Michael Saylor vs. Diversification: What Investors Can Learn From MicroStrategy

It's the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily. I'm Mike Milligan, your host. I'm traveling today from Iowa back to Norfolk after a night at the Iowa State Fair, seeing a band I'd never heard, AJR. Maybe you've heard of them. And then spending some time with some colleagues from around the country talking business and more. Today, my goal is a gallon of water while traveling, 10,000 steps, mostly in airports. Routine again and on the road. Yesterday broke the streak. 3 straight days down ended with a modest bounce in the market. We have a Fed minutes readout, a Treasury move that mattered more than the minutes did, a cancer vaccine that surprised the market, a crypto rally driven by Washington, and a mortgage market that is quietly sitting still. And today's feature is the name behind a website you may have never visited before. Www.michael.com. Michael Saylor. Educate, coach, plan. It's my mission. Never miss a moment. It's my motto.

Let's go.

Wednesday, August 19th. The U.S. stock market snapped a 3-day losing streak. S&P closed up 0.21%. Dow Jones up 0.22%. NASDAQ up 0.16%. And The Russell 2000 gained 0.5%. The VIX, the volatility index that gauges the fear in the market, fell 6% to under 15 at 14.89. 2 things drove it. First, the U.S. Treasury announced it would roughly double buybacks of longer-dated 20- and 30-year debt. That pulled long yields off multi-year highs and gave stocks room to breathe. Second, FOMC minutes from the July 28th-29th meeting came in hawkish. Many participants said further tightening would likely be necessary if inflation does not decline. Rate future markets are now leaning toward a hold in September and October and a hike more likely in December. Index close closes only education, and by the way, this is education only. It's not a signal to trade as we look to build a financial plan. That then tells you how to build a portfolio versus following reads of the market to determine what your investment selection should be. The healthcare story was the loudest tape story of the day. Moderna and Merck reported positive top-line phase three results from the. In the INTERPATH-001 trial, the combination of an intestinorin antigen and individualized mRNA cancer vaccine, formerly known as mRNA-4157, plus Merck's Keytruda, met both primary and key secondary endpoints in patients with completely resected stage 2B through 4 melanoma. That means longer recurrence-free survival and longer distance metastasis-free survival compared with Keytruda alone. The trial randomized 1,137 patients. This is the first phase 3 win for an individualized, uh, neoantigen therapy and for an mRNA-based cancer therapy. The stock reaction? Moderna spiked as much as 160% intraday. Merck jumped 12%. Detailed data will be presented at an upcoming medical conference. The educational point is not the trade. It is that a single well-designed trial can revalue a company by 9 figures in a session. Which is exactly why we build calm around plans rather than around headlines. And for humanity, this could be a major, major win.

Be one of a kind with Mike's Plan.

2 quieter stories worth naming today. Mortgages. The Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey showed total applications volume down 0.4% last week, essentially flat. The 30-year fixed conforming rate held at 6.77%. Refinance applications were up 2% for the week but still down 18% year over year. Purchase applications were down 2% for the week and down 3% year over year. Home Depot on Tuesday called the housing market frozen. The survey is the receipt. Of that call. Second story worth naming is crypto. Bitcoin and Ether rallied Wednesday into Thursday morning after President Trump urged Congress to pass the Crypto Clarity Act, which would set a federal regulatory framework for the sector. Ether rose about 19% over 7 days to about $2,251 per per CoinGecko. Bitcoin has been range-bound roughly between $62,000 and $66,000 for 6 weeks. The Treasury buyback news that helped stocks also helped Bitcoin. Lower long yields, more risk appetite. That crypto move is the bridge to today's future. Those are 2 stories worth continuing to focus on: mortgages and crypto.

Be one of a kind with Mike's Plan.

