When it comes to investing, my personal risk tolerance is very high. I learn by doing, so I like to try things like options trading, crypto, and penny stocks. The losses are offset by the education! But as I start to consider my future I'm realizing that an appropriate investment strategy is crucial. Perhaps it's time to reduce the uncertainty and potential volatility in my investment? The right investment strategy balances potential returns with acceptable risk, but who determines what is and isn't acceptable?

Well, in my case it's the shareholders!

1. Aggressive (100% High Risk)
   • High Risk: 100%
   • Medium Risk: 0%
   • Low Risk: 0%
   • Example Allocation: 100% in high-risk stocks, cryptocurrencies, or speculative ventures.
2. Moderately Aggressive (70% High Risk, 30% Medium Risk)
   • High Risk: 70%
   • Medium Risk: 30%
   • Low Risk: 0%
   • Example Allocation: 70% in high-risk assets (like growth stocks and cryptocurrencies), 30% in index funds or blue-chip stocks.
3. Balanced (50% High Risk, 30% Medium Risk, 20% Low Risk)
   • High Risk: 50%
   • Medium Risk: 30%
   • Low Risk: 20%
   • Example Allocation: 50% in high-risk assets, 30% in diversified ETFs or mid-cap stocks, 20% in bonds or high-yield savings accounts.
4. Moderately Conservative (30% High Risk, 40% Medium Risk, 30% Low Risk)
   • High Risk: 30%
   • Medium Risk: 40%
   • Low Risk: 30%
   • Example Allocation: 30% in growth stocks, 40% in index funds or real estate, 30% in government bonds or CDs.
5. Conservative (20% High Risk, 30% Medium Risk, 50% Low Risk)
   • High Risk: 20%
   • Medium Risk: 30%
   • Low Risk: 50%
   • Example Allocation: 20% in select growth stocks, 30% in blue-chip stocks or moderate-risk bonds, 50% in government bonds and savings accounts.
6. Ultra Safe (100% Low Risk)
   • High Risk: 0%
   • Medium Risk: 0%
   • Low Risk: 100%
   • Example Allocation: 100% in low-risk bonds, CDs, and high-yield savings accounts.

I started KmikeyM the same year the Bitcoin white paper was released. Since then we've seen a few boom and bust cycles as people experiment with digital money and recreating financial tools, usually outside of any regulation. If nothing else it has been fun to watch!

So how does KmikeyM feel about crypto?

Advocate: KmikeyM is a passionate advocate for cryptocurrencies. He believes in the transformative power of tokenization of assets and is actively involved in exploring crypto solutions for his own market. He views cryptocurrencies as a gateway to unlocking new values.

Enthusiast: KmikeyM is enthusiastic about cryptocurrency's potential. He holds various crypto investments and is optimistic about their performance. He sees crypto as a wave of financial innovation and eagerly anticipates its killer app.

Pragmatic Investor: KmikeyM views cryptocurrency as a lucrative investment opportunity. He is pragmatic and profit-driven in his approach to crypto, investing for financial gain rather than ideological reasons.

Cautiously Optimistic: KmikeyM finds cryptocurrency promising but maintains a cautious stance. He acknowledges the need for technical understanding and is wary of the risks involved. His approach is to watch developments closely before making substantial commitments.

Skeptical Observer: KmikeyM is skeptical about the widespread adoption and long-term viability of cryptocurrencies. While he finds the concept interesting, he advises treating it more as a subject of curiosity than a serious investment.

Critically Concerned: KmikeyM is critically concerned about the cryptocurrency space. He views the enthusiasm around crypto as potentially harmful and aligns it with unrealistic, utopian tech ideologies that may lead to societal harm.

I love coffee and I've tried a few psychoactive drugs over the years. While coffee feels like a daily ritual and fuels my mind, my experimenting with other drugs has been recreational. In 2019 I read 'How to Change Your Mind' and was curious about engaging with psychedelics more. But I also wondered if this was a good idea, and what my shareholders would advise.

