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It’s not about what I want, naturally. I’d probably spend more at Target if I didn’t have to justify it to my financial advisor. It’s about where the money is flowing, and who’s positioned to catch it, regardless of economic weather. Walmart, with its relentless focus on value, has always understood this. They’re the reliable, slightly beige, dependable uncle at the family picnic. Target is the cousin who shows up with artisanal cheeses and a vaguely judgmental expression.

Chainlink, as those in the know appreciate, occupies a rather vital position in this burgeoning digital landscape. It is, in essence, the discreet messenger carrying crucial off-chain data – the price of things, the rhythm of markets – to the otherwise isolated world of the blockchain. To underestimate the importance of accurate information is, of course, to invite chaos – a lesson history has repeatedly, and rather loudly, demonstrated.

Tepper, a man who built his reputation on the bones of distressed debt, possessed a peculiar gift for sensing the subtle tremors before a collapse, or the first green shoots of recovery. He wasn’t merely an investor; he was a diviner of markets, reading the tea leaves of balance sheets and the murmurings of engineers. And in the recent season of abundance, when the price of everything seemed to soar on the wings of AI, he began to quietly redistribute his holdings, a subtle dance of accumulation and release. It was a time of gilded promises, and Tepper, with a lifetime of experience, understood that every golden age casts a long shadow.

Therefore, a measured search for alternatives, for assets that might preserve some vestige of value, is not mere speculation, but a rational act of self-preservation. The realm of cryptocurrencies, though volatile and unproven as a true hedge against fiat decline, presents a handful of possibilities, each with its own peculiar burdens and frailties. Let us examine them, not with the breathless enthusiasm of the speculator, but with the cold eye of the pragmatist.

Brookfield Infrastructure, a name that suggests solidity, offers a yield around 3.8%. They deal in the tangible – utilities, transportation, the unseen arteries of modern life. Most of their income is secured, they say, by contracts and regulation. A comforting thought, until one remembers that contracts can be broken, and regulations…altered. Still, 85% of their earnings are supposedly shielded from the whims of inflation. A significant percentage, if one believes in the permanence of anything.

VOOG, you see, hangs out with the big boys – the S&P 500. Reliable, predictable, generally won’t keep you up at night. IWO, though, it dives into the Russell 2000, where the companies are smaller, faster, and considerably more likely to vanish into thin air. So it goes.

One observes, naturally, the inevitable stirrings of competitors. Advanced Micro Devices, a name that rolls off the tongue with considerably less panache, currently occupies a modest seven percent of the market, a growth rate that suggests a tortoise attempting to outpace a thoroughbred. Then there’s Qualcomm, venturing into the lower echelons of AI demand with chips aimed at those who require less… cerebral horsepower. A sensible strategy, perhaps, but akin to offering a thimbleful of champagne at a bacchanal.

But clinging to a single rocket, however shiny, is a bit like navigating the Discworld on the back of a particularly stubborn tortoise. It might get you there, but it’s hardly elegant, is it? I find myself increasingly drawn to the Defiance Drone and Modern Warfare ETF (JEDI +0.92%). Yes, the name sounds like something out of a pulp magazine, but bear with me. It includes Rocket Lab – so you don’t miss out on the upward trajectory – but also casts a wider net. A net woven from the threads of artificial intelligence, automated weaponry, and the general business of keeping things… interesting.²

The basic idea, as far as one can gather, involves these… ‘qubits.’ Apparently, they’re derived from quantum particles, which are, if the physicists are to be believed, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere at once.² This allows quantum computers to perform calculations at speeds that make a supercomputer look like a particularly sluggish abacus. The downside? Currently, these machines are the size of small buildings, cost more than several principalities, are prone to errors, and have about as much practical application for the average consumer as a self-stirring cauldron. But hey, progress isn’t always about immediate usefulness; sometimes it’s just about being able to say you have one.

SCHB, bless its heart, tries to be everything to everyone. It’s the “just hold the whole market” option. A broad sweep, capturing growth and value, large and small. It’s the sort of thing you recommend to your less adventurous clients. The ones who just want to be left alone. VTV, on the other hand, is… pickier. It’s a value devotee. Large-cap, established companies. The kind that reliably… exist. It’s a bit like choosing between a sprawling buffet and a carefully curated tasting menu. Both have their merits. But they appeal to very different appetites.