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The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
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The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing is a slightly irreverent, straightforward guide to investing for everyone. The book offers sound, practical advice, no matter what your age or net worth. Bottomline, become a Boglehead and prosper! Originally just the chat-line ruminations of Boglehead founder Taylor Larimore, and Morningstar forum leading cohorts Mel Lindauer and Michael
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Hardcover, 307 pages
Published
January 1st 2006
by John Wiley & Sons
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

May 20, 2012
Chad Warner
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
investors
Shelves:
finance,
non-fiction
A Boglehead is an investor who follows the philosophy of Vanguard founder John Bogle. This book contains simple, honest, and wise financial advice based on that philosophy. Contrary to active investing, with its market timing and performance chasing, the Bogleheads espouse passive investing, and base their strategy on Efficient Market Theory (EMT) and Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). I’ve considered myself a Boglehead since 2008, when I stumbled upon the Bogleheads forum and moved my money into Va
...more

This is a really awesome investment book, especially for beginners. I highly recommend it.
Here is a summary of some of the notes I took while reading:
Debt = negative wealth
Debt is deadly and earning to spend gets you nowhere. The people who reach financial freedom focus on accumulating wealth over time. Focus on your net worth more than your net income.
Before you start investing:
1. Graduate from a paycheck mentality to a net worth mentality.
2. Establish an emergency fund
3. Pay off credit card a ...more
Here is a summary of some of the notes I took while reading:
Debt = negative wealth
Debt is deadly and earning to spend gets you nowhere. The people who reach financial freedom focus on accumulating wealth over time. Focus on your net worth more than your net income.
Before you start investing:
1. Graduate from a paycheck mentality to a net worth mentality.
2. Establish an emergency fund
3. Pay off credit card a ...more

Great last paragraph in the introduction from the authors (Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf):
"We have no hidden agendas. We aren't financial planners or money manager looking for clients. We don't have a high-powered, get-rich-quick weekend seminar to sell you. We are all well over 70 years of age, financially secure and haven't missed a meal yet. Our primary mission is to simply to support Jack Bogle's mission by teaching others how to get the best long-term return on their in ...more
"We have no hidden agendas. We aren't financial planners or money manager looking for clients. We don't have a high-powered, get-rich-quick weekend seminar to sell you. We are all well over 70 years of age, financially secure and haven't missed a meal yet. Our primary mission is to simply to support Jack Bogle's mission by teaching others how to get the best long-term return on their in ...more

Here's what I learned by chapter:
Ch 8 Asset Allocation
* Investors will benefit from an international stock allocation of 20-40% of their equity allocation.
* REIT funds shouldn't exceed 10% of your equity allocation.
* Don't use high-yield bonds since they are more like stocks, waste of space in retirement accounts
* TIPS is a type of bond: VIPSX for low risk/return and VTAPX for higher risk/return
* High-income taxpayers should consider tax-exempt (municipal) bonds when tax-advantaged accounts are ...more
Ch 8 Asset Allocation
* Investors will benefit from an international stock allocation of 20-40% of their equity allocation.
* REIT funds shouldn't exceed 10% of your equity allocation.
* Don't use high-yield bonds since they are more like stocks, waste of space in retirement accounts
* TIPS is a type of bond: VIPSX for low risk/return and VTAPX for higher risk/return
* High-income taxpayers should consider tax-exempt (municipal) bonds when tax-advantaged accounts are ...more

Nov 30, 2008
Trevor
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Beginning Investors
Recommended to Trevor by:
Financial Blogs
This book is perfect for anyone who wants/needs to learn the basics of investing. This book isn't about getting rich quick or beating the market every year. It's about the fundamentals of setting long-term goals and then allocating your financial resources in the simplest way possible to achieve those goals. It covers the basics of everything from investment options and asset allocation to tax implications and how much insurance you should have. It's written in such a way that it's totally acces
...more

