The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - 2nd Edition by Mel Lindauer & Taylor Larimore & Michael LeBoeuf (Hardcover) (2024)

Book Synopsis

The irreverent guide to investing, Boglehead style

The Boglehead's Guide to Investing is a DIY handbook that espouses the sage investment wisdom of John C. Bogle. This witty and wonderful book offers contrarian advice that provides the first step on the road to investment success, illustrating how relying on typical "common sense" promoted by Wall Street is destined to leave you poorer. This updated edition includes new information on backdoor Roth IRAs and ETFs as mainstream buy and hold investments, estate taxes and gifting, plus changes to the laws regarding Traditional and Roth IRAs, and 401k and 403b retirement plans. With warnings and principles both precisely accurate and grandly counterintuitive, the Boglehead authors show how beating the market is a zero-sum game.

Investing can be simple, but it's certainly not simplistic. Over the course of twenty years, the followers of John C. Bogle have evolved from a loose association of investors to a major force with the largest and most active non-commercial financial forum on the Internet. The Boglehead's Guide to Investing brings that communication to you with comprehensive guidance to the investment prowess on display at Bogleheads.org. You'll learn how to craft your own investment strategy using the Bogle-proven methods that have worked for thousands of investors, and how to:

  • Choose a sound financial lifestyle and diversify your portfolio
  • Start early, invest regularly, and know what you're buying
  • Preserve your buying power, keeping costs and taxes low
  • Throw out the "good" advice promoted by Wall Street that leads to investment failure

Financial markets are essentially closed systems in which one's gain garners another's loss. Investors looking for a roadmap to successfully navigating these choppy waters long-term will find expert guidance, sound advice, and a little irreverent humor in The Boglehead's Guide to Investing.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, Second Edition

"I'm often asked to recommend a good, basic book on investing, and The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing has been my go-to pick since its original publication. It focuses on all the right things: the virtues of maintaining a frugal lifestyle, keeping investment costs down, and building a simple, low-maintenance portfolio. And importantly, it also tells investors what they can safely tune out--namely, day-to-day market action and the latest 'hot' investment products. Its advice will stand the test of time."
--CHRISTINE BENZ, Director of Personal Finance, Morningstar, Inc.

"John Bogle set out to reform the mutual fund industry nearly 40 years ago. He saw a high fee, self-serving, good ol' boy network and thought it was wrong. Bogle believed the purpose of an investment company was to be investor-focused. His idea turned into a revolution. The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing is a testimony to the massive changes that have taken place as a result of Bogle's vision. The ideas in this book have saved countless investors billions of dollars in unnecessary fees. Hats off to Taylor, Mel, and Mike for a job well done."
--RICK FERRI, CFA, Founder, Portfolio Solutions LLC

"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing describes a sophisticated and proven approach to successful investing. Nevertheless, its message of saving, investing in a diversified, balanced, low cost portfolio, and keeping it simple is easily grasped by investors of all levels of experience. Regardless of your investment acumen, this book provides many clearly expounded investment insights and is a great roadmap to financial success."
--GEORGE U. "GUS" SAUTER, Retired Chief Investment Officer, Vanguard

"The best one-stop shopping solution to saving, debt management, investing, insurance, and financial planning I have seen between two covers. For the price of a week's worth of lattes, you can secure your future."
--WILLIAM J. BERNSTEIN, cofounder, Efficient Frontier Advisors, LLC, author of The Intelligent Asset Allocator, The Four Pillars of Investing, and The Investor's Manifesto

About the Author

MEL LINDAUER, CFS, WMS, was dubbed "The Prince of the Bogleheads" by Jack Bogle. A Forbes.com columnist, he's one of the leaders of the Bogleheads community.

TAYLOR LARIMORE, CCL, has been dubbed by Money magazine as "the Dean of the Vanguard Diehards" and John (Jack) Bogle himself calls Taylor "The King of the Bogleheads."

MICHAEL LEBOEUF, PHD, is an internationally published author, business consultant, and professor emeritus who taught Management at The University of New Orleans.

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - 2nd Edition by  Mel Lindauer & Taylor Larimore & Michael LeBoeuf (Hardcover) (2024)

FAQs

Is the Bogleheads Guide to investing a good book? ›

In short, yes. This gem offers a vast amount of straightforward investment advice, covering things such as windfalls, and saving for college, from bonds to retirement accounts. The Bogleheads' Guide is chalked full of information.

