Bogleheads® Conferences

Day-to-day contact between Bogleheads® occurs online. However, some members take advantage of the social opportunities presented by national and/or local meetings. Over the years, there has been significant growth in both types of events. John Bogle has attended all but one of the national meetings, the first of which (ultimately named Diehards I) occurred in Miami, Florida on March 2000. In 2007, in honor and recognition of Mr. Bogle, and in acknowledgment of the forum community's shift to bogleheads.org., the reunion name was rechristened "Bogleheads" and the roman numeral designation was exchanged for common arabic numbers.

The conference was held at various venues across the United States from 2000 through 2009. Beginning in 2010 the conference has been held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, primarily due to a consideration of Mr. Bogle's advancing age and general health. A secondary effect of the Philadelphia setting is that the Vanguard Group, located in nearby Malvern, has hosted a series of visits where conference attendees can see the Vanguard campus and enjoy presentations by Vanguard managers and staff.

National meetings
Upcoming conference dates are announced in the Bogleheads forum; which usually occurs early in the year. Conference attendance is limited to approximately 200 attendees as a means of assuring that attendees get a chance to interact with John Bogle and the various authors and experts in attendance, rather than foregoing such intimacy by sponsoring a larger, impersonal gathering.

The conference, by tradition, spans three days and roughly follows the following agenda. The first day begins with a check-in followed by a wine and cheese reception in the afternoon. Day two begins in the morning, after breakfast, with John Bogle delivering a keynote address. Following his presentation, Bogle is joined by Dr. Bill Bernstein for a “Fireside Chat”, followed by a Question & Answer session with a Panel of Experts. After lunch, there is a session of book signings and personal discussions. Usually the book signing session is paired with a simultaneous breakout session and an ongoing wiki demonstration. The Vanguard visit takes place during the evening. The third day usually begins with a presentation, followed by an extensive Question & Answer session with John Bogle.

Recent third day presentations have included the introduction of academic papers and presentations from George Sauter.

Archive
Conferences are attended by members who provide photographic and video services to the meetings. In addition, Morningstar records video interviews with John Bogle, and on occasion, other conference attendees. News journal columnists and reporters often write articles about the conferences, and impressions and notes are recorded in blog postings. These mementos are preserved in the conference archives below.