Reading The Millionaire Next Door was my first step to building a responsible financial lifestyle; The Bogleheads Guide to Investing took me to the next level. Both of their books have their flaws, but they do a great job at showing the bigger picture. This review will be focussed on the last book, yet I recommend you to read The Millionaire Next Door before you read The Bogleheads Guide to Investing.
What did I like about Bogleheads Guide to Investing?
The book is accessible for the layman, and c ...more
What did I like about Bogleheads Guide to Investing?
The book is accessible for the layman, and c ...more

This is the second book I've read in the series by the same author's involving Boglehead's and their philosophy of investing. I'm so glad I found this group of un-selfish and knowledgeable individuals who really speak frankly and knowledgeably about the in and outs of investing your money. If you need free, in-depth, investment planning guidance, look no further.
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I have to admit that I only read about half this book because I am not at a place in my life where I can start investing. That being said, I did like what I read, and I hope to refer back to this book when the time comes that I'm ready to open that IRA.
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A great resource
This is a comprehensive book on personal finance and investing. It is accessible to beginners, but definitely goes into more advanced topics as well. I am grateful I decided to purchase this book so that I have it as a reference in the future.
The term Bogelhead comes from Jack Bogel, founder of Vanguard and the inventor of the index fund. Bogelheads tend to follow Bogel's advocacy for low cost investing through index funds, buying and holding funds, keeping things simple, and loo ...more
This is a comprehensive book on personal finance and investing. It is accessible to beginners, but definitely goes into more advanced topics as well. I am grateful I decided to purchase this book so that I have it as a reference in the future.
The term Bogelhead comes from Jack Bogel, founder of Vanguard and the inventor of the index fund. Bogelheads tend to follow Bogel's advocacy for low cost investing through index funds, buying and holding funds, keeping things simple, and loo ...more

Being new to the subject of investing but having taken a keen interest in it over the past year after opening up an Acorns account and learning about asset allocation and portfolio strategies, I wanted to learn more. I initially picked Burton Malkiel's classic, A Random Walk Down Wall Street but it proved to be too daunting and intimidating for a novice like myself, without even starting the book. I also had this book, The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, which I picked up from the library to rea
...more

A very basic book targets for beginner in investing. Especially suitable for Americans. Talked about the importance of saving, the difference of investing options, and further explained why we should focus on index funds. Other chapters are good for reading Asset Allocations and rebalancing your portfolio.

A great beginner's guide to financial planning. I recommend reading the last chapter first for the distilled version of the book. That may be all you need and then you can visit the appendices for more advanced resource recommendations. Or you can flip to the relevant chapter discussing whatever topic you are most interested in.
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A fantastic overview of an investment strategy that makes the case for mostly buying index funds/mutual funds/ETFs and holding onto them. This book has helpful explanations of key investment concepts, offers a fairly helpful strategy for the somewhat risk-averse, and backs it up with historical data. It also contains helpful advice for creating more tax-efficient portfolios, diversifying your investments, and more. However, the book isn't really all that geared toward young investors, and much o
...more

An excellent reference for financial wellness! This reminded me of the first good book I read on the subject of fitness, both focusing on a simple framework that emphasize the fundamentals without getting caught up in the cacophony of minor details. For investments, it's: start saving, have diverse investments, consider low-cost index funds, get insurance, and refrain from trying to time the market or gamble on hot stocks. That's about it! There are definitely details one can get into, but the b
...more

Excellent book on investing! The book’s message is simple...keep it simple, keep costs low, and stay the course. Learning about investing is crucial but obsessing over it can be detrimental. I do not have the time to follow the market (nor should I try or according to Bogleheads) and this book really helped increased my understanding of the simple actions I can take now to prepare myself financially for the future. Anyone who earns money and wants to have a firm financial foundation (FFF) should
...more

