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Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) on X

The market is the only place I know where folks run away from the sale. Consider buying low.
Time to buy.

Why Buying the Market Dip Right Now Could Be the Best Financial Decision of 2026 You might avoid investing right now. That could be a mistake.

History Shows Stocks Recover After Big Declines | Citrine Capital Sudden market downturns can be unsettling. But historically, US equity returns following sharp declines have, on average, been positive.

Trump sees massive increase in wealth as new billionaire list released The number of billionaires has surged to a record-breaking 3,428, with Elon Musk retaining the title of the world's richest person, according to Forbes. The magazine's latest rankings, dominated by the tech sector, placed the Tesla and SpaceX boss in the top spot with a net worth of $839bn (£623bn)...

2 Quantum Computing Stocks That Could Help Make You a Fortune These companies are experiencing year-over-year revenue growth in the triple digits.

Hello, Please read and be careful.

‘I feel like I’m in a financial prison’: Trump Wall Street plan puts ‘mom and pop’ investors at risk, advocates say Trump says everyday Americans deserve a chance to buy higher-risk ‘alternative’ investments. Critics say this could lead to big losses for small investors

We are currently the largest. How long though?

The $117 Trillion World Economy in One Giant Visualization We show the world economy in 2025, highlighting how India could soon surpass Japan given rapid GDP growth.

This Chart Could Explain Why Warren Buffett Is Holding $325 Billion in Cash
By Peter Gratton Published January 31, 2025
Fact checked by Stella Osoba
Warren Buffett, chairman of the board and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, speaks in Gaston Hall at Georgetown University,
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

25 Highest Paid Occupations in the US

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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A, BRK.B) has amassed the largest pile of cash ever held by a public company. At $325 billion, Berkshire Hathaway's war chest is more than the combined cash reserves of Apple Inc. (AAPL), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Alphabet Inc. (GOOG), Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), and NVIDIA Corp (NVDA)—despite them being collectively 14 times Berkshire's market value.
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Also striking: the record-breaking stockpile has doubled in just over a year.

So what gives? As in everyday life, companies save for three main reasons: to prepare to weather an economic storm, to make a major purchase, or because they think what's available isn't worth it—in market parlance, it's overvalued.

A key chart value investors like Buffett use could help us narrow down the options: the S&P 500 index's historic price-to-earnings ratio. That's because it now sits 67% above its historical norm and almost 50% above its early 2022 value. This remarkable deviation could be a major reason that the famed Oracle of Omaha could be storing cash.

Key Takeaways
Berkshire Hathaway's record $325 billion is more than the combined cash held by the five largest public companies by market cap.
The S&P 500 index price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio measures the average value of the index's companies by dividing their combined market capitalization by their total earnings over the previous year, indicating how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings.
The market's P/E ratio of just over 30 is 67% above historical averages, suggesting stocks are significantly overvalued.

What This Chart Tells Us
The chart for the S&P 500's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio since 2022 tells a striking story about the stock market. It tells us investors are paying $30 for each dollar of earnings for the trailing 12 months, far above the historical median of 17.9.
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In other words, investors are paying almost $30 for each dollar of corporate earnings when, historically, they've paid 40% less. We've focused the chart on the run-up in the P/E ratio since early 2022; since then, it's ballooned 50%.

Thus, this chart could provide a stark warning that stock prices are being driven more by investor optimism than the underlying value of these stocks, exactly the kind of market condition that Buffett has said makes him keep his "elephant gun" of cash at the ready.
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Why Buffett's Cash Pile Keeps Growing
Buffett famously preaches a straightforward investing philosophy: Be fearful when others are greedy. Given Buffett's "pledge" to Berkshire shareholders to practice "extreme fiscal conservatism" and since market valuations have been well above historical norms, it's no surprise, perhaps, that Berkshire sold over $100 billion in stocks during the first nine months of 2024, including cutting its massive stake in Apple by two-thirds.

Cash As Insurance
Buffett has said that having a sizable war chest is a cornerstone of Berkshire's risk management.
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Berkshire's cash reserves served the company well during the 2008 financial crisis, when Berkshire provided crucial funding to companies like the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Bank of America (BAC) on extremely favorable terms, generating billions in profits.

