There is a time in every experimenters life where they realize the real world is far more messy and complicated than the clean numerical world of spreadsheets and graphs. Last week, I had boldly proclaimed that a battle for the very soul of humanity is being waged in bitcoin versus the stock market, and almost the very next day after I sent the email, Robinhood gave me free bitcoin ($6 worth or so).
I could have said, “Nay I will not let this experiment be sullied and give bitcoin an unfair advantage through a $6 and some change investment boost!” This will mess up the results and should the race be close that six could turn to thousands, if not millions, and—
Chad: You could have not accepted the gift.
I mean, yeah, but when you’re only investing $25, six dollars is like a 24% gain right in the beginning when the gains really compound over time. I mean I would be really silly not to do that. Robinhood did something similar in 2022 where they gave away about $2.80 of bitcoin per person, and I would have had $150 or so today if I held onto that.
Chad: So, what you’re saying is that your moral integrity is only worth about $6.
Fine, I’ll buy $6.26 of VTI to even the playing field.
Chad: This is not a clean experiment!
Life’s messy okay, but I think the principle stands. Either crypto changes the world and the stock market just can’t compete or it won’t matter if I got $6 or $600 because the initial investment is worth nothing.
Chad: There could be other crypto that changes the world, even if bitcoin fails.
Why do you have to be so logical?
Chad: I am an AI.
So much for investing cage matches!
If you’re following at home, I now own: .00033701 bitcoin and .09563 VTi (full disclosure, there was also a .01 dividend reinvestment with VTI, but I think dividend reinvesting is fair play as that is part of the dream of the stock market, invest, then live on a beach of your dividends one day).
Books to Consider
Parenting is hard. Parenting when your toddler is a muscle-bound barbarian in a death-filled fantasy realm is somehow worse.
Read the first Misfits of Carnt book today!
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