So Berkshire Hathaway quietly exited its S&P 500 ETF positions last year, and now everyone's asking if this is some kind of warning sign. I get why people are reading into it, but I think the market's overreacting here.

Let's be clear about what happened: Berkshire sold out of VOO and SPY in 2025. That's notable because Warren Buffett has been recommending the S&P 500 to average investors for literally decades. The move definitely caught people's attention, especially with all the talk about valuations being stretched right now.

But here's the thing that most investors are missing. Just because Berkshire made a move doesn't mean it applies to you and me. Buffett himself has always said that what works for Berkshire might not work for everyone else. The company has entire teams doing deep research, analyzing risk profiles, and making tactical calls. That's their job. For most of us, that's not realistic or even necessary.

I see this as a classic "do as I say, not as I do" situation. Buffett's advice about the warren buffett etf strategy hasn't changed, and honestly it shouldn't. The S&P 500 remains one of the most straightforward ways to build wealth over time. You get instant diversification, exposure to blue chip companies, and you're paying basically nothing in fees at 0.03%. That's the setup.

Yes, the index is trading at elevated valuations compared to historical averages. But that's not a reason to bail out completely. If anything, this is when dollar-cost averaging becomes your best friend. You just keep investing consistently regardless of where the market is trading. Set an amount, stick to a schedule, and let time do the work.

I'm honestly planning to keep adding to my VOO position throughout 2026, no matter what Berkshire does or what the headlines say. My timeline is long enough that short-term volatility doesn't scare me. The warren buffett etf playbook has delivered around 12.7% average annual returns since 2010. That's real money over decades.

The bigger picture here is that the S&P 500 doesn't require you to be smarter than the market. You just need patience and consistency. Yeah, there will be corrections and down years. That's part of the deal. But the overall direction has historically been up, and if you've got time on your side, that's what matters.

So don't let Berkshire's move shake your conviction on this one. Different investors have different situations and different goals. For most people building long-term wealth, the warren buffett etf approach still makes sense in 2026.