"Can you sum-up your investing philosophy in 10 words?"

[kiligi]

Save all you can, invest what can be lost

[MrsO]

"Slow and steady wins the race."

[rustymutt]

Spend less than I bring in.

[moproblems]

There're no such thing as bad investments, only bad investors.

[2beachcombers]

EDUCATE,& KNOW YOURSELF,,,Fire Manager, DIVERSIFY, INDEX, STAY THE COURSE.

jerry

[scrabbler1]

From an episode of "The Flintstones" I learned my first piece of investment advice when I was around 9 years old:

"Buy low, sell high!"

To echo what others have posted here:

"Keep it SImple, Stupid!"

And......

"Keep expenses low."

(I know it is 11 words but I repeated "Keep" so it's okay )

[reggiesimpson]

"Make so much money it doesnt matter"

[Dadarkar]

Forget the noise, live below your means and DCA regularly.

[Don Christy]

Save aggressively, buy the market inexpensively, avoid hubris through education.

[baw703916]

I thought Gus Sauter's quote was interesting:

"If everybody wants it, I don’t. Avoid crowds."

This appeals to my contrarian tendencies.

+1

The only problem is that since I found this forum, it is difficult to differentiate in my head the Boglehead everyone from the everyone-else everyone.

There may in fact be a reason to tune into CNBC, Bloomberg, etc. every once in a while. SImply to disabuse oneself of the notion that the entire investing world is focused on questions such as the following:

1) Whether Vanguard mutual funds are better than Vanguard ETFs.
2) Which (passive) SV fund gives the best combination of tilt factors, tax efficiency, and expense ratio.
3) Whether it is better to rebalance annually or by bands.
etc.

Hope you have found the Kool-Aid as enjoyable as I have.

Brad

[moneywise3]

First Earn, second Save, then Preserve and Grow.

[Fallible]

Save, save, save, save, save, save, save, save, save, save.

[aspiringboglehead]

"No, ten words are too few to summarize anything important."

[gotherelate]

I try to take only what the market gives me.

[SSSS]

"Can't sleep, clown will eat me."

Done in 6.

[DRiP Guy]

Buy and hold the market.

(five words, I only used 50% of my allowance!)

[Simplegift]

"Savings, low investment expenses and long holding periods create wealth."

[1210sda]

Five Words....(1)Have (2)a (3)plan. (4)Be (5)disciplined.

1210

[khh]

The secret to great wealth is summarized in one word...

(Ah shoot, that would put me over the ten word limit)

[happytrades]

Mohamed El-Erian of Pimco fame said about investing:

How would you best allocate your capital among different asset classes if you knew you were going to be forced to go away for three years and would thus be unable to change the allocations?

El-Erian, Mohamed (2008-06-18). When Markets Collide : Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change (p. 195). McGraw-Hill. Kindle Edition.

I liked this concept. In 10 words, it could be said as:

Invest like you were going away for three years.

[PB]

I'm a newbie, but here's my life lesson so far:

Save. Learn. Allocate. Rebalance. Don't be greedy, don't be fearful.

[Abe]

Three words: Save, Invest, Compound
The SIC formula

[papito23]

Save more than I earn. Asset allocation, and increase income.

Save more than you earn? And I thought I was frugal!

[actuaryinvestor]

"Do what you understand, and no more"

As I've gotten older I've learned a lot, but unfortunately I've also learned how little I truly understand and that investing (and the world in general) is filled with nuance. Following my quoted rule has meant moving more and more towards simplicity.

[travellight]

When I first started my career, I made a detailed budget with incoming and outgoing and after all the math, my conclusion was: Save More.

[chuck-lyn]

Stay the course, low cost funds, age appropriate asset allocation.

[Juniormint]

"Always invest in yourself."

[ClaireTN]

You probably don't know anything the market doesn't.

[manuvns]

save, pick a lazy portfolio and stay the course

[Sheepdog]

As I planned my retirement, my investment philosophy changed from accumulation and growth to consumption and preservation.

My philosophy in retirement is,
Invest for income.
Negate inflation.
Control expenses.
Love your life.

Jim

[Leif Eriksen]

Save, low cost, tax efficient, asset class diversification.

(2 words extra for those that went over)

[rokidtoo]

To the greatest extent possible, invest in the entire market.----Jim

[eucalyptus]

The best investment is my own business, not the markets.

[Raging Mage]

Diversify all the things!

Haha, this was the best post, IMO.

Here's mine:
"He who gathers money little by little makes it grow." - Proverbs 13:11

[staythecourse]

Here's mine: "Avoid the big mistake and stay the course"

Now if you ask me the best line for investing may the quote in the article itself: ‘And this, too, shall pass away.’ It fits in with Mr. Bogle's story about Chase the Gardner and the turning of seasons, doesn't it?

Good luck.

[BigD53]

"Keep it Simple and Conservative."

[chaz]

Follow Bogle.

[teacher]

I did not write these, which means I lifted them from this forum. They are in my Investment Policy Statement.

"Design a personal long-term, low-cost, diversified, asset allocation plan--then stay-the-course."

"Minimize what you can control (costs and taxes) and don't worry about what you cannot (index performance)."

[kontango]

11 words:

Diversify globally and across asset classes using low cost index funds.

[FrugalInvestor]

Save, diversify, low-cost index, repeat.

[Clearly_Irrational]

Earn more, Spend Less, Invest the Difference.

[louis c]

There is no free lunch. Understand risk and plan accordingly.

[dgm]

Invest for maximum after tax return and avoid big mistakes

[zaboomafoozarg]

Try to tie with the market, not beat it.

[StoutDrinker]

Keep fees low. Invest only in what you fully understand.

[exoilman]

Due Diligence

Sam

[LHerr]

Save and index.

[nbatt]

Conservative investors sleep well

Do the Math

Valuation Matters

[ruralavalon]

Live frugally, keep costs low, diversify, use index funds, minimize taxes = 11 words.

OR

Keep out of the clutches of the financial services industry = 10 words.

[CarlZ993]

"Buy, hold, & rebalance a diversified portfolio."