00:00:03
- What if I told you
that there was a company
00:00:04
so powerful on the planet today,
00:00:06
that it affects almost every
single aspect of our lives?
00:00:09
A company that is so rich,
that they hold more assets
00:00:11
than the GDP of every
single country in the world,
00:00:14
except for two.
00:00:15
A company that is the
single largest investor
00:00:18
in the destruction of our planet's forests
00:00:20
and the largest money contributor
00:00:21
to the fossil fuels industry.
00:00:23
And what if I also told
you that it's very likely
00:00:25
you are responsible for
the funding of this company
00:00:28
and allowing it to do what it does?
00:00:30
And even if you tried
your absolute hardest,
00:00:32
it would almost be impossible for you
00:00:34
to stop giving them money.
00:00:35
The scary fact is that
this company does exist
00:00:38
and you have most likely,
never heard its name before.
00:00:41
The company is BlackRock.
00:00:47
I'm splitting this video into two parts,
00:00:49
the problem and the solution.
00:00:51
This could be the most important video
00:00:52
I've made on this channel,
because it gives you an insight
00:00:55
into how the ownership of the planet works
00:00:57
and who might be pulling the strings
00:00:58
of almost everything in our entire lives.
00:01:00
And that likely, you are
contributing to this whole mess
00:01:03
by funding this whole entire show.
00:01:05
There is so much to talk
about in this video,
00:01:07
so I'll just ask you
to hit that like button
00:01:09
and let's get into it.
00:01:13
Part one, the problem.
00:01:17
Okay, so let's talk about BlackRock
00:01:18
and some of the giant
problems that are associated
00:01:20
with this enormous company.
00:01:22
First and foremost,
BlackRock is the largest
00:01:24
Asset management firm on the planet.
00:01:26
They hold stocks, ownership
of companies, property
00:01:28
and a ton of other stuff.
00:01:30
Of course, with the main
purpose of driving profit
00:01:32
for themselves and their shareholders.
00:01:33
And they own a part of almost everything.
00:01:35
And when I say everything,
I really mean everything.
00:01:39
Let me explain how.
00:01:40
The names on the screen are
00:01:41
the seven biggest banks in America
00:01:43
and in some way or another,
00:01:44
if you are an American that
gets loans, does your banking,
00:01:47
has investments or has your pension fund,
00:01:50
you are likely connected
to one of these banks.
00:01:52
But who owns these banks?
00:01:53
Well, in one way or
another BlackRock does.
00:01:56
BlackRock is either the
largest or one of the largest
00:01:58
shareholders in all of these seven banks.
00:02:01
All of them.
00:02:01
So, if you are part of the
general American banking system,
00:02:04
it's likely you don't really have a choice
00:02:06
whether or not to deal with BlackRock
00:02:07
and you're putting your trust in them
00:02:08
to hold some of your money.
00:02:10
You might think you have
a choice with banking,
00:02:12
but really it's an illusion of choice.
00:02:14
But if you don't live in America,
00:02:15
don't think that you are safe,
00:02:16
because it's likely that you are
00:02:17
within BlackRock's reach as well.
00:02:19
For example, BlackRock owns shares
00:02:21
in the four biggest Australian banks
00:02:23
and it is the single largest shareholder
00:02:26
in all of these banks.
00:02:27
In Germany,
00:02:27
they own part of Deutsche
bank, the Commerzbank,
00:02:29
as well as owning a big part
of Germany's postal system.
00:02:32
In the UK, they are the largest
shareholder in Lloyds bank
00:02:35
and throughout Europe,
there are almost no country
00:02:37
that BlackRock doesn't own shares,
00:02:38
in at least one financial
institution or bank.
00:02:41
And even here in little old Iceland,
00:02:43
from the digging we've done,
00:02:44
it seems that every single bank in Iceland
00:02:46
does some sort of business with BlackRock
00:02:48
or it invest its company's
money into BlackRock's funds.
00:02:51
So that is banking, but
there are many other ways
00:02:53
that your money finds its
way to BlackRock as well.
00:02:56
Chances are, if you've
ever done any work before,
00:02:58
you have a pension fund.
00:02:59
Pension funds could be
called 401, superannuation
00:03:02
or just a pension fund,
00:03:03
depending where in the world you live.
