In this age of fleeting digital whims and ephemeral trends, two Vanguard offerings stand as steadfast companions for the long journey: the Vanguard S&P 500 Growth ETF (VOOG 0.73%) and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT 0.82%). With a thousand dollars and a heart attuned to the slow unfolding of value, one might plant these seeds in the fertile soil of compounding time.
While the S&P 500 ETFs are the celebrities of the market, the Mid-Cap ETF is the quiet friend who always brings a thoughtful gift. Its portfolio, a mosaic of companies valued between $2 billion and $10 billion, occupies a curious liminal space-neither the fledgling chaos of startups nor the bureaucratic inertia of giants. (Imagine a teacup that’s neither hot nor cold, but somehow always just right.)
If you wander into the marketplace of metrics, you will find one called the Shiller P/E-crafted by a chap with a Nobel prize and probably far too much free time-used to smooth out the cyclic chaos of corporate earnings, much like a philosopher smoothing his philosopher’s beard after a long day pondering the nature of business cycles. It divides the current value of the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.03%) by the inflation-adjusted earnings over the last decade-a period which, if recorded as a novel, would be titled “The Long, Long Tale of Excess and Hangovers.” The long-term average hovers around 17, but currently, the ratio is straining at roughly 40-like a over-fed bat trying to squeeze through a tiny hole. Historically, whenever this ratio has lingered above 30 for extended periods, the market has experienced a downturn of at least 20%. The only time it reached beyond 40 was during the dot-com bubble-a period where everyone thought the internet was an infinite jug of moonshine that would keep fueling the party forever.
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The fund, in its quarterly SEC communiqué, revealed a reduction in its GEO Group holdings, now amounting to a mere 159,799 shares valued at $3.27 million. Such a maneuver, while seemingly abrupt, is less a flight of fancy than a calculated ballet with the specter of volatility. The change in position, an estimated $22.75 million, mirrors the capriciousness of the market itself.
Yet, even a modest commitment-say, half that amount-can yield remarkable results if sustained over decades. Historical stock market data suggests that consistent investment of $375 each month into the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) could, over thirty years, grow into a portfolio approaching $800,000. That sum would generate an annual dividend income of about $13,500-a modest dividend, but significant when viewed in the context of a person’s entire financial plan. The lesson remains: patience and discipline are the investor’s most reliable allies.
Gold, that ancient alchemist’s dream, has surged 74% in 2025, reaching $4,562 per ounce, a figure that would make even the most stoic banker clutch his chest. Silver, ever the mercurial companion, has outdone its cousin with a 175% leap, nearing $80 per ounce. Both metals now outpace the S&P 500’s meandering path, as if the stock market itself had succumbed to a fit of existential doubt.
META PLATFORMS-THE FACEBOOK OF THE FUTURE, OR THE FACEBOOK OF A RECKONING? (META 0.56%) They’re the second-largest ad stock, sure, but second place in a race where the finish line keeps moving? Their 26% revenue growth? Maybe. Maybe it’s just the market’s version of a dopamine hit. And the AI glasses? A revenue source? Or a $500 bet on a tech trend that’ll be obsolete by next year? Meanwhile, their user base grows, but at what cost? Every “daily active user” is just another data point for the algorithm to monetize, while you’re left wondering if your privacy is worth the price of admission.
This dissection, this anatomical theater of numbers and narratives, aims to unravel the threads of cost, return, risk, and composition. For the growth investor, such a task is not merely analytical but existential-a dance with volatility, a flirtation with diversification, and a wager on the future.
The fund’s remaining 645,028 shares were valued at $27.85 million, or 13.74% of its $202.73 million in reportable U.S. equity assets. A tidy sum, but not enough to buy a yacht or a sense of security. So it goes.