as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
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understanding the phrase afford to lose better
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it's a phrase that has no meaning out of context.  when i go to las vegas (i don't go, but if i did) i would treat what i took as money i plan to lose.  when i trade stock options and buy puts or calls, i view it as a calculated risk, with a far greater than zero chance of having the trade show zero in time.  a single company has a chance of going bankrupt. a mix of stocks has risk, the s&p was at less than half its high in the 2008 crash. the money i had in the s&p was not money i could afford to lose, but i could afford to wait it out. there's a difference. we're not back at the highs, but we're close.  by the way, there are many people who would not sleep knowing that their statement shows a 50% loss from a prior high point. those people should be in a mix more suited to their risk tolerance.
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