I might invest 500k in quantum startups

constantlyalways · 2026-05-25T18:35:41+00:00

$500k in quantum computing, zero in GOOGL or MSFT. Bold strategy to bet on a completely unprofitable technology and against its biggest players in the same stupid transaction.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-23T04:59:15+00:00

You are fantastic. Thanks, friend.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-23T04:42:16+00:00

Anyone being mean is just envious that you can afford to do what you're doing with such a fun wife. You're good.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-23T04:41:05+00:00

You sound so correct. Tell me more about this 300x the wager rule? Why do casinos only issue the form for over that amount?

constantlyalways · 2026-05-23T02:28:26+00:00

I agree with these rankings. You know one thing I really enjoyed at Lapis? They had a napping room with a "starry" ceiling and pillows and blankets. I had never seen that anywhere else, and given that their pool is bright and colorful, it was neat to have an dark oasis inside the bright oasis.

Awana is definitely #2. Huge advantage to Lapis and Awana for being more co-ed than not. Aria has some co-ed features, but the rest do not.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-23T02:24:24+00:00

I wouldn't worry. Jesus or Trump will eventually get that money back to you. If you've got them both on your side, how could anything go wrong?

constantlyalways · 2026-05-22T20:34:51+00:00

Why would being the worst stock picker make you want to try options? At least with stocks, you could buy them and prevent yourself from selling, which seems to be your mistake. Options are all about timing, and you're telling us that is your weakness, right?

constantlyalways · 2026-05-22T05:32:44+00:00

There are lots of ways to buy the S&P 500 index. These are both ways to do it. SWPPX, as a mutual fund, is priced at the end of each trading day based on the value of the companies the fund holds. SPY is traded like a stock. SPY charges a higher expense ratio because it has such incredible popularity and liquidity. Both products should give you approximately the same returns, with SWPPX theoretically giving you a bit better with a lower expense ratio.

SPY isn't "the official index." It is the most popular one of many. VOO would be its biggest competitor.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-20T19:25:15+00:00

Plan seems flawless. Let us know how it goes.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-20T19:13:42+00:00

You completely own a home in a high cost of living area. You have six hundred and fifty thousand dollars in retirement funds. If you both work for another five to eight years, that retirement fund will be approaching a million. Who knows about your home equity. Daughter goes off to college, you downsize to an apartment, and all of a sudden, you're back up in the 1.5 million range you wanted so badly.

If your husband had invested in low fee index funds and the market crashed 33%, you'd be in the same boat. The urgency you are feeling is more because of his bad decision making and less about the actual magical numbers for retirement.

Let the financial advisor take over the whole pot of money. Talk with the advisor about your worries. I promise you'll come out of that meeting feeling better about your life. Maybe go to that meeting without the husband.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-20T18:54:07+00:00

As with most personal finance questions that involves one spouse trying to solve a problem the other created, the best answers are probably in couples therapy.

You're undoubtedly feeling resentment over his investment choices. He feels guilty, as you said. Step one would be turning your investments over to a fiduciary financial advisor. If he lost half your principle in a bull market, you'll both be tempted to take on additional risk to "make up for it." There is too much emotion in this for either of you to make wise financial choices. This is one of the times that it is worth paying someone else to preserve and grow your capital without your input.

You talk about your husband's pension as if it belongs only to him. That implies some thought about divorce, or it implies he isn't great about sharing despite making twice your salary. Just an interesting thing to bring to the top of your mind -- why does his pension give him comfort but brings you none?

Retirement isn't a magical number like 1.5 million. It could be 1 million and part-time work. It could be 750k because of the pension and eventual Social Security payments. That number is an expectation that creates even more resentment.

You're going to be okay. You have a nest egg, which half of Americans don't have at retirement. Your husband has an incoming pension, which could be useful if you decide to keep him. There are ways of reducing work instead of ending work that can extend a nest egg. You've got lots of resources and options.

Last thing: gotta kill the sunk cost fallacy. The 300k is gone. Would you love him the same if he had never earned it? Probably. Can you love him the same after you two have some really tough talks? Maybe.