00:03:05
When you put your money
into pension funds,
00:03:06
your fund puts it into investments
00:03:08
to help it grow for retirement.
00:03:10
But it's probably likely
you don't have a say
00:03:12
where this money is actually going.
00:03:13
But it doesn't really matter anyway,
00:03:15
because they're all basically
investing with BlackRock.
00:03:18
In the developed world
there is a very, very,
00:03:20
very high chance that your
money in your pension fund
00:03:22
is being invested with BlackRock
00:03:25
or in a fund connected
to BlackRock in some way.
00:03:28
So, your money is finding
its way there as well.
00:03:30
And what about insurance?
00:03:31
Well, many of the largest
insurance companies,
00:03:33
such as AIG or Allianz,
are either owned in part
00:03:36
or invest with BlackRock's funds.
00:03:39
And in America, more insurance companies
00:03:40
hold their investments with BlackRock
00:03:42
than with any other company.
00:03:44
So, it doesn't really matter
00:03:45
where you're putting your money anyway,
00:03:46
because in some way, shape or form
00:03:47
your money is finding
its way to BlackRock.
00:03:50
In places like America,
it has been reported
00:03:52
that BlackRock and pension funds
are paying up to 50% higher
00:03:55
than the asking price
of single family homes,
00:03:58
in the attempt to buy as much
of the real estate market
00:04:00
as they can.
00:04:01
And in turn massively driving
up the prices of real estate
00:04:04
and lowering the chances
of the everyday person
00:04:06
like you and I, to buy those homes.
00:04:08
Media outlets like Vox,
would like you to believe
00:04:10
that the housing market problems
00:04:11
and the reason that the
average person can't buy a home
00:04:14
is nothing to do with the
fact that Wall Street banks
00:04:16
such as Goldman Sachs and BlackRock,
00:04:18
are flooding the market with money.
00:04:20
But what they don't tell
you in this article is that,
00:04:22
Vox is actually sponsored,
for a very long time,
00:04:24
by Wall Street bank, Goldman Sachs.
00:04:26
And on top of that, BlackRock
actually owns a part of Vox
00:04:28
by owning shares in the
parent company of Vox,
00:04:31
called Comcast.
00:04:32
So, who can you trust?
00:04:33
But it does get even crazier than this.
00:04:35
To really show you BlackRock's reach,
00:04:36
you don't just look
directly at what they own,
00:04:39
you also look what they
own by association.
00:04:40
BlackRock owns a stake
in many investment firms
00:04:44
and investment banks around the world.
00:04:45
Let's take Goldman Sachs, for example,
00:04:47
the one that I just mentioned.
00:04:48
This investment bank has been,
00:04:50
at least partially considered,
00:04:51
to be responsible for the
2008 financial crisis.
00:04:54
BlackRock is one of the
largest shareholders
00:04:56
in Goldman Sachs,
00:04:57
meaning that they have very
significant voting rights
00:04:59
as to where Goldman
Sachs invest its money.
00:05:01
It means by extension,
that BlackRock also owns
00:05:04
a lot more than what
appears first on paper.
00:05:06
And remember the example that I gave
00:05:07
of Goldman Sachs sponsoring Vox?
00:05:09
Well, considering that BlackRock
00:05:11
owns a part of Goldman Sachs,
00:05:12
they could also be considered
as a sponsor of Vox.
00:05:15
Want to get even crazier?
00:05:17
Okay, well, I thought you'd never ask.
00:05:18
There is this thing
called circular ownership.
00:05:20
Basically it means,
00:05:21
when two companies own
a part of one another.
00:05:24
For example, let's take
another of the world's
00:05:26
largest investment banks,
which is JP Morgan.
00:05:28
JP Morgan is owned by shareholders
00:05:30
and other large institutional investors.
00:05:32
And yes, you guessed it.
00:05:33
BlackRock owns a part of JP Morgan,
00:05:35
but JP Morgan also owns
a part of BlackRock.
00:05:38
So, they not only own
a part of each other,
00:05:40
but because they own a part of a company
00:05:42
that owns a part of them,
00:05:43
technically they kind of,
own themselves as well.
00:05:46
Confused?
00:05:47
Well, that might actually be the point.
00:05:48
In a lot of cases, business
structures like these
00:05:51
are designed in order to make it
00:05:52
a little bit more confusing
as to who owns what.
