Blake Alewelt

Blake Alewelt Helping everyday heroes take control of their finances, grow wealth, and make confident real estate moves.

I'm your Money Copilot—guiding veterans, first responders, and hard workers on their journey to financial freedom.

09/05/2026

Day 131 of Investing Every Trading Day, And Today Gave Us Another Chance to Buy the Dip

Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $20,935.65 as we continue working toward our next goal of $30,000.

Today’s market pullback came after a much stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report.

The economy added 162,000 jobs in August, while unemployment remained at 4.1%. That stronger labor market caused investors to increase their expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates at its September meeting.

Markets are now pricing in roughly a 62–65% chance of a rate hike, compared with lower odds before the jobs report. Treasury yields also climbed as investors adjusted to the possibility of higher interest rates.

If Fed Chair Kevin Warsh ultimately decides to hold rates steady, we could see some of that uncertainty ease.

If rates do go up, we could see more stock market volatility, which for our strategy could mean additional opportunities to buy VTI at lower prices.

Either way, our plan stays the same:
- If the market rises, our existing investments grow
- If it falls, we buy the dip

Want to Join the Investing Challenge?
I made a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and begin investing in index funds like VTI.

Watch that video next, follow our road to $30,000, and since the stock market is closed Monday for Labor Day, I’ll see you Tuesday for Day 132!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

09/04/2026

Day 130 of Investing Every Trading Day And We’re Already at $20,801.82!

After officially passing our $20,000 milestone, we’re now working toward our next investing goal of $30,000.

In this challenge, we’re investing in VTI, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF, using a strategy called Averaging Down.

The strategy is simple:
1. Invest a base amount at the beginning of every trading day
2. If VTI dips during the day, invest more before the market closes

This combines two popular long-term investing strategies:
Dollar-Cost Averaging + Buying the Dip

Instead of trying to predict exactly when the stock market will bottom, we stay consistently invested while using red days as opportunities to buy additional shares at lower prices.

The goal is to gradually lower our average cost per share.

Then, when VTI eventually has a strong green day like today, those shares we purchased during previous market dips have more room to participate in the rebound.

That’s exactly what we’re testing throughout this investing challenge:
Can Averaging Down outperform traditional Dollar-Cost Averaging over the long run?

💰 Want to Invest Alongside Us?
I made a complete step-by-step tutorial showing how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and begin investing in index funds and ETFs like VTI.

👉 Watch that video next, subscribe to follow our journey toward $30,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 131!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

09/03/2026

Day 129 of Investing Every Trading Day, And the Stock Market Finally Broke Its Losing Streak!

Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $20,481.54 as we continue working toward our next major goal of $30,000.

After three straight losing sessions, the stock market bounced back today as Treasury yields eased slightly from their recent highs.

Unfortunately, the geopolitical situation remains extremely uncertain.

The United States completed another wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, and Iran retaliated against U.S. assets in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq. Oil prices also remained elevated as investors continued watching the conflict and the Strait of Hormuz.

That means we could continue seeing major swings in the stock market.

For our Averaging Down strategy, that volatility can create opportunity:
1. Invest every trading day
2. Invest more whenever VTI dips, potentially lower our average cost per share

We don’t know whether the market will rally tomorrow or fall again. But our plan stays the same.

If stocks rise, our existing investments participate in the gains. If stocks fall, we get another opportunity to buy shares at lower prices.

Want to Join the Investing Challenge?
You don’t necessarily need to use a taxable brokerage account.

You can also invest through a Roth IRA, where qualified growth and withdrawals can potentially be tax-free in retirement. Just remember that Roth IRAs have annual contribution limits and eligibility rules.

👉 I made a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Roth IRA in Fidelity and begin investing.

https://youtu.be/4T4s7RNo6iM

Watch that video next, subscribe to follow our road to $30,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 130!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

09/02/2026

Day 128 of Investing Every Trading Day, And The Middle East is Putting More Pressure on the Stock Market!!! 😡

Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $20,288.81 as we continue working toward our next goal of $30,000.

Renewed military strikes on Iran and US military bases pushed oil prices higher, while government bonds sold off and Treasury yields climbed. Wall Street also finished lower, with the Nasdaq falling more than 1% as investors reacted to higher borrowing costs and renewed inflation concerns.

So why should everyday investors care about Treasury yields?
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield is one of the most important interest-rate benchmarks in the economy.