This was really good book. It goes through all the ways you can invest and also gives you some things to think about.
cons
It is definitely not a beginners guide though. I say this because it does not really dig deep into ways to get started where or how to do it. It is bias on the Boglehead way to do in the fact that it makes it seem indexing is the only way to go. While it may be strong and smart is it it really the only way?
pros
It is a good book with lots of facts about a lot of the routes to ...more
cons
It is definitely not a beginners guide though. I say this because it does not really dig deep into ways to get started where or how to do it. It is bias on the Boglehead way to do in the fact that it makes it seem indexing is the only way to go. While it may be strong and smart is it it really the only way?
pros
It is a good book with lots of facts about a lot of the routes to ...more

It's a good book, however it's not fully universal, i.e. many aspects are related to USA only. Needless to say some chapters are useful for people living outside of USA too.
...more

I think the most important thing to address here is why you should read this book instead of any of the 3 million other investing books out there in the world. And the reason is, these authors stand to gain nothing from it. They even spill some ink in the introduction telling you to just borrow this book from a friend or the library if you're so inclined.
99% of the authors of investing books are just advertising themselves. They want you to buy their other 20 books, take their pricey classes, su ...more
99% of the authors of investing books are just advertising themselves. They want you to buy their other 20 books, take their pricey classes, su ...more

Very well-written, effective teaching tool.

It's good general advice even though it's very conservative and it's beyond focused on investing in the US.
...more

“Here is the crux of the strategy: Instead of hiring an expert, or spending a lot of time trying to decide which stocks or actively managed funds are likely to be top performers, just invest in index funds and forget about it!”
This book is honestly the devoted to index funding. It's incredibly well written and goes through any possible question you may have. I think a lot of personal finance books touch on this subject but don't fully delve into details of opening up a separate brokerage acc ...more
This book is honestly the devoted to index funding. It's incredibly well written and goes through any possible question you may have. I think a lot of personal finance books touch on this subject but don't fully delve into details of opening up a separate brokerage acc ...more

Start with some basic financial advices: spend less than you earn, live below your means, invest in your future rather than your present and so on. And soon gets more interesting, dissecting all main american investment types (that are somewhat similar to brazilian ones, with a few small differences).
Then it gets to advanced subjects, with balancing your portfolio, risk management and retirement planning.
The book is crowded with smart advices and is a true eye opener when you consider how you c ...more
Then it gets to advanced subjects, with balancing your portfolio, risk management and retirement planning.
The book is crowded with smart advices and is a true eye opener when you consider how you c ...more

(This is a review of the 1st edition)
This is the first and only book on investing I've read, but I'll be very surprised if I ever learn it wasn't a good choice. The message is simple and consistent:
- choose a stock vs bond allocation based on your risk tolerance -- your age% bonds and the rest in stocks is the rule of thumb.
- invest in *low cost* stock and bond mutual funds -- such as offered by Vanguard -- according to your chosen allocation.
- rebalance to your chosen allocation on a fixed sche ...more
This is the first and only book on investing I've read, but I'll be very surprised if I ever learn it wasn't a good choice. The message is simple and consistent:
- choose a stock vs bond allocation based on your risk tolerance -- your age% bonds and the rest in stocks is the rule of thumb.
- invest in *low cost* stock and bond mutual funds -- such as offered by Vanguard -- according to your chosen allocation.
- rebalance to your chosen allocation on a fixed sche ...more

This book is a great reference for both investment strategy and general financial planning, including saving for college, withdrawing during retirement, and end-of-life planning. The main ethos of the book lies in a DIY investment strategy which both history and research support as the winning way to consistently win out over most stock pickers and fund managers over a long time horizon. I am fully on board with this strategy and am so glad to have learned these important lessons while I'm still
...more

I'm a bit embarrassed at reading an investment book, but I'm also a bit proud too. This topic was previously completely foreign to me. After speaking with many friends who are do-it-yourself investors who have cut out the middle-men (i.e.: financial "advisors") I realized I had to learn about this topic. This book pulled back the curtain on the financial advisor business plan and outlined how regular people can take control of their own finances very easily. The book's financial advice centers a
...more
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“The shortest route to top quartile performance is to be in the bottom quartile of expenses. —Jack Bogle”
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“I helped put two children through Harvard—my broker’s children. —Michael LeBoeuf”
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