"My portfolio was going up and down, double digits, percentage point frequently, and that was just constant source of anxiety," Bikash says. "So I was not feeling comfortable having that much volatility and needed more peace of mind."

Like a lot of people in tech, his equity didn't end up in one stock. It ended up in three.

"I worked at Meta and like many of you who have worked in tech industry, I ended up with a very concentrated position in few stocks," he says. "Meta, Tesla, Apple. And after a while I was looking for a way to diversify without paying a huge [upfront] tax bill."

How he evaluated the options

He ran Cache through the same evaluation framework he applies to any investment decision.

"Whenever I am making any investment decisions, I do my research, I compare various options, pros and cons, trade-offs," he says.

Four criteria mattered to him.

"Number one, is my money going to be safe in exchange fund? Number two, am I going to get the diversification that I'm seeking? For example, is the fund going to really track the index that it is supposed to track? And number three, what are the fees and costs associated with it? And number four is mainly, is the company reputable."

He worked through each one.

On cost: "When I compared the cost, Cache clearly won over competitors. The cost was really clear and transparent. One fee, there was no fee getting into the fund and then one fee that you pay yearly."

On tracking: "Cache had clear data showing how their funds are tracking the benchmark index”

What the Cache team did differently

Bikash had questions. The Cache team answered them.

"I found the Cache team to be highly approachable," he says. "Anytime I had a question, I could shoot them an email or set up an appointment over calendar and talk to the Cache team."

That mattered when he hit the harder questions.

"Initially I had reservations on is my money going to be safe? But that's the number one thing running through a lot of your mind."

He read the public material. He talked to the team. He did his own research.

"The team even shared detailed technical notes that gave me a lot more insights into how Cache works internally. And that gave me the confidence with the approach that Cache is taking."

The first month

Bikash invested with a long-term mindset, and is explicit that a one-month comparison is not the right test.

"It was not a day to day mindset that I'll be comparing my performance of exchange fund with the stock market because that's not the right comparison."

What did change was how often the market reached him.

"I feel more at peace, more calm, knowing that I am not taking the volatility that I was previously exposed to."

What he tells others

Bikash's recommendation tracks how he made his own decision.

"If you are in a similar spot with a concentrated stock position, Cache is definitely worth looking into," he says. "It has lower cost, no upfront fee, lower minimum, easier to get started, [...] and the team is really clear and transparent in communication."

He closes with a disclaimer he asked to add himself.

"This is clearly my personal experience and opinion. It's not an investment advice and your results can vary."