Just as this week, as I've talked about Michael Burry, Robert Kiyosaki, Jim Cramer. Today's feature is on Michael Michael Saylor. His personal site is literally www.michael.com. He has dual degrees from MIT as an aerospace engineer and history of science. He founded MicroStrategy, a publicly traded company in 1989. Now rebranded just as Strategy with ticker MSTR, publicly traded business intelligence firm. He also founded Alarm.com. He is the named inventor on more than 48 patents. He wrote a book called The Mobile Wave. He founded a nonprofit called Saylor Academy that has provided free education to over 3 million students. That is a real resume before Bitcoin ever entered the picture. And this is the pivot. In August 2020, Strategy became the first publicly traded operating company to adopt Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset. That was the identity switch. According to his old site, Strategy holds 846,842 Bitcoin. According to reporting from Bitcoin Magazine on a June 2026 8-K filing, That stack was acquired at an average cost of about $75,656 per coin, roughly $64.1 billion in total outlay, including fees. As Bitcoin price nears $66,000 that same week, the position was carrying roughly $8 billion in paper losses. As of that filing, Strategy's Bitcoin represented more than 4% of Bitcoin's hard-capped 21 million coin supply, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder on the planet. How does the company make money in the market? Not primarily from software anymore, but from the mechanism. Strategy issues common stock through the at-market programs, issues convertible notes, and issues preferred shares. He uses that cash to buy more— you got it— Bitcoin. In the same June week that they bought 1,587 coins for about $100 million, they had raised roughly $209 million by selling MSTR shares, with $25.75 billion in ATM capacity still available. A US dollar reserve reported at $1.1 billion in June of 2026 sits behind the preferred share dividends And the interest on the debt. So the shareholder is essentially buying a leveraged, capital markets-funded stack of Bitcoin wrapped inside a publicly traded company. When Bitcoin rises, the premium on MSTR expands and the flywheel funds itself. When Bitcoin falls, the premium compression and paper losses appear for the company. Here's the planning concept. Michael Saylor Is a conviction voice. Monday we studied Burry, the perpetual bear behind a paywall. Tuesday, Kiyosaki, the perpetual crash caller behind a similar funnel. Wednesday we talked about Jim Cramer, the perpetual trader on a subscription. Today, a 4th pattern, the perpetual believer all in on one asset. At scale, using the public company itself as the instrument. This is not right or wrong. This is a concentration decision. Here is the planning idea. A written one-of-a-kind financial plan has 3 questions Saylor's model doesn't answer for you personally. The first is what percentage of your net worth belongs in a single asset? 2, what is your comm line of cash so you never sell in a down tape? Or down market. 3, what is your tax plan around the highly appreciated position, whether that's Bitcoin, company stock, or even a family business? Saylor's answers for his company is a public thesis. Your answer for your household has to be a written plan. We're not chasing returns, folks, as much as we're building the one-of-a-kind financial plan for your One of a Kind Life.

Be one of a kind with Mike's plan.

Well, if something I've said today on the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily interests you and you want to chat, text the word ideas to the number 600-700. That's again the number 600-700 and the word in the message ideas. That'll get you direct to me, and we will have a conversation. Um, and those who just want to call the office directly, that's 757-909-7151. This has been the One of a Kind Financial Show Daily. I'm Mike Milligan. Educate, coach, plan. Never miss a moment. I'll see you tomorrow. The One of a Kind Financial Show Daily is for educational purposes only. Nothing on this show is investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any security, index, ETF, cryptocurrency, insurance, annuity, or other financial product. References to individuals including Michael Saylor, Jim Cramer, Michael Burry, Robert Kiyosaki, and to the companies such as Strategy, Moderna, Merck, and Home Depot are for educational and journalistic commentary based on public reporting and not endorsements or criticisms of those individuals or those firms. Clinical trial results reported by Moderna and Merck are interim and top-line. Overall survivor data does not or has not been reported. Market data reflects reported closing values on the date stated and can change. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Any strategy decision may, may not be appropriate for your situation. Consult your CFP, your CPA, your attorney. Before making any decision on anything you hear. I am a Certified Financial Planning Professional, the founder of One Oak Financial. I'm an investment advisory representative with Advisory Alpha LLC. Advisory Alpha LLC and One Oak— and Ideas by Mike, doing business as One Oak Financial, are unaffiliated entities.

Be one of a kind with Mike's plan. Innovation, growth, take a stand. Visibility, strategy, take the lead. Transformation's yours, fulfill the need. Mike's got the way to help you rise and stay. Leadership impact you'll find in your one-of-a-kind mind. Be one of a kind. Take the flight. Mike's the guide. You'll shine bright.