Bitcoin Core due to its fee controls, API for developers, easy encrypted wallet file backup in the menu, and it contributes to the network. It also doesn't depend on third-party wallet API providers to process your transactions. This is safer and it also uses deterministic builds, which is good from a transparency standpoint

Considering the increasing size of the blockchain, a 1TB WD Black or WD Blue (<$50) drive is fine if you don't want to spend $100 on an SSD. The more resilient the drive is, the better 😀

The irrational nature of the market is one of my least favourite things about it. It makes it harder for me to keep hope

I think Bitcoin and Ethereum each serve their own purposes quite well. Ethereum offers more utility due to its advanced smart contract functionality, and Bitcoin has its own benefits for transactions. In my opinion, it's best to have both networks, especially when considering gas fees and network congestion. Also: If one network is compromised, people can switch to the other