Leveraged S&P 500 exposure, without the daily decision

Three things. VOO, an unleveraged S&P 500 index ETF, is the core and stays in place at all times. SPXL is the leveraged sleeve, tracking three times the daily move of the S&P 500. SPXS is the inverse fund used as a hedge. Anything not allocated sits in cash. You can see the exact holdings in your account at any time.

None of them are held by this strategy, but they come up often, so here is how they compare. SPY and IVV track the same S&P 500 index as VOO and are close substitutes for an unleveraged core. UPRO is ProShares' version of SPXL, seeking the same three times daily exposure to the S&P 500. SPXU is ProShares' version of SPXS on the inverse side. SSO seeks two times daily exposure rather than three, so it moves less in both directions. This strategy uses VOO for the core and the Direxion pair, SPXL and SPXS, for the leveraged and hedge sleeves.

You can. The thing to understand is that a leveraged fund resets daily, so a flat or choppy stretch can drag it down even when the S&P 500 ends up roughly where it started. Those stretches tend to last long enough that holding through them is harder than it looks on a chart.

No. That approach pairs a leveraged S&P 500 position with leveraged long-term treasuries and rebalances on a schedule. It relies on those two holdings moving in opposite directions, which does not always happen. This strategy holds a plain index core instead, and changes the leveraged exposure based on market conditions rather than on the calendar.

Four things matter most with leveraged funds. Compounding, because daily resets mean returns over time can differ a lot from three times the index. Correlation, because the fund may not track the S&P 500 as closely as you expect. Derivatives, because these funds use swaps and similar instruments to get their exposure. And holding duration, because the longer you hold, the more the first three can add up. None of these go away because the position is managed. The goal is to spend less time exposed to them, not to remove them.

A lot. A three times leveraged S&P 500 fund moves roughly three times as far as the index on a given day, and compounding can make a long decline worse than that. The strategy is designed to reduce exposure and can hedge, but it cannot prevent losses. Only use money you can afford to lose entirely.

No. It is built as a slice. Most people pair it with a Core model portfolio holding the bulk of their money and keep this as the smaller, higher-risk piece. You choose the size.

0.50% per year on assets under management, or $4 a month for accounts under $10,000. The minimum to start is $1,000. Your account is held at Alpaca Securities LLC, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. alphaAI Capital never holds your money directly.

Yes, any time. There is no lock-in and no performance fee. You can change how much is allocated, switch strategies, or withdraw.