When Treasury yields rise, borrowing costs can also move higher across areas like:
1. Mortgage rates
2. Auto loans
3. Business financing

The 10-year Treasury yield has now reached its highest level since early 2025, as investors worry that higher oil prices could keep inflation elevated and force the Federal Reserve to maintain tighter monetary policy.

Higher Treasury yields can also create competition for stocks.
If us investors can earn more from relatively lower-risk government bonds, expensive stocks, especially growth and technology companies, may become less attractive by comparison.

For our Averaging Down strategy, though, market volatility can create opportunity:
- Invest every trading day
- Invest more whenever VTI dips
- Potentially lower our average cost per share

If the market rebounds, our existing investments participate in the recovery. If prices continue falling, we get another opportunity to buy shares at lower prices.

If you want to invest alongside us, I made a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and begin investing in index funds like VTI.

👉 Watch that video next, follow the road to $30,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 129!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

09/01/2026

Day 127 of Investing Every Trading Day, And We’re Starting the Road to $30,000!

After officially crossing $20,000 last week, our VTI investing challenge is now worth $20,248.79 as we begin working toward our next major goal of $30,000.

Today was a rougher day for the stock market.
Renewed tensions between the United States and Iran pushed stocks lower after U.S. forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later responded by launching missiles toward U.S. military bases in Jordan.

The uncertainty also sent oil prices sharply higher.
Brent crude climbed about 2.7% to $90.49 per barrel, while U.S. crude rose roughly 2.8% to $85.76. Higher energy prices can add to inflation concerns and create more pressure for both stocks and interest rates.

The Dow finished down approximately 0.70%, the S&P 500 fell 0.33%, and the Nasdaq declined 0.12%. Even with today’s losses, all three major indexes still finished August with gains.

And this is an important reminder about long-term investing:
Even with all the negative headlines, geopolitical uncertainty, interest-rate concerns, and market volatility we’ve experienced this year, VTI is still up approximately 12.79% year to date.

That’s a return I would happily take in a normal year.

We’re continuing to use the Averaging Down strategy:
1. Invest every trading day
2. Invest more whenever VTI dips

If the market rises, our existing investments grow.
If it falls, we get another opportunity to buy shares at lower prices and potentially lower our average cost per share.

Want to invest alongside us?
I created a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and start investing in index funds like VTI.

👉 Watch that video next, follow our road to $30,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 128!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

08/29/2026

Day 126 of this Investment Challenge, and We Officially Passed $20,000!

Our VTI investing challenge has officially reached $20,113.28.

That means we’ve now crossed our second major portfolio milestone:
1. $10,000 - Day 64
2. $20,000 - Day 126
3. Next Goal: $30,000

In this challenge, we’re investing in VTI, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF, using an Averaging Down strategy.

The idea is simple:
1. Invest consistently every trading day
2. Invest more whenever VTI dips

It combines Dollar-Cost Averaging with Buying the Dip, allowing us to stay invested while taking advantage of lower prices when the stock market pulls back.

The goal isn’t to perfectly predict what the market will do next.

It’s to consistently build the portfolio through good markets, bad markets, rallies, corrections, and everything in between.

And now, 126 trading days later, we’ve officially crossed $20,000!!!!

Want to Invest Alongside Us?
I made a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and begin investing in index funds like VTI.

👉 Head to the YT channel to Watch that video next, follow the road to $30,000, and I’ll see you Monday for Day 127!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

#20000

08/28/2026

Day 125 of Investing Every Trading Day, And We’re Only $19 Away From Our Next Goal!
Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $19,980.79, putting us incredibly close to our next major goal of $20,000.

Today was a strong day for the stock market, especially technology stocks.
The Nasdaq gained 1.36%, helped by strong earnings and forecasts from companies including Nvidia, CrowdStrike, and Salesforce. Nvidia surged after projecting roughly 70% revenue growth for the coming fiscal year, while CrowdStrike and Salesforce also moved higher after positive outlooks.

Since we’re investing in VTI, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF, those large technology companies can help move the fund higher because VTI is weighted by market capitalization.

Tomorrow could bring even more volatility.
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is set to speak at the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, and investors will be listening closely for clues about future interest-rate policy.

Right now, markets are pricing in roughly a 64% chance that rates remain unchanged in September, with about a 36% chance of a rate hike.

If Warsh signals that rates may stay higher for longer, or hints at a future hike or cut, we could see stocks, bonds, and mortgage rates react quickly.

And for our strategy, either direction works:
- If VTI rises, our existing investments grow
- If VTI falls, we get another opportunity to buy the dip

Want to Invest Alongside Us?
I made a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and begin investing in index funds like VTI.

