#82 - A Golden Opportunity?

Congratulations to those who accumulated gold and silver through the pandemic and the early stages of the AI race. Gold and silver are up big over the past year and if you held through that move, well done. The start of the year has been volatile, but that is hardly surprising given the global macro shifts still unfolding. With the U.S. Dollar Index $DXY ( 0.0% ) down more than 10% over the past year, gold and silver have responded moving higher in an inverse reaction. As the United States continues to tilt toward more inward focused, anti-globalism policies, foreign governments and institutions are increasingly turning to precious metals as safe haven assets.

Gold and silver are rising as the dollar weakens and markets begin to price in easier monetary conditions, particularly amid uncertainty surrounding the new Federal Reserve chair. When confidence in fiat currencies softens, scarce assets that cannot be printed tend to attract capital first. If the Fed moves toward rate cuts and expands liquidity, increasing the supply of dollars, that environment typically reinforces this trend by lowering yields and eroding cash purchasing power over time.

I think gold’s strength suggests markets are front-running easier monetary conditions, and if those expectations translate into rate cuts and renewed liquidity, stocks and Bitcoin are positioned to benefit next. While volatility may persist in the short term, periods like this have historically rewarded investors who accumulate risk assets before liquidity becomes obvious.

In a world full of expanding money gold protects it, equities compound, bitcoin amplifies, and cash decays.

January Freedom Fund Recap

The year started off with a slight drop in the public portfolio with overall equity and tech positions decreasing in value. This month I added to my $SCHB ( ▼ 0.41% ), $CELH ( ▼ 1.67% ), and $OPEN ( ▼ 7.71% ) positions while completely exiting my $MLPX ( ▼ 0.37% ) and trimming some profits from $SHOP ( ▼ 8.64% ). I started new positions in two companies Samsara Inc. $IOT ( ▼ 3.58% ) a device tracking and GPS software company and Netflix $NFLX ( ▲ 0.4% ). Two companies that I think are poised for continued growth in 2026 and beyond.

Position Notes:

• SoFi Technologies delivered a major revenue milestone and strong growth across members, products, and profitability this past quarter. They hit their first billion dollar revenue quarter and expanding both top-line and earnings faster than many analysts expected. But are trading the year down 17%.

• Palantir has continued a 27% decline over the past month (down 12% YTD) as investors are awaiting their earnings report next week. This stock will either go to $220 or $120. At this point I have no idea. Even if the company reports record revenue, profit, and another Rule of 80 I wouldn’t be surprised if the stock sells off.

• I continue to add to my $OPEN ( ▼ 7.71% ) and $GRAB ( ▼ 3.8% ) positions as I believe these two companies will be poised for growth in the next 3 years.

• I will be continuing to add Netflix at these levels as it is trading down from its 2025 peak. The Warner Bros. deal has put some pressure on share price however the businesses fundamentals have not changed and growth outlook still looks solid.

• My Rocket Lab shares are up over 80% since I started a position back in November. A classic case of not buying enough when I spotted the opportunity. Long term I like the stock. However with the recent run up I am likely not a buyer at these levels.

Overall, the Freedom Fund is down 3% year to date in total return to start the year lagging the S&P 500 (up 1.88% YTD). In the coming months I plan to add an ETF that primarily focuses on dividend growth positions to pair with $SCHB ( ▼ 0.41% ) and $IYRI ( ▲ 0.16% ). I gladly welcome a shaky start to the year in the market.

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.