💰 5 Fact Friday: How To Profit From Volatility

OUR PARTNER: RYSE

Apple's New Smart Display Confirms What This Startup Knew All Along

Apple has entered the smart home race with its new Smart Display, firing a $158B signal that connected homes are the future.

When Apple moves in, it doesn’t just join the market — it transforms it.

One company has been quietly preparing for this moment.

Their smart shade technology already works across every major platform, perfectly positioned to capture the wave of new consumers Apple will bring.

While others scramble to catch up, this startup is already shifting production from China to its new facility in the Philippines — built for speed and ready to meet surging demand as Apple’s marketing machine drives mass adoption.

With 200% year-over-year growth and distribution in over 120 Best Buy locations, this company isn’t just ready for Apple’s push — they’re set to thrive from it.

Shares in this tech company are open at just $1.90.

Apple’s move is accelerating the entire sector. Don’t miss this window.

Act Fast- Apple’s Halo effect is coming

_{Past performance is not indicative of future results. Email may contain forward-looking statements. See US Offering for details. Informational purposes only.}

STOCKS
1. Meta Heads To Court 🧑‍⚖️

Mark Zuckerberg has spent years trying to avoid this moment—cutting deals, cozying up to Trump, and offering half a billion dollars to make the problem disappear.

But this week, the FTC’s blockbuster antitrust trial against Meta finally kicked off. And if regulators get their way, it could force the company to break up and divest Instagram and WhatsApp.

The FTC’s core claim? $META ( ▼ 0.17% ) didn’t out-innovate its rivals—it bought them. They’re calling it a “buy-or-bury” strategy designed to crush competition before it could grow.

Meta’s response: “We’re not a monopoly. Have you heard of TikTok, YouTube, X, Snapchat, or LinkedIn?”

Before the trial, Zuck tried to settle.

The FTC wanted $30 billion and a consent decree (aka: no admission of guilt, but a legally binding promise to stop doing monopoly stuff). Meta pushed back, arguing it shouldn’t owe more than it paid—$20 billion total—for two deals the agency approved over a decade ago.

So the social media giant countered with a $450 million offer, which former FTC Chair Lina Khan called “delusional.”

With a swift “no” from the FTC and no help from Trump, who Zuckerberg reportedly expected to intervene, the case moved forward.

Although the judge isn’t expected to rule for months, the real debate boils down to this: Can Meta be a monopoly when attention is this fragmented? 👇

PERSONAL FINANCE
2. The Retirement Risk No One Talks About ⚠️

When you’re accumulating, market dips are just bumps in the road—and chances to scoop up cheap shares. But when you’re retired and withdrawing money? A crash becomes a pothole that can dent your whole plan.

This trap is called Sequence of Returns Risk, and it’s one of the sneakiest threats to your nest egg.

The danger isn’t just what your returns are—it’s when you get them. A bad year or two at the start of retirement can slash your long-term potential way more than if the same losses hit a decade later.

The chart below shows just how brutal the timing can be.

Two identical portfolios. Same withdrawals. Same average returns. But one ends up $400K lighter, just because the losses came early. That’s why the first five years of retirement are often called the “danger zone.”

Why the $400K difference?

Because when you’re withdrawing during a downturn, you have to sell more shares at lower prices to generate the same amount of cash. Plus, that leaves fewer assets to rebound when the market recovers. It’s a double whammy.

Three Ways to Outmaneuver Sequence Risk

🪂 Follow a Glide Path: Gradually shift your portfolio from stocks to bonds as you approach and enter retirement. Less exposure = less volatility. A simple rule of thumb: 110 minus your age = % in stocks. The rest can be held in bonds.

💵 Maintain an Emergency Fund: Keep 1–2 years of expenses in cash or short-term bonds so you’re not forced to sell stocks during a crash.

🚫 Don’t Panic Sell—Cool Your Spending: Unless something fundamental has changed, avoid selling growth assets in a downturn. Rely on your cash cushion, defer big purchases, trim the extras, and give your portfolio time to recover.

Bottom Line: You can’t control the market’s timing, but you can control your asset mix and spending. That’s how you turn a crash into a detour, not a disaster.

OUR PARTNER: MODE MOBILE

This tech company grew 32,481%..

No, it's not Nvidia. It's Mode Mobile, 2023’s fastest-growing software company according to Deloitte.

Nasdaq ticker $MODE secured—invest at $0.26/share before their share price changes on 5/1.

Invest Now.

