As we celebrate Jack Bogle Day let’s assess one of his bedrock beliefs:
Index Funds
Makes investing easier, cheaper, and better.
The deck is stacked…
in your favor!
As we celebrate Jack Bogle day, let’s think about what the stock market is and how it got that way.
In Defense of Fat & Muscle
Fat gets a bad rap but it’s amazingly efficient for storing energy. Having no fat is a serious and painful genetic disorder. Muscles let us do things and live our lives; nobody talks down muscle but that’s a different thing from maintaining that muscle.
But we do things as nonsensical as eliminating all fat and losing all muscle and that’s what I want to talk about in celebrating Frank Armstrong Day. It isn’t a national holiday (yet) but together we could make it happen! Consider the success of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Jack Bogle Day – He’s still saving us money
On August 31, 1976 , John Bogle led Vanguard to create something new–the first index fund for personal investors. That fund grew slowly at first but kicked off a revolution that continues today.
Jack Bogle wants you to be a millionaire
Jack Bogle died this week after an astonishing career. As a leader in the financial industry Jack Bogle was well off. He started the first truly mutual fund company and created the first index fund. So, why wasn’t he a billionaire? Many leaders of less successful fund companies are. Why not Bogle?
What Made Jack Bogle Special?
A simple idea made Jack Bogle special.
Some ideas are complex — quantum theory, for instance.
Some ideas are silly– drinking this kind of sugared burp water will make me irresistible to the opposite sex.
Some ideas are appealing but wrong — sadly we haven’t invented warp drive.
Jack Bogle had a very simple idea and he was right.
10 Ways to Make Money in the Stock Market
Doesn’t everyone want to make money in the stock market? Apparently not, see 10 Ways to Lose Money in the Stock Market. But, if you want to make money in the stock market, the deck is stacked for you
Frank Armstrong Day
We all know why we’re celebrating January 14th, right?
- Treaty ending the American Revolutionary War
- Elizabeth the First being crowned Queen of England
- Mayan warlord Siyaj K’ak’ conquering Tikal for Teotihuacan
But here’s why I’m celebrating…
10 Ways to Lose Money In the Stock Market
If you wanted to lose money in the stock market, how would you do it?
This is a challenge, as the S&P returned 5.3% per year over the past 15 years (yes, even counting the dreaded 2008).
While it seems nearly impossible to lose money, a lot of work has been put into giving you ways to reliably lose money (although I’d plead with you not to use any of them).
One last Scaramucci speech to analyze
What did Anthony Scaramucci do before briefly entertaining us/appalling us as press secretary? He was the very successful founder of Skybridge Capital. By successful, I mean that he made a lot of money from mom and pop investors and provided them with below average returns. See Skybridge Capital’s own dismal report card.
In the very engaging Freakonomics broadcast of The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money, the host, Stephen Dubner, interviews Scaramucci about his hatred of the Fiduciary Rule and of index funds. Scaramucci’s answers are worth thinking about. It’s a shame he didn’t think about them.