"I Had Become Like a Spokesperson" - Roma on Diversifying Netflix, Apple, and Broadcom Stock

"I hadn't realized, but maybe four months in, I had become like a spokesperson," Roma says. "It was really weird for me."

Roma spent her career building products at Netflix (NFLX), Apple (AAPL), and Twitter. Now a VP of product management, she takes a long view on decisions. Financial planning, for her, happens in decade increments.

"I kind of take a look at it every few years and 2025 just happened to be the year where we were taking a look at what's going to happen in the next decade."

That review surfaced a familiar Bay Area pattern. Success that slowly turns into concentration.

How it built up

Roma's concentrated positions came from working at the right companies at the right moments.

"I ended up working for two companies that are part of the Magnificent Seven," she says. "And my spouse ended up working for another company that also had very significant growth."

The result was a portfolio shaped by career success.

"My concentrated positions were Netflix and Apple and Broadcom (AVGO)," she says. "And I have some concentrated positions in Meta (META) and Alphabet (GOOGL) and Nvidia (NVDA)."

For a long time, concentration didn't feel like a problem because it was working.

"Being concentrated was actually adding a lot of value," she says. "It was very hard to say, I don't want to be concentrated."

When taxes forced the conversation

What forced the conversation was tax mechanics, not market risk.

"I had some positions where I had to exercise. There was a cliff and a window of time, or actually lose the ability to do so. So that obviously brought in taxes and that's where the journey started."

What followed wasn't quick. It took over seven years to find a path forward.

When she first researched exchange funds, the requirements felt prohibitive.

"The bar for entry was extremely high," she says. "It needed you to be an accredited investor or have five million in investable funds. And 10 years back, I just was not there."

She shelved the idea. Until a financial advisor brought it back into view.

Skepticism and a small step

Roma is candid about her first reaction to Cache.

"I kind of went and looked at Srikanth's background, and I was like, this thing's just been around for a year, and this guy has no finance background. There was a moment of trepidation and unhappiness and doubt. I mean, honestly."

Instead of walking away, she tested it.

"I picked a pretty small amount. I thought, it has shown growth. It's time to diversify."

Comfort came partly from familiarity with the underlying holdings.

"When I looked at their portfolio, it still had the same things that I would want to invest in. It wasn't something completely off from my comfort zone. And that mattered."

What peace of mind looks like

For Roma, the biggest impact was psychological.‍

"I didn't want to be in that mode where I go up and down depending upon my stock," she says. "It just adds stress to my life."

Diversification changed that.‍

"It is now in the hand of professionals whose vested interest is in making me successful. I feel I'm in a good place. I feel I'll be supported."

She still holds concentrated positions. She still believes in the companies she helped build.‍

"It was my baby for a long time and I believed in the people. And that's totally fair."

But her planning shifted toward long-term family outcomes.‍

"Your ability to continue to do that should not be dependent upon a company. You don't control the leadership. You don't control the market. You don't control the competition."

What she tells others

‍"If you are holding concentrated stock positions, you're both at high risk and high reward," Roma says. "And you can continue to hold those. I still hold some."

But she believes most investors should evaluate options early.

‍"One of those ways for me has been exchange funds. The advantage is you can start small. You don't have to start very big and see how that plays out."

She frames it the way she frames product decisions.

‍"You've taken a risk by being at a company and you got to this concentrated position. It's the same bet you're making. But I think it's the right thing. It's definitely the right thing for me."