Will I love The Little Book of Common Sense Investing?

Bogle’s philosophy is simple yet powerful: focus on the long term, keep costs low, and let compounding do the heavy lifting. I’ve always believed that great investing is about avoiding unnecessary risks and staying disciplined, and Bogle’s book distills that wisdom better than anyone else.

While I take a different approach than pure indexing, his principles of cost efficiency and long-term thinking are universal. Every investor—whether a stock picker or a passive indexer—should read this book at least once.

I loved how this “Little Book" gets right to the point and explains why every investor should include low-cost index ETFs in their portfolios. This is a great guide for beginners and old hands alike. It is a book devoted to simplicity.

I loved Bogle’s “Cost Matters Hypothesis” which is simpler and more relevant than the also important “Efficient Markets Hypothesis” that is taught in Finance 101 classes. 

I felt this book empowered me to take control of my financial life. It’s a book I always recommend to people who are looking to improve their financial lives. I learned a… show more.

The late Jack Bogle, founder of Vanguard, was one of the pioneers of the investment industry.

Unlike many of his peers, Jack placed the interests of investors ahead of everyone else, including himself and his firm. This little book encapsulates one of the core tenets he instilled into his firm and in the industry – low cost index investing is an attractive way for the average investor to invest. The book provides compelling support for his argument. 

Bogle is a legend. He’s the guy who founded Vanguard investments. He’s the guy who brought index investing to the masses. He’s the guy I interviewed extensively for my book on indexing. He’s the guy who over many decades has helped small investors save billions in management fees with his introduction of low-cost passively managed (index) funds. John “Jack” Bogle has written half a dozen books, and his overall message is crystal clear: Successful investing means avoiding speculation, and avoiding high-cost speculators who want to gamble with your money. Start by reading this short book, and you may want… show more.

You probably know that Jack Bogle is the father of the index fund industry and here’s an opportunity to hear why he thinks index funds are the best way to invest in the market. I agree completely and like Bogle, I love to provide evidence that the market is so hard to beat, only a fraction of the active fund and investment managers do it consistently. So why take the chance? Read this and hear it from the master.

John Bogle is the man who invented index investing. He understood that a low-cost investment in the index representing the top 40, 100, or 500 companies listed on a stock market would outperform stock picking, timing the market, broker recommendations, and fund manager picks – which all come with their attendant costs. 

The author, the father of index investing, outlines the most effective approach to building wealth in the long run: buy an exchange-traded fund with low acquisition and management costs and which tracks an index such as Dow Jones average or S&P 500 and hold it “forever”. 

The approach has stood the test of time.