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? ›

Investing philosophy

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 the Boglehead advice? ›

Bogleheads.org – Investing advice inspired by John Bogle

The Bogleheads® emphasize starting early, living below one's means, regular saving, broad diversification, simplicity, and sticking to one's investment plan regardless of market conditions.

What is the Bogleheads guide to investing summary? ›

In summary, “The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing” provides a comprehensive and practical roadmap for successful investing. It guides readers through the core principles of low-cost, passive investing, emphasizing simplicity, diversification, and long-term perspective.

What is the 4 rule in Bogleheads? ›

Re: Understanding 4% rule

Using historical return and inflation data from 1926 to 1992, William Bengen calculated that an initial withdrawal rate 4% resulted in at least 30 years of inflation-adjusted withdrawal amounts for all starting years for portfolios of 50% and 75% stocks.

Has Warren Buffett written a book on investing? ›

While Warren Buffett himself has never authored a book, many books have been written about his life, his investment strategies, and his philosophies. Some books about Buffett focus more on his life and achievements, while others focus more on replicating his investment style.

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 the Lazy 3 fund portfolio? ›

Three-fund lazy portfolios

These usually consist of three equal parts of bonds (total bond market or TIPS), total US market and total international market.

How often should I rebalance my Boglehead? ›

There are several ways you can determine when it is time to rebalance: At a certain point in the calendar (for example, the beginning of the year, a specific day of the year, every other year, and so on). For example, you might systematically rebalance your portfolio once a year, on your birthday.

What is the 3 portfolio rule? ›

The three-fund portfolio consists of a total stock market index fund, a total international stock index fund, and a total bond market fund. Asset allocation between those three funds is up to the investor based on their age and risk tolerance.

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 5 portfolio rule? ›

The Five Percent Rule is a simple strategy that involves investing no more than 5% of one's portfolio in any single investment. This approach is based on the principle that by limiting the exposure to any one investment, investors can reduce the risk of significant losses.

What does Warren Buffett recommend investing in? ›

So, why does Buffett only recommend index funds? Because it's the best possible choice, "on an expectancy basis," as he put it. In other words, buying an index fund has a higher expected return than buying any single individual stock or actively managed mutual fund.

Which John Bogle book should I read? ›

"Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor." Amazon. "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way To Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Books, Big Profits)."

Is The Intelligent Investor Book worth it? ›

The Intelligent Investor is a great book for beginners, especially since it's been continually updated and revised since its original publication in 1949. It's considered a must-have for new investors who are trying to figure out the basics of how the market works. The book is written with long-term investors in mind.

What is the Bogleheads style of investing? ›

Bogleheads emphasize regular saving, broad diversification, and sticking to an investment plan regardless of market conditions.

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