BlackRock Disclaimer

Intro

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Post Show Musings

Outro

Larry Fink is one of the most influential people on the planet. His firm BlackRock mints money. Billions of dollars a year. Their risk management platform handles more than $10 trillion a year. He helped guide the country out of the financial crisis in 2009 and positioned his company to grow unfettered by the very regulatory authorities he advised at the time. He’s by all accounts funny, affable, competitive and compassionate. BlackRock is at the center of a storm in conservative media for pushing companies too hard toward sustainability. That he’s too “woke.” Liberals think he’s behind the housing crisis. Conspiracy theorists believe he’s in the pocket of the Chinese government. The real story of BlackRock is bigger, more mundane and just as terrifying. 

Visit the episode's accompanying site page.

Chapters

BlackRock Disclaimer: 00:00:05

Intro: 00:02:24

Chapter One: Bank or no bank? You decide. 00:05:31

Chapter Two: Birth of a giant. 00:13:12

Chapter Three: Just how big is BlackRock? 00:24:20

Chapter Four: The ESG Hullabaloo. 00:31:46

Chapter Five: Bring it home, Max. 00:40:11

Post Show Musings: 00:50:48

Outro: 01:09:20

Resources

Vanity Fair: Larry Fink’s $12 Trillion Shadow

BlackRock: 2021 Annual Report

Policy Tensor: Seeing Like BlackRock

Insider: Here are 9 fascinating facts to know about BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager

Bloomberg: Biden Ties to BlackRock Deepen With Latest Treasury Hire

Wall Street Journal: One Firm Getting What It Wants in Washington: BlackRock

OpenSecrets: BlackRock Inc

Office of Financial Research: Asset Management and Financial Stability, September 2013

Bloomberg: In Fink We Trust: BlackRock Is Now ‘Fourth Branch of Government’

BlackRock: Sustainable investing at BlackRock

Banking On Climate Change: The Worst Banks Since the Paris Agreement

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: BlackRock Tells Oil Regulator: Ignore Our CEO’s Climate Pledges

Florida State Board of Administration: August 23, 2022 Meeting

Politico: Wall Street opens its checkbook for Ron DeSantis

Sierra Club: Maine becomes the first state to pass law to divest from fossil fuels

Morgan Stanley Institute For Sustainable Investing: Sustainable Reality

BlackRock: BlackRock and housing: Setting the record straight

The Atlantic: BlackRock Is Not Ruining the U.S. Housing Market

Securities and Exchange Commission: Sallie Mae Proxy Statement

Pensions & Investments: Nestle moves pension assets to BlackRock as it reorganizes internal management unit

CNN Business: Nestle SA

Investopedia: The Top 5 British Petroleum (BP) Shareholders

CNN Business: Walmart Inc

Fintel: BlackRock Inc. ownership in MCD / Mcdonald's Corp

Bloomberg Markets and Finance: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink on Inflation, ESG Investing

UNFTR Episode Resources

Student Debt.

The Problem with Conscious Capitalism.

Book Love

David Carey and John E. Morris: King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone

--

If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com.

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Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com.

Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.

Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.

Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations.

Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility.

Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written by BlackRock. Or is it Blackstone? And hosted by Blackstone. Or is it BlackRock?

Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

Larry Fink is one of the most influential people on the planet. His firm BlackRock mints money. Billions of dollars a year. Their risk management platform handles more than $10 trillion a year. He helped guide the country out of the financial crisis in 2009 and positioned his company to grow unfettered by the very regulatory authorities he advised at the time. He’s by all accounts funny, affable, competitive and compassionate. BlackRock is at the center of a storm in conservative media for pushing companies too hard toward sustainability. That he’s too “woke.” Liberals think he’s behind the housing crisis. Conspiracy theorists believe he’s in the pocket of the Chinese government. The real story of BlackRock is bigger, more mundane and just as terrifying. 
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr74">Visit the episode's accompanying site page.</a>
Chapters
BlackRock Disclaimer: 00:00:05
Intro: 00:02:24
Chapter One: Bank or no bank? You decide. 00:05:31
Chapter Two: Birth of a giant. 00:13:12
Chapter Three: Just how big is BlackRock? 00:24:20
Chapter Four: The ESG Hullabaloo. 00:31:46
Chapter Five: Bring it home, Max. 00:40:11
Post Show Musings: 00:50:48
Outro: 01:09:20
Resources
Vanity Fair: <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2010/04/fink-201004">Larry Fink’s $12 Trillion Shadow</a>
BlackRock: <a href="https://s24.q4cdn.com/856567660/files/doc_financials/2021/ar/online/pdfs/BlackRock_2021_AR_Complete_040822.pdf">2021 Annual Report</a>
Policy Tensor: <a href="https://policytensor.substack.com/p/seeing-like-blackrock?utm_source=url">Seeing Like BlackRock</a>
Insider: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-to-know-about-blackrock-larry-fink-biden-cabinet-facts-2020-12">Here are 9 fascinating facts to know about BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager</a>
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-11/biden-ties-to-blackrock-deepen-with-latest-treasury-hire?leadSource=uverify%20wall">Biden Ties to BlackRock Deepen With Latest Treasury Hire</a>
Wall Street Journal: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-firm-getting-what-it-wants-in-washington-blackrock-1461162812">One Firm Getting What It Wants in Washington: BlackRock</a>
OpenSecrets: <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/blackrock-inc/summary?id=D000021872">BlackRock Inc</a>
Office of Financial Research: <a href="https://www.financialresearch.gov/reports/files/ofr_asset_management_and_financial_stability.pdf">Asset Management and Financial Stability, September 2013</a>
Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-21/how-larry-fink-s-blackrock-is-helping-the-fed-with-bond-buying?leadSource=uverify%20wall">In Fink We Trust: BlackRock Is Now ‘Fourth Branch of Government’</a>
BlackRock: <a href="https://www.blackrock.com/ch/individual/en/themes/sustainable-investing">Sustainable investing at BlackRock</a>
Banking On Climate Change: <a href="https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/#data-panel">The Worst Banks Since the Paris Agreement</a>
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism: <a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2022-03-09/blackrock-tells-oil-regulator-ignore-our-ceos-climate-pledges">BlackRock Tells Oil Regulator: Ignore Our CEO’s Climate Pledges</a>
Florida State Board of Administration: <a href="https://www.sbafla.com/fsb/Portals/FSB/Content/Trustees/2022/FINAL%20Combined%20Cabinet%20Materials_August%2023,%202022.pdf">August 23, 2022 Meeting</a>
Politico: <a href="https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-money/2022/08/23/wall-street-opens-its-checkbook-for-ron-desantis-00053214">Wall Street opens its checkbook for Ron DeSantis</a>
Sierra Club: <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/maine/blog/2021/06/maine-becomes-first-state-pass-law-divest-fossil-fuels">Maine becomes the first state to pass law to divest from fossil fuels</a>
Morgan Stanley Institute For Sustainable Investing: <a href="https://www.morganstanley.com/content/dam/msdotcom/ideas/sustainable-investing-offers-financial-performance-lowered-risk/Sustainable_Reality_Analyzing_Risk_and_Returns_of_Sustainable_Funds.pdf">Sustainable Reality</a>
BlackRock: <a href="https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/insights/buying-houses-facts">BlackRock and housing: Setting the record straight</a>
The Atlantic: <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/06/blackrock-ruining-us-housing-market/619224/">BlackRock Is Not Ruining the U.S. Housing Market</a>
Securities and Exchange Commission: <a href="https://www.salliemae.com/content/dam/slm/writtencontent/Reports/investors/SLM-2022-Proxy-Statement-4-28-22.pdf">Sallie Mae Proxy Statement</a>
Pensions &amp; Investments: <a href="https://www.pionline.com/article/20170525/ONLINE/170529926/nestle-moves-pension-assets-to-blackrock-as-it-reorganizes-internal-management-unit">Nestle moves pension assets to BlackRock as it reorganizes internal management unit</a>
CNN Business: <a href="https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=NSRGY&amp;subView=institutional">Nestle SA</a>
Investopedia: <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/insights/062016/top-5-british-petroleum-shareholders-bp.asp">The Top 5 British Petroleum (BP) Shareholders</a>
CNN Business: <a href="https://money.cnn.com/quote/shareholders/shareholders.html?symb=WMT&amp;subView=institutional">Walmart Inc</a>
Fintel: <a href="https://fintel.io/so/us/mcd/blackrock">BlackRock Inc. ownership in MCD / Mcdonald's Corp</a>
Bloomberg Markets and Finance: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnNbZmE3beA">BlackRock CEO Larry Fink on Inflation, ESG Investing</a>
UNFTR Episode Resources
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr60">Student Debt.</a>
<a href="https://www.unftr.com/episodes/unftr22">The Problem with Conscious Capitalism.</a>
Book Love
David Carey and John E. Morris: <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/23377/9780307886026">King of Capital: The Remarkable Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Steve Schwarzman and Blackstone</a>
--
If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://unftr.com/rate">unftr.com/rate</a> and follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unfucking-The-Republic-102319714930389">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/unftrpod">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/unftrpod/">Instagram</a> at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/">unftr.com</a>.
Join the Unf*cker-run Facebook group: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565">facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565</a>
Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at <a href="https://shop.unftr.com/">shop.unftr.com</a>.
Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at <a href="https://unftr.substack.com/">unftr.substack.com</a> to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week.
Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PpzNXBub9FLngMradJByC?si=abaed3d396504fae">spoti.fi/3yzIlUP.</a>
Visit our bookshop.org page at <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod">bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod</a> to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at<a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations"> bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations</a>.
Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at <a href="https://www.unftr.com/accessibility">unftr.com/accessibility</a>.
Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (<a href="https://www.mannyfacesmedia.com">mannyfacesmedia.com</a>). Original music is by Tom McGovern (<a href="http://www.tommcgovern.com/">tommcgovern.com</a>). The show is written by BlackRock. Or is it Blackstone? And hosted by Blackstone. Or is it BlackRock?
Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 

Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 

As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 

Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

Unf*cking The Republic® (UNFTR) is a series of audio essays on the grand American experiment lovingly curated and presented by a quasi-anonymous political writer. 
Each essay reflects on a singular topic that is generally misunderstood or purposely obfuscated by the so-called “powers that be.” As we know, history is written by the victors and can be perilously manufactured to favor destructive world views. These views become intractably ingrained in the public consciousness and pervert public policy, oftentimes with horrific results. 
As of this podcast’s founding, we find ourselves living in a true kakistocracy. The disconnect between what we believe and what is actually happening below the surface or in plain sight is where this podcast lives. 
Together we’ll upend conventional wisdom, blow up narratives on the left, right and center and use magical devices like facts, logic and reason to explain how exactly we arrived in bizarro America, the funhouse mirror version of what was originally intended. #UNFTR

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