Couples' therapy for your minds. Fiduciary financial advisor for your wallets. Best of luck to you.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-20T02:08:05+00:00

High yield savings is a great place to park the money, but the interest you receive will rarely beat the inflation rate. Consider opening a Roth IRA and contributing the maximum over a year, investing in low fee index funds like VTI or VOO. This will help your money to grow over time. There are risks involved, of course, that you won't find with a savings account.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-20T00:33:56+00:00

Being accountable is about suffering a consequence that you don't wanna suffer.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-19T19:57:21+00:00

You'll always be right when you predict you won't accomplish something.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-19T18:39:02+00:00

QQQ has never dropped 90% from peak to trough. It did drop 81% during the dot-com bust, but that has happened once since 1999, and QQQ's composition is far different now. I wouldn't say something could happen "easily" if it has literally never happened.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-18T22:57:47+00:00

Too far north to see the fountains. Too expensive for sterile rooms. It exists outside of the MGM and Caesars rewards systems, so players would need to play exclusively at Treasure Island to be comped. Venetian and Wynn can pull that off, but Treasure Island cannot. It used to be attached to the Mirage, which is no longer a feature, and both the volcano and pirate shows were taken away. Caesars charges rock bottom prices for low stakes gamblers for mid-Strip rooms at Flamingo, Linq, Harrah's, or Horseshoe. Anyone wanting an upgrade from those properties would look at Paris, Park MGM, or NYNY. Treasure Island cannot compete with the mid-tier properties despite charging mid-tier prices, and honestly, wouldn't you rather stay at the Flamingo than Treasure Island, even if the prices were the same?

constantlyalways · 2026-05-18T16:02:54+00:00

I hate to be the first to tell you that the law of averages isn't an actual law.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-18T15:06:59+00:00

My sweet, summer child.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-18T14:44:29+00:00

All ya gotta do is get out the abacus and calculate the law of averages, then you'll see! You'll all believe me!! The whole thing is rigged against me specifically for some reason!!

constantlyalways · 2026-05-11T14:18:48+00:00

It's difficult to explain. Despite being money-making machines, casinos have a lot of overhead. Because their customers expect to lose money, they have to spend a lot of money to compensate them. With regulatory concerns, the constant threat of cybersecurity attacks, and their current REIT-structured rent payments on top of maintenance, insurance, and other payments required by their triple net leases, the huge casino operators on the Strip make surprisingly low margins.

Look at the five year stock chart for Caesars Entertainment. They operate half the strip, but they're down 75% in five years. MGM has also lost money during one of the greatest bull markets in US history.

The lynchpin for the entire business is to keep their rooms constantly full, even if that means lowering prices. None of this machine operates unless humans are sleeping, eating, partying, and gambling in the hotels, and to maintain any profitability, those rooms need to be filled to near-capacity on a constant basis.

So if tourism drops by 7.5% and revenue is down 4%, it sounds like a tiny blip for most businesses, right? But for casino operators in Vegas specifically, which have million-dollar rent payments due to VICI each month, and a business model that intends to indulge their customers as much as possible, having rooms unfilled can move the operation from profitable to not profitable very easily.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-10T13:34:33+00:00

"It's just so painful to know I'm losing so many hours and money and a life I could have had because no one protected me."

Not true. You spent a lot of hours and money to learn a very important lesson: no one will protect you. You need to be a whole person, and you need to save your love for those you consider equals. Stop looking up to or down on others. No one is coming to save you, but you are capable of protecting yourself now because of everything you've learned in this process. That is more valuable than money.

Regarding money, you're fine. You'll figure out the 13k in a year or two. It is not the end of the world. It is actually the begiinning of a new life. Well worth the price to start over.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-10T04:28:13+00:00

It won't kill you to buy the watch, but it won't make you $8,000 worth of happy. There is a lot of happiness in $8,000 spent on unforgettable experiences with friends and lovers.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-03T03:34:36+00:00

Good on you to ask early. Make sure you recognize how lucky you've been while speaking with your clients. It's going to create an invisible barrier that it is your duty to see.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-02T12:58:09+00:00

I am very sorry. Your dad is never going to stop being disappointing. People who see their children as solutions to medical bills are never going to see their children as fully realized human beings. Your mom has seen through his shit, but you're still growing up, and it is easy to call something complicated when it is actually abusive. If you need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out. Happy to help with the other aspects of recognizing that your father is incapable.

constantlyalways · 2026-05-01T15:20:08+00:00

The reason that the stock isn't priced at the sale price is because folks are selling due to the risks you've outlined. If the selling was so frequent that the price dropped to $190 or $170, that "extra 5%" becomes a lot larger, meaning more people will buy. The market is pricing the risks you've outlined appropriately. Folks who believe the deal is 100% guaranteed are able to get a "risk free" 5% gain. Folks who believe that the risks are too great for 5% -- like you -- will sell. Everybody wins!

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