Comments by "Me, Myself and I" (@me-myself-i787) on "Why Private Equity Firms are Halting Withdrawals" video.

  1. They're publicly-traded companies with separate stock tickers and separate investors. They used to be connected but they split up a long time ago. Also, BlackRock doesn't invest in real estate, and Blackstone doesn't invest much in real estate. Blackstone's main investments are Lego and Merlin Entertainment (owners of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington: World of Adventures, Heide Park, GardaLand, all the Legoland parks, and probably some others I've forgotten about). Meanwhile, BlackRock is mainly known for their iShares ETFs, which have a much better website than most other ETF providers such as Vanguard but BlackRock has slightly higher fees, which is how they (but still much lower than the fees for actively-managed funds). These ETFs passively invest based on a number of factors. Their main ETFs invest based solely on how big the company is, but some others invest based on how well companies performed in the past, based on their return-on-equity, or based on their price-to-earnings ratio. iShares allows investors to choose how their money is invested without the hassle of buying individual shares. The main companies which are buying up single-family homes are Invitation Homes (INVH) and American Homes 4 Rent (AMH), both of which own tiny fractions of the total housing supply.
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  2. Investing is easy. Just put all your money into ACWI (iShares MSCI All-Countries World Index ETF). They automatically invest in 3,000 companies worldwide, allocating funds based on how big the company is. That's the safest option. Or, you could put your money in IWQU.L. (iShares MSCI World Quality Factor ETF) They invest in companies which get a good return on the money they put in, have stable earnings, and have low debt. It has historically outperformed compared with the ACWI, but it invests in fewer companies and only invests in developed countries, so it's slightly riskier. But they still invest in over 200 companies, so it's still a very safe investment. Or, you could put your money into BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway) and let Warren Buffet manage it for you. He has beaten the market consistently. But he is getting older and he isn't as sharp as he used to be, so he might not make the best decisions in the future. Plus, Berkshire Hathaway has a lot of debt. As a result, it's not as safe as the other investments on my list. Or, you could invest into Pershing Square Holdings. They have had exceptional returns over the past 5 years, but no-one knows what they're invested in, and they're not covered by American securities exchange laws, so they're riskier than the other options I talked about. All these private fund managers have done poorly because they have used riskier strategies in an attempt to beat the market and justify their high costs.
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  3. ​ @ahndeux On the other hand, when buying a house, you will have to cover any unexpected expenses, whereas when renting, the landlord will cover those expenses and if he doesn't, you can easily move somewhere else.
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