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Bogleheads® wiki - Investing Advice Inspired by John Bogle

Academics Asset classes Employer provided retirement plans ETFs and mutual funds Financial planning Indexing Investing Non-US domiciles Personal retirement plans Retirement planning Tax considerations Complete list...

 

Welcome

John Bogle
(1929 - 2019)
Forum postsWelcome to the Bogleheads^® wiki, a collaborative undertaking by members of the Bogleheads Community. This wiki is a reference resource for investors. Bogleheads emphasize starting early, living below one's means, regular saving, broad diversification, and sticking to one's investment plan.

If all this seems a bit overwhelming, relax and don't panic. A good place to begin is getting started (or getting started for non-US investors). Returning visitors may be interested in our new pages.

 

Getting started

For US investors:

• Getting started - Start here.
• Bogleheads® investment philosophy - Our investment principles.
• Bogleheads® investing start-up kit - A top-down approach to start investing.
• Investment policy statement - Identify your investment objectives and how you plan to meet them.
• Bogleheads® personal finance planning start-up kit - Other than investing, such as financial planning, insurance, and saving for college.
• Preparing for retirement - Steps you should take before retiring.
• Prioritizing investments - Choosing where to save your investing money, such as an employer's retirement plan or a savings account.

For non-US investors:

• Getting started for non-US investors - Start here.
• Bogleheads® investment philosophy for non-US investors - Our investment principles.
• Bogleheads® investing start-up kit for non-US investors - A top-down approach to start investing.
• Outline of non-US domiciles - Overview of topics specifically aimed at non-US investors.

 

Today's featured article

An index fund is a fund that pools investors capital for the purpose of investing in securities, typically a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF), that aims to replicate the movements of an index of a specific financial market.

A well-managed index fund provides investors with a simple way to access such advantages as low costs, improved tax efficiency, style consistency and reduced manager risk. Investors should be mindful that not all index funds are low cost and that some indexes can be exploited by active investors when the indexes periodically reconstitute.

The key measure for accessing an index fund's efficiency is how well it tracks its benchmark index. (more...)

 

This week in financial history

August 3:

• 1929 - The New York Stock Exchange approved opening of branch offices on trans-Atlantic liners. (Source)

August 4:

• 1790 - U.S. Congress authorized the first U.S. government securities. (Source)

August 5:

• 1861 - The Revenue Act of 1861 imposed the first U.S. federal income tax. The law provided for a 3% tax on incomes over $800. Interest income was taxed at 1.5%. The tax on citizens living abroad was 5%. The tax expired in 1871. Source:The First National Income Tax, 1861–1872
• 1891 - The Hotel Hauffe, Leipzig, Germany, honored the first American Express Travelers Cheque. Source: Business history: Financial services
• 1997 - The Roth IRA was created by the enactment of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Source: H.R.2014 - Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
• 1998 - All US Treasury bills, notes, and bonds will now be sold in increments of $1,000. This $1,000 also became the minimum purchase amount for all securities. Source: Timeline of U.S. Treasury Notes

August 7:

• 1939 - The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) registered as a self-regulating organization (SRO) under the Maloney Act. The NASD was tasked with overseeing the conduct of brokerage firms in the United States. Source:The Institution of Experience: Self-Regulatory Organizations in the Securities Industry, 1792-2010, Security and Exchange Commission Historical Society.

August 8:

• 1927 - The Manila Stock Exchange, Inc. (MSE) was established on August 8, 1927. Source: History

 

Can't find what you're looking for?

Use the wiki's Search box. Or, start from a top-level overview using Site navigation. A complete article list is also available.

You can search or register to ask a question on the Bogleheads forum, or browse recent posts from the Bogleheads' home page or our blog. We're also on Facebook.

Our Canadian sister site, Financial Wisdom Forum, and its finiki, the Canadian financial wiki has a similar focus, many like-minded members, and may be of interest as well.

We also have a sister site in Spain, Bogleheads® España (en español).

 

Contributing to the wiki

Anyone can read the wiki. If you would like to edit it, you must first join the Bogleheads forum. Once you've joined, send a private message requesting access, and you can then become an editor. Information on editing the wiki is available on the left sidebar of every wiki page. Suggestions are welcome by posting in Suggestions for the Wiki.

If you see content in need of improvement, or a new page on a topic not yet covered, consider becoming an editor so that you can contribute to the site. If you find yourself writing a reply to a forum question that's been discussed a number of times before, consider creating a wiki page with the answer. Then you and others can reply to subsequent questions on that topic with a link and a quote of your text. That way, the Bogleheads Community both preserves our knowledge base and makes it more accessible, particularly to those using search engines.