_{*An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur. Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.
*The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research.}

OPTIONS
3. How To Profit From Volatility 💣

Markets are officially in their jittery era. Between Trump’s new tariffs, China’s retaliation, and a looming earnings season full of “we didn’t see this coming” guidance, volatility is back on the menu.

Enter one of the cleanest ways to play chaos: the long straddle.

Here’s how it works:

You buy a call option and a put option on the same stock, at the same strike price, with the same expiration. This strategy isn’t about guessing the direction—it’s about betting on a big move in either direction.

Example: Let’s say stock XYZ is trading at $100.

You buy a $100 call for $3 and a $100 put for $3. That’s $600 total in premiums (since each contract controls 100 shares).

If the stock rockets to $115 or crashes to $85, one of your options becomes worth $1,500 ($15 move x 100 shares) and the other expires worthless. After subtracting the $600 investment, that’s a $900 profit.

But if the stock flatlines at $100? You’re out the full $600.

In other words, your breakeven is a 6% move—either $94 on the downside or $106 on the upside.

This strategy works best when you believe the market is underpricing volatility. That could be ahead of earnings reports, major Fed decisions, or macro shocks like tariffs or inflation prints—any moment where markets might jump, but you don’t know which way.

🧠 Pro Tips:

• Look for under-the-radar setups. Tesla and GameStop are likely pricey—find stocks with big potential moves without sky-high premiums.

• Choose short expirations (1–2 months) to keep premiums low.

• Pick at-the-money strikes (near the current stock price).

• Have a clear exit plan. Sell after the big move—don’t wait for expiration.

⚠️ Risks:

• Position sizing matters. Keep each trade to a small portion of your portfolio (1–2%). This is a high-risk, high-reward setup.

• Time decay is real. Options lose value as expiration nears, especially if the stock doesn’t move.

• Premiums can get pricey. High implied volatility inflates costs, so try to enter before the volatility is broadly anticipated.

Bottom Line: If you expect fireworks but don’t know which direction they’ll fly, this is your strategy. Just don’t forget: volatility can vanish as fast as it appears.

TAX
4. Too Rich For A Roth? Use The Backdoor 🔐

If you make too much money to contribute to a Roth IRA directly (over $161K single or $240K married in 2025), there’s still a legal way in the backdoor.

It’s called the Backdoor Roth IRA—a tax strategy for high earners who want all the Roth perks without getting blocked by income limits.

Here’s how it works:

1. Contribute up to $7,000 (or $8,000 if 50+) to a nondeductible Traditional IRA.
2. Convert those funds into a Roth IRA—ideally ASAP, before they earn much interest.
3. Once converted, the money grows tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free in retirement (after age 59½ and a 5-year holding period).

Note: If your conversion includes any pre-tax dollars (like old deductible IRA contributions), you’ll owe taxes on that portion due to the pro-rata rule. One workaround? Roll those pre-tax funds into a 401(k) before doing the backdoor.

Who should consider this?

This move is tailor-made for high earners—think doctors, lawyers, tech execs—who are phased out of Roth eligibility. Benefits include:

💸 Tax-Free Growth: Once inside the Roth, your money compounds tax-free for life.
🧾 Tax Diversification: Having both pre- and post-tax accounts gives you flexibility to manage your tax bill in retirement.
⏳ No RMDs: Unlike Traditional IRAs, Roths don’t force withdrawals at 73—ideal for long-term planners and legacy builders.

Bottom Line: If you’re locked out of direct Roth contributions but still want in on tax-free retirement growth, the backdoor Roth could be your golden ticket.

STOCKS
5. Guess That Stock 🕵️‍♂️

It started as a favorite among gamers. Now, it's the undisputed heavyweight in AI infrastructure.

Can you name the stock?

1. Its GPUs rule the AI data center market, generating over $100B in revenue. Demand for its new Blackwell chips? Already over 3 million units.

2. But trade tensions are hitting hard. The company expects a $5.5B hit this quarter after U.S. export controls blocked sales of its H20 chips to China.

3. In response, it’s going big on U.S. soil—partnering with Foxconn and Wistron to invest $500B in domestic AI infrastructure.

4. The stock hit a $3.7T peak in January but has since fallen 30% and now trades at ~24x forward earnings.

5. The company is also expanding into self-driving tech, with GM and Hyundai tapping its AI-powered Drive platform for their next-gen vehicles.

Got a guess? Tap here to reveal the answer → 

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