The recent loss of investing giant and Vanguard founder, John Bogle, got us to thinking about the many books he wrote and which ones meant the most to us.
Here are our top 3 favorites to help inspire you to learn more about the market, investing, and the incredible impact that John Bogle had on sharing his message of investing at a lower cost.
Enough: True Measures of Money, Business, and Life.
This book homes in on the essence of who John Bogle is a business owner, investor, and human being. His life’s work is built around the concept of having enough and isn’t that revolutionary? And in true John Bogle fashion, the book is not filled with financial jargon. Instead it shares Bogle’s personal reflections on what truly is enough for him as an example for each one of us.
In his prologue, In Search of Excellence author Tom Peters says “Not a great finance book. Not a great business book. A great book. Period.” We couldn’t agree more.
Who should read this book: Start here if this is your first read by John Bogle. It’s a great framework of his philosophy on life and investing and sets the table for the deeper dives to come.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
The beauty of this book is its simplicity. It’s not necessary to be a sophisticated investor to understand the theories, practices, and investing arithmetic. Bogle uses his wit and intellect to share his passive investing philosophy, which by the way is anything but truly passive. After reading this book, you’ll be ready to fire your stock broker and dip your toe in the index investing market with confidence.
Who should read this book: Anyone with a good chunk of retirement money in an IRA or taxable account looking to understand how to invest for the long run. This short books works whether you are a do-it-yourselfer or intend to hire a planner or advisor to make recommendations.
Common Sense on Mutual Funds– Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition
If you desire a more in-depth look into John Bogle’s head, we suggest Common Sense on Mutual Funds. This book is a comprehensive review of what John Bogle thinks we should all be doing with our money as well as a commentary on the mutual fund industry. In his own words, he shares “In writing this book, my objective is to accomplish two goals: first, to help readers become more successful investors, and second, to chart a course for change in the mutual fund industry.” And in true Bogle fashion, this 10-year anniversary edition is filled with revisions and additions to add value to an already meaningful best seller.
Who should read this book: If you’re the kind of investor who likes to be hands on, whether you buy and sell on your own or rely on advisors, this is a great introduction to how mutual funds work, and how to be better at choosing them for your own needs.
These three books will set you on a path we here at Rebalance champion – to #livewell now and #retirewithmore.