00:05:55
The problem with circular ownership,
00:05:56
is that it can cause huge
conflicts of interest
00:05:59
and allow companies to
have shadow monopolies
00:06:01
on certain sectors of business,
00:06:02
without them having a direct monopoly.
00:06:04
In fact, this type of business structure,
00:06:06
circular ownership,
00:06:07
is actually illegal in parts of the world,
00:06:09
because of how this type
of business ownership
00:06:11
can be used or exploited.
00:06:12
But what about diversity and
competition within business?
00:06:15
Well, let's take Coca-Cola for example,
00:06:17
arguably the largest drink
manufacturer in the entire world.
00:06:20
And yes, I know that you
know I'm going to already say
00:06:23
that BlackRock owns a
huge portion of Coca-Cola,
00:06:26
but what about Coke's
biggest competitor, PepsiCo?
00:06:28
They have been in drink
wars for the years,
00:06:30
constantly battling as
to which one is better.
00:06:33
So, there wouldn't be a
conflict of interest, right?
00:06:35
Oh wait, no.
00:06:36
Of course BlackRock is
one of the largest owners
00:06:38
of PepsiCo as well.
00:06:40
But what about the news?
00:06:41
I am sure that you think
that there's a huge diversity
00:06:43
in the media and the global landscape,
00:06:45
but when you look at who owns the news,
00:06:47
you might start to think about this
00:06:48
a little bit differently.
00:06:49
It doesn't really matter
00:06:50
what side of the political
spectrum that you fall on
00:06:53
or what news source that
you think is more truthful,
00:06:55
because chances are BlackRock
actually owns a portion
00:06:58
of one of these news outlets.
00:06:59
Fox news, The New York Times, CNN,
00:07:02
the ABC, NBC, the New York Post,
00:07:05
Sky News, The Sun and on and on and on.
00:07:08
And one way or another
BlackRock owns a part
00:07:10
of basically every media organization
00:07:12
or major news outlet on the planet
00:07:15
from North America to
Asia, Australia and beyond.
00:07:18
Social media as well, Twitter, Facebook,
00:07:20
which means by extension
WhatsApp and Instagram.
00:07:22
Yep, BlackRock is one
of the biggest owners
00:07:24
of these platforms as well.
00:07:26
In fact, it's estimated
that in one way or another
00:07:29
BlackRock and Vanguard,
00:07:30
which is the second largest
Asset management in the world,
00:07:33
owns part of more than 90% of the media
00:07:35
that we consume on a daily basis.
00:07:38
So based on that, is it
possible that BlackRock
00:07:40
could have significant
power in order to get
00:07:43
any messages that they
wanted to, across the world?
00:07:45
I'll let you decide that one for yourself.
00:07:47
I think by now you're
starting to get the picture.
00:07:49
And when I said at the
beginning of the video,
00:07:51
that there is a company that owns
00:07:53
a huge chunk of the planet,
00:07:54
I wasn't actually kidding.
00:07:56
Whether it is through direct ownership
00:07:58
or indirect ownership through companies
00:08:00
that they own themselves,
00:08:01
it seems that BlackRock has a finger
00:08:03
in almost every single pie
00:08:04
and there doesn't seem to be an industry
00:08:06
exempt from their management
and their control.
00:08:08
And with so much ownership,
00:08:10
BlackRock has a phenomenal
amount of power.
00:08:13
At the time of recording,
00:08:14
it has been said that BlackRock owns
00:08:16
$9 trillion worth of assets.
00:08:19
That is not 9 billion,
that is not 9 million,
00:08:21
that is 9 trillion.
00:08:23
That is a very big number
and sometimes it's impossible
00:08:25
to try to wrap your mind around that.
00:08:27
But to illustrate this
point a little bit more,
00:08:29
9 trillion is more than the GDP
00:08:31
of every single country on
the planet except for two,
00:08:34
United States and China.
00:08:35
Think about that.
00:08:36
Think about how much value a
country like Germany or Japan
00:08:39
or Russia or Canada or South Korea
00:08:41
or Australia, or the UK
producers in a single year.
00:08:45
How much these countries
and their citizens
00:08:46
spend on infrastructure, trade,
education, their military,
00:08:50
and the value of the goods and services
00:08:52
they produce in a year.
