Anyone else feel like the standard "Max 401k + VOO and chill" advice is leaving money on the table?
I’m in that classic HENRY phase where my base + RSUs put me in a high tax bracket, but my net worth isn’t quite at the FIRE level yet.
Every time I look for portfolio advice here or on other finance subs, the consensus is always: "Max your 401k/HSA, liquidate your tech RSUs immediately, dump everything into VOO/VTI, and don't look at it."
While I get the logic behind passive indexing, it honestly feels like we’re leaving alpha on the table. We’re literally working in or around the industries driving the modern market, yet we're told to invest with the risk tolerance of a retiree.
I’m not trying to be a WallStreetBets degenerate, but I refuse to believe everyone in this sub is just happily cruising on market averages.
For those who actively manage a portion of their liquidity:
Do you keep a separate "playground/active" brokerage account? If so, what % of your net worth goes there?
Are you actually picking individual tech stocks, running macro swing trades, or using options (like covered calls) to hedge your company equity?
Curious to see how many people here are actually chasing alpha versus just doing the standard index-and-chill. What’s your take?