Sankar Madhavan

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10-year-old Noah sent us a thank-you note for $250. And included his own computer design. 🥰🇺🇸

Open an IBKR account, then buy: **S&P500** If US citizen: buy VOO If non-US citizen: buy VUAA on LSEETF (search VUAA on IBKR) **Tech** If you want more tech exposure (more gains but more risk), if US buy QQQ, if non-US buy XUTC **Bonds** If you want to keep some money safe put it in bonds, but that also has an ETF, if US buy SGOV, if non-US buy IB01 **Commodities** (e.g. materials) Want gold? If US buy IAU, non-US by RMAU **Why difference US vs non-US citizen investing?** It's cheaper: Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs generally pay 15% US withholding tax on dividends from US companies, compared to 30% for funds without equivalent treaty access The only proven thing in investment is that diversification works, you have less gains but less risk, ask AI how to build a nice mix of ETFs, bonds, commodities, real estate/land (p.s. ETFs are categorized as stocks cause they're just a basket of stocks), generally you want to not buy individual stocks with most of your money because it's super volatile and you're betting. It can go both ways, I bet NVIDIA in 2022 and made lots of money but I also bet Alibaba before Jack Ma was arrested and lost 90%! This is not financial advice

When you build something big long term, be prepared to live in the construction zone a long time too.

CHAT CONTROL IS COMING Even though most Members of the European Parliament have voted to REJECT Chat Control, we have not been able to reach the absolute majority that was needed (361 Members). This is a sad day for Europeans.

🇪🇺 The EU is now for the 6th time trying to force Chat Control through which lets them scan ALL your private messages, photos and emails without a warrant Implictly showing the EU is not democratic and not about what the people of Europe want, because once a law is rejected, you just re-submit it until nobody is watching and it's passed November 2023: ❌ Chat Control is rejected June 2024: ❌ Chat Control is rejected October 2025: ❌ Chat Control is rejected November 2025: ❌ Chat Control is rejected March 2026: ❌ Chat Control is rejected July 2026: 📝 Chat Control is back Even the EU's own lawyers stated Chat Control is unconstitutional: "generalised message scanning is incompatible with Article 7 of the EU Charter" You have to wonder why the EU is so adament about reading your private chats, right?

India uses its 4th most powerful military in the world to help countries facing a crisis, even if they are 9000 miles away, instead of attacking them. India set up a makeshift hospital during the Turkey earthquakes too, treating thousands of people as its military helped Turkish authorities clear out the rubble. During the Russia-Ukraine war, India evacuated its own citizens along with stranded citizens of other countries, including Pakistani citizens. India also led the medical and rebuilding efforts (by sending financial aid) during the Nepal earthquakes in April 2015. India sent the highest number of troops to the region and led the operations for months - free of cost for Nepal. Even during the fall of Yemen in 2015, India evacuated its own citizens as well as American and European citizens, who were stranded there and expecting no help from their own military. All this was FREE OF COST. India didn't send a bill to any of these countries. We owe India gratitude, instead of the racist treatment it gets on social media.

Thank you for sharing. I have a similar view about “boring” days, although I try to make sure they still contribute to a long-term vision. They are not supposed to be days when nothing happens, they are supposed to, at minimum, get you closer to who you want to be. Reading a book you’ve been putting on hold, hitting the gym, eating well, sleeping well, reaching out to a friend, etc, they are all part of what one can consider “non-eventful” days, but they also usually compound, directly or indirectly, into the best investments of your life. It sounds so cliché, but the older you get, the more you realize that very few people stick around as they enter their thirties, forties, and beyond, especially once they have parental responsibilities and a few unexpected life drawbacks. At some point, most people give up, and just expect the rest of the world to be kind to them. In terms of self-development, one of the most useful decisions I made at a similar age was to join an MMA gym where everyone was dedicated to getting healthier, stronger, better. I think a lot of self-doubt comes from a certain awareness that you aren't growing as much as you'd like; and being in an environment that "pulls you up," even in only one area, will benefit every other aspect of your life. Concurrently, yes, there are a bunch of other (mostly professional) paths with no clear outcome that might in retrospect be considered a “waste of time.” But as long as you chose them and found a way to enjoy them, whilst simultaneously investing on the personal side, then any great outcome is a bonus, and any “unfortunate” outcome still feels like you were fortunate enough to live through them. Hope it makes sense.

I still don’t get the concept behind life. What exactly are we here for?

It's a small idea, but it'll change a lot.