📝 Editor's Note · 2026-07-17 · by David Chen

Bought $2,000 more VTI at $279.14 on the July 15 dip — 3rd tranche of the year

S&P dropped 2.1% on July 15 after the CPI print came in hot. I have a standing rule since 2020: if VTI closes down ≥2% on a single day, I move $2,000 from my HYSA (currently at Marcus, 4.30% APY) into VTI at the next open. Filled at $279.14 on July 16 pre-market. Third time I've triggered this rule in 2026.

This is not stock-picking, it's rules-based DCA-on-red-days. I still make my normal monthly $1,500 auto-buy — this is on top. The point isn't to catch the bottom (my July 15 buys have never been the actual bottom). The point is to have a written rule so I don't sit paralyzed staring at Bloomberg. I keep the rule in a sticky note under my monitor.