"During the 2008 panic, Berkshire generated cash from operations and didn't need to borrow to keep going," Buffett told Berkshire investors at the end of 2023. "We did not predict the time of an economic paralysis but we were always prepared for one." Soon afterward, Berkshire would nearly double the size of its war chest.

The Bottom Line
Historical charts of the S&P 500 index P/E ratio suggest that when it's high, it often precedes major market corrections—examples include 1987, 1992, 2002, and 2008. At the end of 2023, Buffett told shareholders that "Berkshire can handle financial disasters of a magnitude beyond any heretofore experienced," which should have reassured his company's investors. But that he thought the reminder necessary in this market is deeply unsettling for anyone else.

BUYERS! SELLERS! BEWARE;
Friday was CLOSING DAY…and here’s why selling this one SUCKED. 😐
Show up to listing appointment: seller owes $55,000 on a solar panel loan that started at $90,940.89 in 2022. 🤯🤯🤯
Guys, LISTEN TO ME AND LISTEN WELL:
➡️ BUYERS DO NOT WANT TO ASSUME YOUR DEBT. 🤷🏻‍♀️
➡️ SOLAR SALES AGENTS LIE TO YOU 🤥. THESE DO NOT ADD VALUE IN OUR MARKET. AND, NO MATTER WHAT CREATIVE BU****IT ADJECTIVE THEY CALL IT…IT’S A LOAN!!!
This house was gorgeous 😍. It took forever to sell 😔. Was it the market? In part. Did the solar panels affect it? Absolutely.
As I warned the sellers, we could not find a buyer who was willing to assume their debt 📉. Seller had to pay this off at closing. Cutting out $55k of their equity in their home (let’s face it, it’s really $91k equity cut out).
Money completely wasted. 🗑️
The wife teared up during our listing appointment when I had to discuss the reality of these things with them. 🙁
I loved my clients. They were great. But I felt so bad for them. And there’s nothing I can do except 1) warn y’all, and 2) be the bearer of bad news when you have me sell your home with solar panels.
I will forever post about this in hopes it helps as many people as possible remember to tell solar reps to pound sand 🥾 when they show up at your door.

It's wise to be proactive about protecting your personal information, especially with increasing concerns about data breaches and the ever-evolving landscape of data security. Recent discussions surrounding data privacy, including those involving high-profile figures like Elon Musk and the platforms they're associated with, highlight the importance of taking steps to safeguard your information. Freezing your credit reports is a strong step you can take to protect yourself against identity theft. Here's a breakdown of how to freeze your credit with each of the three major credit bureaus:
Why Freeze Your Credit?
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit reports, making it significantly harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. This is because lenders typically require access to your credit report before approving new credit.
How to Freeze Your Credit:
You'll need to contact each of the three credit bureaus individually:
Equifax:
• Online: Visit the Equifax website and follow their instructions for freezing your credit.
• Phone: Call Equifax at 1-800-349-9960.
• Mail: Send a written request to Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788.
Experian:
• Online: Go to the Experian website and navigate to their credit freeze section.
• Phone: Call Experian at 1-888-397-3742.
• Mail: Mail your request to Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013.
TransUnion:
• Online: Visit the TransUnion website and find their credit freeze options.
• Phone: Call TransUnion at 1-800-916-8800.
• Mail: Send your request to TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016.
Information You'll Need:
When contacting the credit bureaus, be prepared to provide the following information to verify your identity:
• Full name
• Social Security number
• Date of birth
• Current and previous addresses
• Possibly other personal information
Important Notes:
• Freezing your credit is free. Federal law allows you to freeze and unfreeze your credit reports at no cost.
• Keep your PIN or password safe. Each bureau will provide you with a PIN or password to use when you want to unfreeze your credit. Store this information securely.
• You'll need to unfreeze your credit when applying for new credit. If you need to apply for a loan, credit card, or other type of credit, you'll need to temporarily lift the freeze with each bureau.
• Credit freezes are effective but not foolproof. While a credit freeze is a strong deterrent, it doesn't protect you from all forms of identity theft. It's still important to monitor your accounts and be vigilant about suspicious activity.
Sharing This Information:
Feel free to share this information with your family and friends. It's a valuable step everyone can take to protect their financial well-being in today's environment where data security is increasingly important.