#69 - Control the Controllables

Only focus on what you can control. Too simple? Maybe. Too selfish? Not at all.

Life throws a constant stream of events, decisions, and consequences our way. Most of them arrive without our permission and without our ability to change them. The world does not ask if you are ready before it shifts the rules.

We are surrounded by uncontrollables. The markets rise and fall. People misunderstand us. Accidents happen. Others project their own problems and frustrations onto our shoulders. We blame the economy, the weather, bad timing, or some other outside factor. They blame us for their own missteps. You can help someone all you want, but you cannot control how they choose to react. And the cycle continues.

The uncontrollable will always be there. It is stitched into every waking moment. What changes everything is where you place your energy. When you focus on what you can control such as your actions, mindset, preparation, habits, you begin strip away the noise. Life becomes lighter. Simpler.

The moment you stop letting the uncontrollables control you, you start controlling your life. If all you can control is your presence, effort, attitude, willingness, adaptation, and your emotions… don’t let the outside forces you can’t change impact you.

Freedom begins when you master yourself, not the world.

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Market & Freedom Fund Recap

This week, the stock market ended higher, led by big gains in tech. The S&P 500 was up about 1.6%, the Dow rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq jumped 2.9% to a new record. The Freedom Fund itself followed and exceeded the pace primarily from large upticks from $PLTR (+17%) Shopify (+28%) over the past 5 trading sessions. Palantir had record sales from strong AI demand and raised its outlook. Shopify’s sales and cash flow grew, and steady demand lifted its stock price.

I added to my $OUST ( ▼ 5.12% ) and $CHWY ( ▼ 0.71% ) positions yet again this week. Ouster crushed Q2 earnings and is trending more and more towards profitability. The trend looks good for the next year and I plan to continue to add more over the coming months and hopefully we can get a post earnings sell-off to buy some at a lower share price for the long haul.

Three of my REITs reported earnings this week in $O ( ▲ 1.68% ), $APLE ( ▲ 1.43% ), and $MDV ( ▲ 1.74% ). Overall the companies appear to be managing costs/capital, adding assets and driving revenue where possible but the macro pressure from inflation and travel demand softness still shows up, especially in hospitality. REITs are navigating 2025 with a focus on discipline, recycling assets, and targeting growth spaces like industrial and data centers sectors. If interest rate cuts arrive later this year, lower borrowing costs could lift valuations for my REIT positions.

Next week Evolv Technologies $EVLV ( ▼ 1.06% ) will report their Q2 earnings where I will be looking out for their revenue growth and if they continue to trend towards profitability over the next year.

Portfolio Q2 Earnings:

• Palantir $PLTR ( ▼ 8.37% ) 

  • Achieved first-ever $1 billion quarter, with total revenue up 48% YoY and U.S. Commercial revenue surging 93% YoY.

  • Delivered $327M net income and $0.16 EPS, with over 50% free cash flow conversion, boosting cash reserves to $6 billion with zero debt.

  • Closed 157 deals of $1M+, including 66 at $5M+ and 42 at $10M+.

  • Increased full-year revenue forecast to $4.142B–$4.150B (45% YoY growth) and U.S. Commercial revenue guidance to 85% YoY growth, with Q3 expected to grow 50% YoY.

• Shopify $SHOP ( ▼ 2.19% ) 

  • Revenue surged +~31% YoY to $2.68 billion exceeding expectations (~$2.55B). Gross profit rose ~25% YoY to $1.30 billion, and gross profit margin remained high despite a mix shift toward lower-margin payments revenue .

  • Net income reported at $906 million, up from $171M a year earlier (this included $568M in equity investment gains). On an operating basis (excluding those gains), adjusted net stood at $338M.

  • Free cash flow reported at $422M (16% margin) the 8th straight quarter with double-digit free cash flow margin.

• Apple Hospitality $APLE ( ▲ 1.43% ) 

  • Revenue reported at $384.37 million for Q2 2025 down $390.08 YoY.

  • Net income dropped 13.9% YoY to $63.6 million ($0.27/share). Operating Income fell 9.3% to $84.9 million, pulling the operating margin down from 24.0% to 22.1%

  • The company repurchased approximately 1.4 million shares at a total cost of about $16.9 million

• Realty Income $O ( ▲ 1.68% ) 

  • Revenue came in at $1.15 billion, up +12% from $1.02B a year ago driven by acquisitions and rent escalations.

  • Net income reported at $196.9 million ($0.22 per share).

  • The company deployed $1.2 billion at a 7.2% yield this quarter, raised full-year investment guidance to $5B, and maintained a strong 98.6% occupancy.

• Modiv Industrial $MDV ( ▲ 1.74% ) 

  • Total revenue reported at ~$11.83 million ($11.77M from rental income + $0.06M from management fees) up from $11.41M YoY.

  • AFFO increased by 22% YoY to $4.8 million, ($0.38 per share).

  • Current portfolio sits at 42 industrial properties (~4.5M sq. ft.), with one property held for sale.

• Cheniere Energy $LNG ( ▼ 0.12% ) 

  • Revenue reported at $4.6 billion in Q2 (total YTD revenue of $10.1B).

  • Net income reported at $1.6 billion for the quarter (YTD net income of $2.0B).

  • Adjusted EBITDA: $1.4 billion in Q2 (YTD: $3.3B).

  • Announced share buybacks (1.4 million shares for ~$306 million), dividends ($0.50 per share, ~$111 million), and $300 million debt repayment.

• Ouster $OUST ( ▼ 5.12% ) 

  • Revenue: $35 million, up 30% year-over-year

  • Gross margin reported at 45% GAAP / 52% non-GAAP — both up over 1,000 bps YoY and ~500 bps sequentially.

  • Net Loss (GAAP) reported at $21M, improved by $3M YoY and $1M sequentially. Adjusted EBITDA loss at $6M, improved by $5M YoY and $2M sequentially.

  • Sensor shipments hit a record 5,500 units in Q2

Freedom Fund Background: I launched the Freedom Fund in October 2022 as a public brokerage account to show that anyone—with just a bank account and Social Security number—can start investing, even with a couple hundred dollars a week. I started from $0 to make the journey real and relatable. Each week, I share transparent updates on purchases, sales, dividends, and growth on X (@GrahamSchroeder) so you can follow along in real time. The hardest part of investing is getting started—so I did, publicly, to help others do the same.