It is December 2025.

The S&P 500 is hovering near 6,700. The Nasdaq-100 is sitting pretty at 23,500.

Outside, the market is throwing a party. Inside, I feel like the guy standing by the exit door checking for fire alarms. You can sense the tension in the AI trade. Nvidia moves, the world holds its breath. A crash feels inevitable. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week, but the gravity is shifting.

I am fortunate. I have a $3 million "Sleep Well" portfolio tucked away in metals and government bonds (paying me 5% to do nothing). That money is safe. I do not touch it.

But I also have this specific $100,000 cash pile.

This is not for safety. This is for opportunity.

I want to turn this $100k into $150k or $175k when the panic hits. But—and this is vital—I refused to lose it. I considered TQQQ (leverage), but the risk of going to zero is just too high for my blood.

So, I have built a "Ghost Ladder." It is a graduated buying plan using real, solid assets (QQQ). It gets more aggressive as the market gets uglier.

Here is precisely how I am setting it up, so I never have to act on emotion.

QQQ (Nasdaq-100 ETF)

I am choosing QQQ over the S&P 500 (VOO). Why? Because if the AI narrative cracks, tech will fall harder than Walmart or Exxon. It will go on a steeper "sale." And historically, when the mood shifts back, tech snaps back faster.

The Math (Current Dec 2025 Highs):

• Nasdaq-100 Index: ~23,500 points.
• QQQ Price: ~$425 per share.

The 20-30-50 Strategy

I am not dumping all $100k in at once. That is rookie stuff. What if I buy at -20% and it keeps crashing to -40%? I would be sick.

Instead, I am setting three separate limit orders right now.

The "Taste" ($20,000)

• Trigger: Nasdaq drops -20%
• QQQ Target Price: ~$340
• Action: Buy $20k.
• The Logic: A 20% drop is a standard Bear Market. I want to have some skin in the game in case it bottoms here.

The "Meat" ($30,000)

• Trigger: Nasdaq drops -30%
• QQQ Target Price: ~$298
• Action: Buy $30k.
• The Logic: Now the panic is real. The headlines will say "Tech is Dead." This is where I want to start buying heavily.

The "All-In" ($50,000)

• Trigger: Nasdaq drops -40%
• QQQ Target Price: ~$255
• Action: Buy the remaining $50k.
• The Logic: A 40% drop is a crisis level event (think 2008 or dot-com bust). Stocks are being thrown away. I am using half my total capital to buy here at basement prices.

How this plays out

Let us say the crash happens. The AI bubble pops, regulation hits, panic spreads. The Nasdaq spirals down to -42%.

My "Ghost Ladder" catches everything on the way down.

1. I bought $20k at $340.
2. I bought $30k at $298.
3. I bought $50k at $255.

My average cost per share ends up being roughly $280.

Then... we wait.

The world does not end. Apple keeps selling phones. Microsoft keeps selling software. Eventually, the market climbs back to where we are today ($425).

The Result: My average cost is $280. The price goes back to $425. That is a 51% profit on the entire $100,000. My $100k turns into roughly $151,000.

If the market gets euphoric again and pushes higher? That gain grows to 60% or 70%.

What if it goes deeper?

What if the Nasdaq drops -50%? Or -60%? I own shares of the top 100 US companies. I do not own expiring options. I do not own leverage that resets daily. If we hit -60%, my account value will show a loss. I simply do not sell. I just hold. It might take 2 years or 3 years, but quality assets recover. I have zero risk of a margin call.

The "Set and Forget" Setup

To ensure I do not chicken out, I am logging into my brokerage today and placing Good-Till-Cancelled (GTC) Limit Orders:

1. Buy ~58 shares of QQQ @ Limit $340 (Uses ~$20k)
2. Buy ~100 shares of QQQ @ Limit $298 (Uses ~$30k)
3. Buy ~196 shares of QQQ @ Limit $255 (Uses ~$50k)

Once those are active, I am done. I go back to my life. I let the market freak out. I do not check the news. When my phone buzzes that a trade executed, I know the plan is working.

Simple. Aggressive. Safe.