#Week 52 - Dec 26 Summary
This year, Week 52 wrapped up on December 26, with three additional trading days falling into Week 53. Below is a look at my Week 52 option activity and my year‑to‑date performance for 2025.
Here is the pivot data for week 52.
With only three days left in 2025, my December numbers have improved thanks to strong returns over the last two weeks:
Heading into 2026, I plan to continue using options to manage risk and generate steady premium income. I typically reinvest those profits into more shares whenever opportunities arise. This is why—even after 5+ years of option trading—I don’t maintain a large cash position.
Before diving into stocks and Bitcoin, let’s talk precious metals.
Gold and Silver outperformed both Bitcoin and the stock market in 2025—big news for precious‑metal investors. Peter Schiff has been arguing for years that gold is superior to Bitcoin, and in 2025, #GOLD clearly came out on top.
Compared to other asset classes, gold also ranked near the top this year.
Zooming out 10–20 years, the picture becomes more nuanced. Bitcoin remains the best‑performing long‑term asset. Gold has outpaced the S&P 500 in certain periods. Ultimately, Gold and Silver remain solid alternative assets worth considering in a diversified portfolio.
I began buying Pokémon sealed products in February 2025. Early on, Amazon and Target were my main sources since retail shelves were consistently empty. By year‑end, I learned that GameStop was the most reliable place to find product—usually slightly above MSRP. However, in November and December, GameStop’s prices became too inflated, pushing buyers toward other retailers.
The first two years of sealed‑product investing usually show modest gains because the cost basis and market value are still close. Even with December’s price cooldown, I’m still up 30%.
How?
I avoided scalpers and secondary markets, opting instead for patience. Eventually, I shifted to stores with strict purchase limits (like my local Walmart), which increased my chances of finding sleeved boosters. I was thrilled to pick up JT/DR/ME1/ME2 packs for $4.87 each.
Short‑term gains don’t tell the full story. I’m prepared to hold these products for 4–6 years before judging whether this was a good long‑term move.
I’ve experimented with NFT gaming for 5–6 years. My last two games were Splinterlands and BigTime. BigTime was profitable for about a year thanks to NFT rentals, but rental income eventually collapsed. Splinterlands has been enjoyable, but the #play2earn model simply isn’t sustainable.
Like real‑life TCGs, NFT games require constant reinvestment as rotations occur. At this point, I’d rather stick with physical TCGs like #Pokémon, #Magic, or #OnePiece.
The traditional stock market is still on FIRE with 17% (or 22%).
S&P500:
Nasdaq 100 (qqq):
Most investors can achieve 7–9% annual returns over decades with minimal effort. That’s why the stock market remains one of the simplest and most reliable wealth‑building tools. I plan to continue leaning on what works—steady dividend stocks with some higher‑growth exposure.
Crypto disappointed in 2025. Many who follow the 4‑year cycle expected a surge to $150K–$250K. Instead, Bitcoin peaked at $127K before falling to around $90K.
Ether:
Fortunately, my portfolio is heavily weighted toward stocks and dividends, which helped offset crypto losses.
I continued buying IBIT throughout 2025 and plan to keep doing so in 2026, mostly using dividend income.
For the past decade, I focused on hotel points because road trips were easier with young kids. I stacked credit‑card nights to maintain status—usually Gold, with occasional jumps to Platinum.
In 2025, I crossed 600 nights and 10+ years of Platinum, earning Lifetime Platinum with Marriott.
Now that I no longer need to chase status, I can focus on maximizing benefits—especially the 85K free‑night certificate.
To complement the Ritz card, I added the Delta Platinum. The Ritz provides a $300 airline credit, and the Delta Platinum offers a free companion pass after the first year—easily worth $300+ on most round‑trip flights.
This wouldn’t have made sense when my kids were younger and we rarely flew. But now, as I approach retirement, it fits the next stage of life.
For 2026, I want to write out my plan so I can stick to it.
Have a profitable day!
Solving-Chaos