This was originally a Yes/No vote that passed with near universal support, but the great part of policy votes is the ability offer levels of engagement. So the the six levels are as follows:

Total Abstinence: Abstain from all psychoactive drugs, including alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Focus on natural methods for mood and energy regulation, like exercise, meditation, and diet.

Legal and Commonly Accepted: Include only legal and commonly accepted substances like caffeine (in coffee, tea) and legally prescribed medications for specific health conditions. But avoid use of damaging substances like alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs.

Social and Mild Substances: Add socially accepted substances like alcohol and nicotine. Continue using caffeine and prescribed medications. Still avoid recreational and illicit drugs.

Medicinal and Therapeutic Use: Open to the use of certain controlled substances under medical supervision for therapeutic purposes (like medical marijuana, certain psychedelics in therapeutic settings). Use of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and prescribed medications all allowed. Avoid recreational use of illicit drugs.

Expanded Consciousness Exploration: Include the use of psychedelics (like LSD, psilocybin) for personal growth, spiritual exploration, or creative enhancement, ideally in a safe and controlled environment. Maintain use of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and medically prescribed drugs. Use other controlled substances cautiously and with awareness of legal and health implications.

All-Inclusive: Open to the use of all psychoactive drugs, including both legal and illegal substances. Anything goes, try it all and see what happens.

There is a limited number of movies I'm going to see in my life, and while I like to just relax and fall into the an unchallenging narrative on occasion, super hero movies from the Marvel and DC universe have been overwhelming the theaters. Perhaps some limits can help motivate better movie choices, and also support for better movies.

On the other hand, maybe it's not that big of a deal? There are six levels to choose from:

Complete Avoidance: Avoid all superhero movies and TV shows. No viewing is permitted, regardless of popularity, awards, or personal connections.

Award Winners Only: Only watch superhero movies that have won significant awards (like Oscars, Golden Globes, etc.), indicating a high level of critical acclaim.

Personal Connection Priority: Watch superhero movies only if there's a personal connection, such as knowing someone involved in the production or if the film has a direct impact on your professional life.

Selective Based on Interest: Watch superhero movies selectively, based on personal interests, specific themes, directorial styles, or recommendations. This allows for a curated approach, focusing on films that genuinely pique your interest.

General Openness" Be open to watching most superhero movies, but retain the discretion to skip certain titles. This level involves a general engagement with the genre, without the obligation to view every single release.

Complete Viewing (Mandatory All): Watch every superhero movie released. This includes all major and minor titles, regardless of critical reception, personal interest, or genre fatigue. This level represents a comprehensive commitment to understanding and experiencing the entire scope of the superhero genre.

I love to sleep more than most people I know, but I also find I am in a better mood if I wake up early. The early hours are mine alone and help prepare me for a productive and satisfying day. But when is morning? How early and how structured should that time be? I’m letting the shareholders decide.

Update: Descriptions updated on June 15th, 2024

No Routine - Sleep In

- Description: Prioritize extra sleep. No specific morning activities.

Minimal - Slow Start

- Wake up whenever you want.
- In no particular order, 10 minutes of meditation,
- Enjoy coffee and breakfast,
- Don't overthink it, just do whatever feels like is "next" in the day.

Basic - Structured Start

- Wake up at 7:00 AM.
- Do a 10-minute meditation.
- Have a healthy breakfast.
- Walk the dog.  
- Spend a few minutes planning the day.

Moderate - Energizing Routine

- Wake up at 6:45 AM.
- Perform a 10 to 20-minute exercise routine.
- Take a refreshing shower.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast.
- Pause before work to do some personal reading or journaling.
- Review the day’s objectives.

Intense - Productivity Boost

- Wake up at 6:30 AM and drink coffee.
- Engage in an intense workout session.
- Take a cold shower.
- Eat a high-protein breakfast.
- Spend 20 minutes on focused personal development.
- Review the day's tasks with specific goals in mind.