Watch that video next, follow to see when we break $20,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 126!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

08/27/2026

Day 124 of Stock Market Investing And We’re Only About $250 Away From $20,000!
Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $19,755.33, putting us incredibly close to our next major goal of $20,000.

We’re using the Averaging down strategy:
- Invest at the beginning of every trading day
- Invest again if VTI dips during the day

The goal is to stay consistently invested while using market pullbacks to potentially lower our average cost per share over time.

Several major technology companies reported earnings after the stock market closed, including Nvidia, CrowdStrike, and Salesforce.

Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected revenue and earnings while raising its outlook for the next quarter. CrowdStrike also beat expectations and raised its annual revenue forecast, sending its shares sharply higher after hours. Salesforce jumped even more after raising its full-year revenue guidance as demand for its AI and data products continued growing.

Why does that matter for us?
We’re investing in VTI, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF, which holds thousands of U.S. companies: including Nvidia, CrowdStrike, and Salesforce.

Because VTI is weighted by market capitalization, moves in large companies like Nvidia can have an outsized impact on the fund compared with smaller holdings.

After-hours index futures also moved higher following the earnings releases, so tomorrow morning we’ll find out whether that momentum is enough to finally push this challenge above $20,000.

Want to Invest Alongside Us?
I created a step-by-step tutorial showing exactly how to open a Fidelity brokerage account and start investing in index funds like VTI.

https://youtu.be/YSQXzMq6-Q0

Watch that video next, subscribe to see if we finally cross $20,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 125!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

08/26/2026

Day 123 of Investing Every Trading Day, And We’re Almost at $20,000!

Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $19,551.48, putting us just a few hundred dollars away from our next goal of $20,000.

In this challenge, we’re using a strategy called Averaging Down:
- Invest at the beginning of every trading day
- Invest again if VTI dips during the day

The goal is to lower our average cost per share over time and potentially increase our gains when the market moves higher.

Right now, we’re investing around $3,000 per month, and one of the most common questions we’ve been getting is:

"How are we able to invest that much?"

A huge part of it came from finally getting serious about our budget.
Last year, I started using Monarch to connect our accounts and actually see where our money was going.

One of the biggest surprises?
We were spending more than $1,700 per month eating out.

Once we could clearly see the problem, we started cutting that spending back and redirecting more of our income toward investing and long-term financial goals.

Today, we’re able to invest close to 50% of our income during stronger cash-flow months.

That’s why budgeting isn’t just about spending less. It’s about deciding where you want your money to go.

If you’ve been trying to save more money, start investing, build a budget, or find extra money in your monthly expenses, I made a complete step-by-step video showing how we use Monarch Money to manage our budget.

👉 Watch that video next, follow to see if we finally cross $20,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 124!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

08/25/2026

Day 122 of Investing Every Trading Day, And We’re Just Days Away From $20,000!
Our VTI investing challenge is now worth $19,396.10.

Short-term stock market volatility can feel frustrating, but when we zoom out, VTI has still gained approximately 3.39% over the last 30 days.

Today brought another wave of uncertainty.
Semiconductor and chip stocks came under pressure after reports that Nvidia may raise prices on some AI servers, adding more concern around the already expensive artificial intelligence trade.

At the same time, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced an expanded sanctions campaign against Iran, targeting dozens of individuals, businesses, vessels and additional areas of Iran’s economy. The U.S. also warned countries and companies maintaining economic ties with Iran that they could eventually face secondary sanctions.

Trade tensions are also heating up between the United States and Canada after the U.S. imposed new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods and Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs.

That sounds like a lot of bad news.... But for a long-term investor, volatility can also create opportunity.

Our Averaging Down strategy combines:
1. Dollar-Cost Averaging - consistently investing
2. Buying the Dip - investing more when VTI falls

If prices decline, we get an opportunity to buy more shares at lower prices and potentially lower our average cost per share.

The long-term question remains:
Can Averaging Down outperform traditional Dollar-Cost Averaging?

Want to Start Investing but Don’t Know What to Buy?
I made a video breaking down several different types of index funds and ETFs you can research for a long-term investment portfolio.

Watch that video next, follow to see when we break $20,000, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 123!

Blake Alewelt
Shieldline Financial and Bravo Ridge Group at eXp Realty
[email protected]
https://www.shieldlinefinancial.com/
West Des Moines, IA
Licensed to Sell Real Estate in Iowa

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5550 Wild Rose Lane #400
West Des Moines, IA
50266

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