00:08:53
BlackRock holds more
in assets then the GDP
00:08:55
of every single one of these places
00:08:57
and that is some serious power.
00:08:59
And with great power comes
great responsibility,
00:09:01
so how responsible is BlackRock?
00:09:03
According to the data,
00:09:04
BlackRock is the largest
investor in fossil fuels
00:09:06
on the planet,
00:09:07
as well as the main
contributor to money flowing
00:09:09
into the destruction of the
planets forest and ecosystems,
00:09:13
including deforestation in the Amazon.
00:09:15
There is so much more that I
could talk about BlackRock,
00:09:17
I could talk about how
they have been accused of
00:09:19
abuse of human rights
towards the indigenous
00:09:22
around the world.
00:09:22
I could tell you that even if
your bank or your pension fund
00:09:25
doesn't directly fund BlackRock,
00:09:27
they most likely still have access
00:09:29
to your private information,
00:09:30
because of their own
financial management system
00:09:33
called Aladdin.
00:09:33
And I could tell you that
BlackRock's main competitors
00:09:36
such as, Vanguard and others,
00:09:38
are also just as worrying
towards the state of the world.
00:09:41
Now, if any of this stuff
scares you, it kind of should.
00:09:44
Companies with this much power,
00:09:45
can single-handedly sway the
economic future of our world.
00:09:48
But here is the worst part,
00:09:50
is that it is your fault
00:09:52
that these companies have this much power.
00:09:53
It is all of our fault.
00:09:55
It's our money flowing from our banks,
00:09:56
our pension funds, our investments,
00:09:58
that are going directly
to these companies.
00:10:00
We might say that we don't
want the Amazon to be destroyed
00:10:02
or that we don't want our
planet to be degraded,
00:10:04
but everything comes down to
where the money is flowing.
00:10:07
They couldn't do this,
00:10:08
they couldn't do any of this without us,
00:10:10
because without us,
00:10:11
they wouldn't have the financial strength
00:10:12
to dip into almost every single
industry in the entire world
00:10:15
and dictate it according to
exactly how they want it to be.
00:10:18
But there is something
that we can do about this
00:10:20
and I'll share this in a moment
in part two of the video,
00:10:23
called "The solution."
00:10:24
(soft gentle music)
00:10:28
Hi, my name is Sorelle
00:10:29
and welcome to this finance
and freedom channel.
00:10:31
If any of this information
00:10:32
is a little bit concerning to you,
00:10:34
please make sure you like, comment
00:10:35
and share this video around,
00:10:36
so more people can be aware of this.
00:10:38
The power of social media
is incredible these days,
00:10:41
in order to make change in the world.
00:10:42
Just to let you know,
00:10:43
we've also recently launched a membership
00:10:45
to help you become as free of
a global citizen as possible
00:10:48
and there is 20% off now
for a very limited time,
00:10:51
when you use YouTube at checkout.
00:10:53
Finally, subscribe to our newsletter
00:10:55
that people are raving about,
00:10:56
because there's a lot of
other financial stories
00:10:58
like this one, that you get to learn from
00:11:00
and enjoy at the same time.
00:11:02
Link in bio for that.
00:11:04
Part two, the solution.
00:11:08
There is a solution and thankfully
00:11:11
it's a lot easier to handle
than the problem itself.
00:11:13
And the solution is just
to follow the money.
00:11:15
When you deposit your money into a bank
00:11:18
or you put it into a pension fund,
00:11:19
that pension fund or the bank,
00:11:21
uses that money in order
to make investments.
00:11:23
This is how a lot of these
banks and institutions
00:11:25
make a ton of their cash.
00:11:27
The sad part is that most
people have absolutely no idea
00:11:30
how their money is actually being used
00:11:31
within their banking
or their pension funds
00:11:33
and they do not know what these
institutions are supporting
00:11:36
with their dollar.
00:11:37
So, follow the money of what your bank,
00:11:39
financial institution or insurance company
00:11:41
is doing with the money.
00:11:43
And if you don't like what they're doing,
00:11:44
simply pull out that cash
00:11:45
and invest it into a small credit union
00:11:47
or a local banking alternative.
