Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary recommends 2 assets worth 20% of your portfolio

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"Mr. Wonderful" Kevin O'Leary, the Canadian businessman well-known for his appearance on the TV show "Shark Tank," thinks FTX will be "the most successful bankruptcy in American history." `` ``

O'Leary made the remark during a conversation with the personal wealth and finance specialist Nicole Lapin on the "Money Rehab" podcast that aired on Sep. 15. ``

During the course of the conversation, he shared his crypto recommendations, outlook on crypto's future, and interest rate policy, among other topics. `` ``

Related: What is Crypto? Cryptocurrency explained ``

Crypto no more than 20% ``

Kevin O'Leary said he is treating crypto the way his mother, Georgette, would, which is to allocate no more than 20% of your portfolio to these assets. He said he has allocated 19.5% of his portfolio to crypto. ``

"I don't just buy the asset, I buy the infrastructure." ``

O'Leary expanded on his crypto strategy and shared that he owns shares in crypto exchanges like Robinhood (Nasdaq: HOOD), Coinbase (Nasdaq: COIN), and WonderFi Technologies (WONDF: OTCQB). ``

A crypto exchange is trading regardless of the crypto assets' prices and volatility, which is why he said he prefers them. `` ``

The "Shark Tank" star drew an analogy between the current crypto rush and the gold rush from 250 years ago. Back then, it would be far more prudent to buy pick-and-shovel factories instead of betting on gold because one could always buy gold at spot prices if and when it was found but tools to explore gold were always needed, he argued. This is why he liked the infrastructure, he added. `` Kevin O'Leary, Chairman of O'Leary Ventures, arrives to speak before a Senate Committee on Aging and House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party joint hearing on April 9, 2025 in Washington, DC. O'Leary appeared during a hearing to examine financial aggression, focusing on "how the Chinese Communist Party exploits American retirees and undermines national security." ``

Bitcoin and Ethereum give 95% of volatility ``

There are tens of thousands of cryptocurrencies but you only need Bitcoin and Ethereum to capture 95% of the volatility of the entire crypto market, O'Leary said. He shared that he owned BTC, ETH, and some stablecoin in bulk. ``

Owning Bitcoin and Ethereum together lets you stake, wrap, and get yields, he said. ``

Regarding the price volatility of Bitcoin, O'Leary said, "I don't give a damn" because he said he doesn't trade it. Bitcoin is like gold to him. What he benefits from is the yield from the coupling of Bitcoin and Ethereum, he said. ``

"It's not easy, but I'm doing it." ``

Crypto was the first word to come out of his mouth which he recommended as an asset that youngsters with only $1,000 should invest in. ``

More News: ``

Shark Tank’s Kevin O'Leary has a shocking response to MicroStrategy Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary loves Labubu toy, calls NFTs a ‘fad’ Crypto analyst remembers FTX as MrBeast raises 12M ``

FTX will be most successful bankruptcy in American history, O'Leary says ``

As the discussion on infrastructure proceeded, O'Leary also reflected on his role as the paid spokesperson for one of the biggest crypto infrastructures that went bankrupt: the FTX crypto exchange.

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O'Leary said his mother taught him a lesson: "Just tell the truth and you'll never have to remember what you said." This is the advice he followed during the Senate hearings, he claimed.

O'Leary also said that it looks like FTX will be "the most successful bankruptcy in American history" as those holding accounts over the exchange are being offered 140% of their crypto holdings. Those traders had invested in assets like Solana and some AI companies which have soared over the years.

CZ made SBF bankrupt, O'Leary says

It was FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's "frenemy," Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao "CZ," who made SBF bankrupt and CZ ended up in jail too, he added.

When Lapin asked O'Leary if SBF had apologized to him, he responded,

"I don't think I want an apology from him. You know I'm a big boy."

However, he conceded that SBF was a "genius," and said that in a way, it's those pioneers with arrows in their backs like SBF and CZ that created this incredible industry.

"And now that we're regulated, the upside's immense."

O'Leary predicted that crypto will be the 12th sector which will be its own S&P sector in the next 5 years.

O'Leary wouldn't cut rates

O'Leary said the Federal Reserve may or may not slash interest rates by 25 basis points during the Sep. 16-17 meeting. He said he wouldn't be too excited about the possibility of any cuts.

Even if a 25 bps cut is announced, it will be the last one this year and for a long time, he said. If he were the Fed Chair Jerome Powell, he would hold the rates steady, he added.

Fed's independence crucial, says O'Leary

No administration should be able to bully the Fed into cutting rates just because the president wants it, he said.

"It's just sport to bash the Fed. Every president does it."

But no Fed ever cares about what the president says because their mandate is to independently make decisions, he added and warned of the 2008 financial crisis because of extremely low rates.

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Sep 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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