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John Bogle
We help you make good financial decisions by tuning out the noise and focusing on just a handful of simple, core principles that have proved successful over time. Although they are simple, following them is not always easy.
If this is your first visit, begin at "Getting started" below.
Regular visitors may want to look at our new articles.
Getting started
For US investors:
- Getting started - Start here.
- Investment philosophy - Our investment principles.
- 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.
- 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.
- Investment philosophy for non-US investors - Our investment principles.
- Investing start-up kit for non-US investors - A top-down approach to start investing.
- Outline of non-US domiciles - Overview of topics specifically for non-US investors.
Personal finance
Personal finance covers not only investing, but day-to-day finances, budgeting, insurance, taxes, estate planning, and retirement.
For US investors:
- Personal finance planning start-up kit - Start here.
- Financial planning - The first thing you should do.
- Household budgeting - Understand how much you make and how much you spend.
- Emergency fund - Have cash on-hand for life's unexpected events.
- Insurance - Auto, home, medical
- Estate planning - Be prepared when bad things happen.
Retirement
Retirement is a major event in many people's lives. It is not only a lifestyle change, but a change in income and spending.
Planning for this life-changing event is important.
For US investors:
- Retirement planning start-up kit - Start here.
- Preparing for retirement - Steps you should take before retiring.
- Retirement policy statement - Lay-out your retirement plans and strategies.
From today's featured article
Understanding and avoiding behavioral pitfalls will ultimately have a greater impact on investing success than any other factor. Since emotions and subsequent behavioral pitfalls are frequently associated with miscalculating risk tolerance and asset allocation, the new investor should be aware of behavioral pitfalls before making asset allocation decisions.
“Your investing brain does not just add and multiply and estimate and evaluate,” says Jason Zweig in his book, Your Money and Your Brain. “When you win, lose, or risk money, you stir up some of the most profound emotions a human being can ever feel.” (more...)
This week in financial history
- 2006 - The S&P Completion Index was launched on this date. The index provides a benchmark for extended market index funds that, when combined with an S&P 500 index fund, provides total market coverage of the U.S. stock market. Source: S&P Completion Index
March 28:
- 1985 - Ronald Reagan became the first sitting president to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Source: Remarks to Brokers and Staff of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, New York
March 29:
- 1900 - Louis Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Bachelier, French mathematician, published Theorie de La Speculation; and argued that markets were essentially random. This introduced higher math to the analysis of finance. Source: Théorie de la spéculation, Annales Scientifiques de l’École Normale Supérieure Vol.3 (17) pp. 21-86.
- 1999 - The US Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 10,000 for the first time in history. Source: Closing milestones of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
March 30:
- 2007 - The law allowing German real estate investment trusts (G-REITs) went into effect. Source: Germany enters the REIT universe with a big bang
March 31:
- 1968 - The MSCI EAFE Index was launched on March 31, 1986. Source: MSCI EAFE Index, fact sheet
April 1:
- 1987 - The Australian Stock Exchange Limited (ASX) was formed on 1 April 1987, through incorporation under legislation of the Australian Parliament. Source:History
- 2011 - The Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) launched indexes that provide coverage of various sectors of the US stock market. The indexes include the CRSP US Total Market Index; the CRSP US Mega Cap Index, the CRSP US Large Cap Index; the CRSP Mid Cap Index; and the CRSP Small Cap Index. Source: CRSP Indexes Quick Reference Guide
April 2:
- 1792 - The Coinage Act established the United States Mint and created a decimal system for U.S. currency. Source: Coinage Act of 1792
- 1956 - The Tokyo Stock Exchange started trading in bonds. Source: Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc.
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Sister projects
Our Canadian sister site, Financial Wisdom Forum, and its wiki, finiki, the Canadian financial wiki, has a similar focus with many like-minded members, and you might also find this site interesting.
We also have a sister site in Spain, Bogleheads® España (en español).
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