00:11:49
Also, it's not just focusing
on where that money,
00:11:51
from your institutions is being invested,
00:11:53
but who actually owns
these institutions such as,
00:11:56
the insurance companies or the
banks or the pension funds.
00:11:59
If you don't like where the
money trail is leading to,
00:12:01
find a different bank to do business with.
00:12:03
All of this information should be public
00:12:05
and if it is not just get
in touch with your bank
00:12:07
and find out this information.
00:12:08
When you hear a media
outlet telling you something
00:12:10
about the financial state of the world,
00:12:12
just follow the money to see
who is actually sponsoring
00:12:15
this news article, this information,
00:12:17
because maybe there's
someone behind there,
00:12:19
that has a specific interest in mind
00:12:20
to make you believe a certain thing
00:12:22
about the financial state of the world.
00:12:23
And follow the money when you're making
00:12:25
any type of investments at all,
00:12:26
stocks, property, whatever it might be
00:12:28
and find out what that money
is actually supporting,
00:12:31
find out what kind of damage
that money might be doing.
00:12:33
Unfortunately, there will be cases
00:12:34
where it will be impossible for you
00:12:36
to stop the money flowing to
BlackRock or similar companies.
00:12:39
For example, the government of Singapore
00:12:41
is one of the largest
shareholders of BlackRock
00:12:44
via their investment
arm, Temasek Holdings.
00:12:47
Meaning that if you're a Singaporean,
00:12:48
it's almost impossible for
you to decouple yourself
00:12:51
from links to BlackRock.
00:12:52
Here in Iceland,
00:12:53
I don't seem to have
much of a choice as well,
00:12:55
because the three, only
three banks in this country
00:12:57
all seem to have some sort
of linkage to BlackRock.
00:13:00
The great news is though, that
you don't have to, these days
00:13:02
stick to traditional banking systems.
00:13:05
There are a ton of online
banks, digital-only banks
00:13:07
that might be available
in your own country.
00:13:10
Again, you do have to
do your research though,
00:13:11
because there could be some
online, digital-only banks
00:13:14
that are have some sort of linkages
00:13:16
back to these enormous companies.
00:13:17
And in some places like Australia,
00:13:19
there might be some alternatives
for you to do banking with
00:13:21
such as, small credit unions
00:13:23
or the bank of Australia that don't engage
00:13:25
in any destructive
environmental practices.
00:13:28
Follow the money and
vote with your dollar.
00:13:30
And I don't mean just
how you spend your money
00:13:32
on an everyday basis,
00:13:33
but also where it is that
you're putting your money into,
00:13:35
what kind of foundations or funds
00:13:37
you're putting your money into,
00:13:38
which might be supporting
these large behemoths
00:13:41
that are controlling our world
and destroying our planet.
00:13:43
None of us can really ever have
00:13:45
zero negative impact on the planet
00:13:46
and there will always
be somebody at the top,
00:13:48
but when you do follow the money
00:13:50
and you choose not to stay ignorant
00:13:52
as to where your money is flowing,
00:13:53
you can actually make
a significant change.
00:13:55
Remember that we are the masses
00:13:56
and if all of us make a small
effort, this tiny effort
00:13:59
of just checking where
the money is flowing,
00:14:01
we can make huge
differences on this world.
00:14:09
Thank you so much for watching this video
00:14:11
up until this point.
00:14:12
I know it's super heavy sometimes
00:14:14
and it is not a pleasant
thing to be faced off with.
00:14:16
And sometimes it feels
like no matter what you do,
00:14:19
you can't seem to break through
and improve the society,
00:14:21
but we can, we absolutely can.
00:14:23
So keep at it, keep making
your micro small steps
00:14:26
and vote with your dollar very carefully.
00:14:28
I would love it if you could like, comment
00:14:30
and share this with more people,
00:14:31
so that more of us can
take the micro actions
00:14:33
that are gonna improve
our world so much more.
00:14:35
Also don't forget, there
is 20% off right now
00:14:37
to join our private membership,
00:14:39
on all things finance and freedom,
00:14:40
to ensure that you are as
free of a global citizen
00:14:43
as possible.
00:14:44
We believe that prosperity
is absolutely a human right.
00:14:47
And also check out that newsletter
00:14:48
that everybody's raving about.
00:14:49
Link in bio and I'll
see you in the next one.