What is the Boglehead method of investing? ›

Bogleheads investment philosophy
  • Live below your means.
  • Develop a workable plan.
  • Never bear too much or too little risk.
  • Invest early and often.
Aug 17, 2023

What is the Boglehead strategy? ›

Key Principles of Boglehead Investing

Bogleheads favor index funds, particularly total market funds, for their broad market exposure, low turnover, and minimal management fees. A cornerstone of their strategy is a strong focus on keeping costs low.

What is the summary of the Bogleheads? ›

In summary, the book lays out John Bogle's passive, index-focused philosophy for building wealth through disciplined, long-term investing. It takes a low-cost, evidence-based approach. The core philosophy promoted throughout the book is based on the teachings of Vanguard founder John C.

What does Warren Buffett recommend investing in? ›

Buffett has long advised most investors to use index funds to invest in the market, rather than trying to pick individual stocks. By picking individual stocks you're working against the pros who have extensive intelligence on companies.

What is the 4 rule in Bogleheads? ›

Normally, the 4% rule says how much one may withdraw each year. For $2 million, then the first year is $80k. The $80k gets adjusted based on inflation for subsequent years. The $80k must cover all expenses including taxes, food, healthcare, ....

What is the 1 rule of investing? ›

Warren Buffett once said, “The first rule of an investment is don't lose [money].

What is the 4 rule in investing? ›

The 4% rule limits annual withdrawals from your retirement accounts to 4% of the total balance in your first year of retirement. That means if you retire with $1 million saved, you'd take out $40,000. According to the rule, this amount is safe enough that you won't risk running out of money during a 30-year retirement.

What is the Bogleheads theory? ›

The Bogleheads approach begins with an investor deciding on percentage allocations to various asset classes, such as U.S. stocks, international stocks, U.S. bonds, etc. The desired allocations are then implemented using low-cost vehicles which are true to the targeted asset classes.

What is Bogleheads 3 bucket strategy? ›

Stripped to its simplest form, here's the premise of the Bucket Strategy™: You organize your investments into three main groupings, or "buckets" and take the majority of the risk in Bucket No. 3, largely with stocks and real estate.

What is 4 3 2 1 investment strategy? ›

The 4-3-2-1 Approach

One simple rule of thumb I tend to adopt is going by the 4-3-2-1 ratios to budgeting. This ratio allocates 40% of your income towards expenses, 30% towards housing, 20% towards savings and investments and 10% towards insurance.

How much money do you need to save for Boglehead? ›

If you start at age 25, you will need to save only about $1,000 a year. At age 40, you will need to save about $2,300 a year. And if you start at age 55, the amount needed is over $8,000 per year.

What is the 50 30 20 rule for Bogleheads? ›

First, Warren's original rule was 30 to wants and 20 to savings, but if you can flip that, great! Apply the numbers to your after tax income. Then figure out how much you need for housing, utilities, transportation, food, insurance and clothing. If that is 50% or less, everything else is wants.

What is the Bogleheads approach to investing? ›

One of the principles of the Bogleheads® investment philosophy is to invest with simplicity. It will take some time to get your bearings. Take it slow, track your progress. Ask for help on the forum if you get lost.

What to invest in Bogleheads? ›

The building blocks of Boglehead-style investing are low-expense-ratio index mutual funds and/or ETFs. Vanguard fans would suggest that Vanguard has the best and most complete lineup of such funds, and that the most convenient place to hold Vanguard mutual funds is directly at Vanguard.

What book should I read to start investing? ›

1. The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need, by Andrew Tobias. If you are truly just starting out in your investing journey, this book is a great place to start. You'll learn tips on how to save and invest for your future and get excellent advice on what to avoid in the financial world.

Is it worth reading the Intelligent Investor? ›

The Intelligent Investor (1949) is a must-read for anyone looking to build wealth through smart investing. Here's why this book stands out: It provides a solid foundation in value investing principles, helping readers make informed decisions.

Is it a good idea to copy Warren Buffett portfolio? ›

To Copy Buffett, Prepare To Be Patient

If you haven't figured it out already, copy trading Buffett is not a strategy for those who want to get rich quickly. Warren Buffett is one of the richest people in the world, but 99% of that net worth was created after he turned 50 years old.

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