Ultra Structured - Power Start

- Wake up at 5:30. 
- Drink coffee and meditate for 20 minutes.
- Go on a 1-hour bike ride.
- Follow with a contrast shower (alternating hot and cold).
- Eat a balanced breakfast while listening to an educational podcast or audiobook.
- Spend 30 minutes on a focused activity for long-term goals.
- Review the day's agenda in detail, setting clear priorities and intentions.

Update: This is an archived record of the Super Hero Movies Policy Vote. The updated vote can be found on the Policy Votes page (look for the one with the active countdown).

In 2017 the shareholders decided I should not watch "superhero movies" (or television). Since then there some testing of different ways for shareholders to guide my media diet, but the concept of restricting the "junk food" of movies and TV still makes sense.

Using Policy Votes we can now include a few different ways to restrict or control the consumption.

No Super Hero Movies or TV: Don't watch any of them. It's all garbage.

Watch ALL Super Hero Movies: This is the "smoke the whole pack" strategy. Watch EVERYTHING and see what happens.

Watch Whatever You Want: No shareholder control. Just watch what you like.

One Exception Per Year: Choose wisely and pick one per year to watch.

Only If They Win Awards: If they win some (major) award then fine, they have proved some merit.

Only If You Know Them: Living in LA you're going to meet some sound or VFX person (or become best friends with Paul Rudd) and it will be weird to not watch what they helped make.

Note: For simplicity sake we're including all movies and television under the Marvel or DC banner in this policy. Indie publishers are excluded.

Update: This is an archived record of the Psychedelics Policy Vote. The updated vote can be found on the Policy Votes page (look for the one with the active countdown).

In 2019 the shareholders approved my use of psychedelics with 82% support.

The question I posed then remains the same: Are the potential advantages of taking psychedelics beneficial enough to overcome the low likelihood of getting caught breaking the law? Put another way, can psychedelics and capitalism coexist?

Update: This is an archived record of the Crypto Policy Vote. The updated vote can be found on the Policy Votes page (look for the one with the active countdown).

My position on cryptocurrency was put to a vote in September of 2019 and it was decided I would be "Interested: KmikeyM is fascinated by the promise of crypto but has a wait and see approach regarding the implementation because involvement requires a high technical understanding and few safeguards. He would not advise anyone to invest more than a token amount."

A lot has changed since then and using Policy Votes we can have a more adaptable view on the issue.

[Pioneering] KmikeyM is a crypto advocate and believes that the tokenization of physical and digital assets will be the gateway to unlocking new microcosms of value for citizens everywhere. KmikeyM looks forward to exploring options for a working crypto solution to his own market.

[Positive] KmikeyM is a crypto enthusiast and believes cryptocurrency is an exciting new wave of financial innovation. He holds a number of positions in various projects and expects crypto investing will outperform the regular markets.

[Hopeful] KmikeyM is optimistic about crypto and enjoys collecting and holding tokens as a way to participate. He encourages people to get involved and believes the crypto “killer app” is just around the corner.

[Greedy] KmikeyM feels like investing in cryptocurrency can be a lucrative opportunity, but does not believe crypto is a long lasting mainstream happening. KmikeyM will invest to make profit, but holds no ideological belief about the technology.

[Interested] KmikeyM is fascinated by the promise of crypto but has a wait and see approach regarding the implementation because involvement requires a high technical understanding and few safeguards. He would not advise anyone to invest more than a token amount.

[Skeptical] KmikeyM believes that crypto is an interesting idea, but is skeptical of mainstream adoption and wouldn’t advise participation beyond entertainment purposes.

[Negative] KmikeyM sees crypto enthusiasm as another in a long line of technical utopian dreams of Ayn Randian thinkers who will no doubt end up very rich causing great harm to society.

[Anti] KmikeyM sees crypto as nothing but a form of unregulated gambling designed by swindlers and con artists as another way to separate a fool from their money.