[kelnos]

Willful ignorance is not an excuse. If you buy into an ETF, you are delegating responsibility to the people who run the ETF (or the people who maintain the index that the ETF tracks), and you've decided you're ok with that, and are ok with whatever companies are in the index/ETF.

You can always decide to pick an ETF that doesn't invest in the companies you don't like, or invest in individual stocks if you have the time and stomach for it.

[dragontamer]

I'm not saying I like this turn of events.

I'm saying it's how the world works. The majority of pension funds (public or private) and 401k plans are simply passive index funds with nearly no direct voting rights (and at best very limited, indirect voting rights).

[andsoitis]

> The majority of pension funds (public or private) and 401k plans are simply passive index funds

That’s completely wrong.

Most 401k plans have by far more active fund options than passive fund options. Notwithstanding, more and more dollars are tilting towards the passive index funds, i.e. through consumer choice.

Where do you get your information from?

[dragontamer]

You do realize that passive funds have more money than active funds today, right?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/passive-etfs-hit-tipping-poin...

Sometime last year, passive funds overtook active funds.

[andsoitis]

Re-read what I wrote.

[dragontamer]

Reread what I wrote.

More money is in passive now than active. On a dollar basis, there are fewer votes purchased dollar for dollar.

Even then, active funds don't always offer proxy vote services so I'm not sure wtf active has to do with my original point: that investors today don't seem to give a rats ass about the vote.