The college fund wasn’t supposed to become the family’s biggest financial mistake. After years of sacrifice, David and Emily had built a $220,000 college fund for their two children, ages 12 and 15. Believing that cryptocurrency still had plenty of room to grow, David moved the money into digital assets, convinced that the potential returns would far exceed what a traditional investment portfolio could offer.
Instead, the market took a sharp downturn. The value of the account plummeted, wiping out much of the savings the couple had spent years building. Now, Emily wants David to use part of his $400,000 401(k) to restore the college fund before their children begin applying to colleges.
David refuses. He argues that the decision was made with the entire family’s future in mind, insisting that selling now would only make the losses permanent. He is convinced the market will eventually recover and believes tapping into his retirement account would simply replace one financial setback with another. If the rebound doesn’t happen in time, he says, their children can apply for scholarships, attend a less expensive college, or take out student loans.
Emily sees it differently. To her, the money wasn’t meant to ride the ups and downs of a speculative market. It was meant to help pay for college. Their disagreement raises a question many investors eventually face: How much risk is appropriate when the money has a specific purpose?
When One Decision Carries Too Much Weight
The scenario illustrates a challenge that extends well beyond cryptocurrency. Even the most successful investors don’t always agree on where to put their money, but many agree on one principle: understand what you’re investing in and how much of your portfolio belongs in higher-risk assets.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, has criticized cryptocurrencies because they don’t produce earnings or generate cash flow like operating businesses. His late longtime business partner, Charlie Munger, was even harsher, famously calling Bitcoin “rat poison squared” and warning investors against speculative assets that lack underlying business fundamentals.
Mark Cuban, an entrepreneur, has taken a more measured approach. While Cuban has invested in cryptocurrency himself, he has also suggested limiting crypto to a relatively small portion of an investment portfolio—money an investor can afford to lose rather than funds earmarked for major financial goals.
Their approaches differ, but the underlying message is similar: risk should match the purpose of the money being invested.
Owning a Business Instead of Following a Market
Some investors looking for growth opportunities are choosing to back private companies instead of focusing solely on assets whose value can swing dramatically with market sentiment.
One example is Mode Mobile, the company behind technology that allows users to earn rewards through everyday smartphone activity. Rather than investing in a digital asset, prospective investors can evaluate the company’s leadership team, business model, product, and long-term growth strategy before deciding whether it’s a business they believe in. The company remains privately held, giving everyday investors the opportunity to invest before any potential public offering.
Like any private investment, there’s no guarantee of success. But many investors prefer researching a business they understand and deciding whether they believe it can grow over time.
The Goal Matters as Much as the Return
Every investment carries risk, whether it’s cryptocurrency, stocks, real estate, or a private startup. The more important question is whether the investment strategy matches the purpose of the money.
Money intended for retirement, a child’s education, or another major life milestone often requires a different level of risk than money set aside for speculative opportunities. Separating those goals can help investors pursue growth while protecting the savings they may one day need most.
Investing isn’t just about chasing the highest possible return. It’s about making decisions that still make sense when markets don’t cooperate.
Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
Realberry
Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access. Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.
FarmTogether
Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000—fully managed, with no landlord headaches.
Immersed
Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.
Fundrise
Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
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