Getting started

Welcome to the Bogleheads&reg;! First things first. Don't panic! There's a lot of information available to help. Take your time and get organized.

The Bogleheads® motto is Investing Advice Inspired by Jack Bogle. We are part of his crusade "to give ordinary investors a fair shake."

Bogleheads® follow a small number of simple investment principles that have been shown over time to produce risk-adjusted returns far greater than those achieved by the average investor. Their ideas come from the investing philosophy of Vanguard founder Jack Bogle. They have been further distilled and explained in thousands of posts on the Bogleheads® forum, particularly by original contributors Taylor Larimore and Mel Lindauer.

Bogleheads® emphasize regular saving, broad diversification, and sticking to one's investment plan regardless of market conditions. The Bogleheads® principles are:


 * 1) Live Below Your Means
 * 2) Asset Allocation (Holding Bonds) Is Essential
 * 3) Buy Low Cost Funds that are Widely Diversified
 * 4) Tax Efficiency Matters
 * 5) Stay the Course

Introduction
The Bogleheads&reg; site consists of this wiki and the Bogleheads forum. Both the wiki and forum were built by volunteers who are dedicated to helping people begin or improve their investing journey through the application of the Bogleheads investing principles.

We suggest you start your journey by reading the Bogleheads investment philosophy first, which is summarized below.

Asking questions
If you have questions on any investing or finance topic, just ask in the Bogleheads&reg; forum. No question is too simple or too complex. If you have a specific question, dive right in. But, if you have a complex or general investment concern, please refer to the following guide before posting;


 * Laura’s tips on posting your portfolio and asking related questions

Are you ready to invest?
Take a step back and look at the big picture. Investing only comes after you have a sound financial footing. For those who want a quick introduction to investment planning:


 * Laura’s investment planning overview

Start-up kits
These start-up kits are nothing more than guides to the resources available in the wiki and forum. Anything you need is just a mouse-click away.

A note about the wiki: The power of the wiki is its ability to link content. If a topic has a link, there's more material available. This is not a structured course. Use those links to explore anything you want. The Table of Contents contains a comprehensive topic list.

Investing start-up kit
Start your investing experience here.

See: Bogleheads® Investing Start-Up Kit

Personal finance planning start-up kit
Personal finance is more than just investing. Topics such as budgeting, owning versus renting a home, insurance, saving for college, and charity are covered here.

See: Bogleheads® Personal Finance Planning Start-Up Kit

Retirement Planning Start-Up Kit
Retirement topics are covered here; such as employer retirement plans (401(k)), planning for retirement, and spending during retirement.

See: Bogleheads® Retirement Planning Start-Up Kit

Recommended References

 * Suggested Start-up books
 * Bogleheads' Recommended Investing Books - Forum recommendations for new investors
 * Additional recommended books and reviews - Wiki book listing with reviews