Wow.  You let your principal work for you and still have enough cash to buy a house out of pocket without selling equities or other assets..
I wish I could do that.

As for planning, we have been looking for the perfect house for 15 months.  It finally came along and we jumped on it.  And since we were able to do that, I think I planned it just about as well as possible during these turbulent times.

I don't know the details of your deal, wouldn't taking a mortgage while you wait for the market to recover had been an option?

So, futures are down this morning.  I asked Grok how much influence Black Rok and Vanguard have on the markets....

BlackRock and Vanguard wield significant influence on global financial markets due to their massive assets under management (AUM) and ownership stakes in publicly traded companies. As of 2025, BlackRock manages approximately $10.5 trillion in AUM, while Vanguard oversees around $8.6 trillion, making them the two largest asset managers globally. Their influence stems from several key factors:


Ownership of Equities: Together, BlackRock and Vanguard own substantial shares in a vast number of publicly traded companies, often holding 5-10% or more of major firms across industries like technology, healthcare, finance, and consumer goods. For example, they are among the top shareholders in companies like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and JPMorgan Chase. Their combined ownership in S&P 500 companies is estimated to be around 15-20%, giving them significant voting power in corporate governance.
Index Funds and ETFs: Both firms dominate the passive investing space through index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Their low-cost funds, such as BlackRock’s iShares and Vanguard’s Total Stock Market Index Fund, attract trillions in investor capital. Since these funds track major indices like the S&P 500, they automatically allocate capital to thousands of companies, amplifying their influence over market dynamics. This passive investing trend has led to concerns about concentrated ownership and reduced competition, as these firms hold stakes in competing companies within the same sector.
Proxy Voting and Corporate Governance: BlackRock and Vanguard exercise considerable influence through proxy voting on shareholder resolutions. They can sway decisions on issues like executive compensation, mergers, environmental policies, and board elections. BlackRock’s CEO, Larry Fink, has emphasized environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, which can shape corporate strategies. However, their voting power has sparked debate about whether they prioritize shareholder value or broader agendas.
Market Stability and Liquidity: Their scale impacts market stability. Their ETFs and mutual funds provide liquidity, but large-scale buying or selling (e.g., during market downturns) can amplify volatility. Their dominance in passive investing also means market movements are increasingly tied to index fund flows rather than individual stock performance.
Criticism and Concerns: Critics argue that their size creates systemic risks, as their failure or coordinated actions could destabilize markets. There’s also concern about “common ownership,” where their stakes in competing firms might reduce market competition or influence pricing. Regulatory bodies, like the U.S. SEC, have scrutinized their influence, though no major restrictions have been imposed as of 2025.

For real-time data or specific examples of their holdings, I can search the web or analyze relevant X posts if needed. Let me know if you want me to dig deeper into a particular aspect.

P.S. The BB software does a piss poor job with pasted formatted text

Think of what the Democrats built. Not only did they increase the size of the Federal Government and put more folks on the official payroll, buy then added thousands more on the unofficial payroll through the NGO network.

I'm the second of two. My brother died a couple days after birth, so I'm really an only child. I had a half brother, he died of a massive heart attack a couple of years ago and I have a half sister that lives in IL. She never finished HS but got a G.E.D. and works as a QC person in a manufacturing plant. Two years ago she had bypass surgery and still has stents to go with it. Currently on workers comp, had a hip replacement due to a fall in the parking lot at work.  She'll be out a while as they had to do it using the posterior method due to the excessive bone damage. Her blood flow got cut off ot the bone and a bunch of it died off.

A person replied to a friends FB post that they had lost $40k in their retirement account. I replied that they hadn't lost anything unless they were foolish enough to cash in.

TDS is a terrible thing.

Ten percent is called a correction and should not elicit panic.  How many of you actually hold individual portfolios and manage them yourself?  How much of this has been driven by Black Rock and Vanguard?  Between 7/24/23 and 10/23/2023 the DOW dropped from $35,459 to $32,417 a drop of 8.6%.  Between 8/8/2022 and 8/26/22 it dropped from $33,761 to $28,725 a drop of 14.9%. I'm not going to go searching, but I wonder how many posts Jim or Little Joe authored in abject horror at those drops.

Meanwhile...