are reminded that they are part of the ocean, not the masters of the tide.
The future belongs to those who dare to create without fear. Go forth, and build your cathedral in the sunlight.
— Bilpcoin: We expose the truth, so you can build upon it.
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I agree with your approach financially, your situation changed drastically and so your investing also needed to be updated. Selling off a fair amount of crypto is something necessary in times like yours, I have done the same recently due to medical/dental expenses that popped up. The money doesn't come from nowhere... Your exposure to risk has been decreased and that's a good thing right now!
I hope things are going well, and that your wife is hanging in there in such a tough time.
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Thanks my friend!
Yeah, sometimes we just need to face reality make adjustments. Despite painfull I am gratefull that this provides a reasonable buffer.
We are getting better at living one day at the time amd really appreciate the small things. Monday with having to stay for 8h at urgent care was hard, yesterday she was able to have a friend over for a hour which really give her some positivity. But we are getting there. 12,5% of the chemo’s done!
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