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  • The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

  • The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns, 10th Anniversary Edition
  • By: John C. Bogle
  • Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
  • Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (536 ratings)
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The Little Book of Common Sense Investing cover art

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

By: John C. Bogle
Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
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Summary

The best-selling investing "bible" offers new information, new insights, and new perspectives

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing is the classic guide to getting smart about the market. Legendary mutual fund pioneer John C. Bogle reveals his key to getting more out of investing: low-cost index funds. Bogle describes the simplest and most effective investment strategy for building wealth over the long term: buy and hold, at very low cost, a mutual fund that tracks a broad stock market Index such as the S&P 500.

While the stock market has tumbled and then soared since the first edition of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing was published in April 2007, Bogle's investment principles have endured and served investors well. This tenth anniversary edition includes updated data and new information but maintains the same long-term perspective as in its predecessor. Bogle has also added two new chapters designed to provide further guidance to investors: one on asset allocation, the other on retirement investing.

A portfolio focused on index funds is the only investment that effectively guarantees your fair share of stock market returns. This strategy is favored by Warren Buffett, who said this about Bogle: "For decades, Jack has urged investors to invest in ultra-low-cost index funds.... Today, however, he has the satisfaction of knowing that he helped millions of investors realize far better returns on their savings than they otherwise would have earned. He is a hero to them and to me."

Bogle shows you how to make index investing work for you and help you achieve your financial goals and finds support from some of the world's best financial minds: not only Warren Buffett but Benjamin Graham, Paul Samuelson, Burton Malkiel, Yale's David Swensen, Cliff Asness of AQR, and many others.

This new edition of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing offers you the same solid strategy as its predecessor for building your financial future.

  • Build a broadly diversified, low-cost portfolio without the risks of individual stocks, manager selection, or sector rotation.
  • Forget the fads and marketing hype, and focus on what works in the real world.
  • Understand that stock returns are generated by three sources (dividend yield, earnings growth, and change in market valuation) in order to establish rational expectations for stock returns over the coming decade.
  • Recognize that in the long run, business reality trumps market expectations.
  • Learn how to harness the magic of compounding returns while avoiding the tyranny of compounding costs.

While index investing allows you to sit back and let the market do the work for you, too many investors trade frantically, turning a winner's game into a loser's game. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing is a solid guidebook to your financial future.

©2017 John C. Bogle (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book - but where is the pdf?

This interesting book on the principles of passive investment is let down by the frequent references, in the audio narration, to an accompanying pdf which is not provided anywhere. I have emailed audible about this but only received an automated reply. Where is it?

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52 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Highly biased and could be 30 seconds long

This book can be summed up in a single phrase - "buy index funds". Instead it is 5 hours of repeating the same opinion over and over again.

My favourite phrase of the book was "if the data shows that index funds aren't better, the data is wrong". So the author essentially believes they are right and everyone else is wrong, regardless of what evidence shows. (note I have no prior belief whether index funds are better or not, I simply struggle with such fanatical bias).

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34 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Extremely repetitive

Let me save you some time. The whole book can be summarized with: "Buy ETF. Hold it. For a long time." Objectively this is a good recommendation.

However, there are a few annoying things in the book:
- *Extremely* repetitive. It drills down the same idea in every chapter. I am sure I heard the phrase "The Relentless Rules of Humble Arithmetic" at least 15 times.
- Cites lots of numbers, comparisons, studies, while recommending a defensive strategy for investment. I don't think people who are hooked on numbers, percentages, profits are defensive in nature.
- Doesn't address taking profits.

If you still want to hear the advice from the author - read or watch an interview with him. You will save about 5 hours this way.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • 21-06-18

Nothing new

For someone who has significant experience in the financial markets, this book offers no new insights. It does reinforce or reminds of some key truths about investing though. The book is also aimed at an American investor and some of the tenets praised by the author are not that relevant for someone living in a different part of the world. The book should be a must read for someone who is just making their first steps in the markets though.

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A must listen/read before you invest a penny

Excellent listen, I wish I had of listened to this 45 days before opening a stocks & shares ISA with Hargreaves & Lansdown and sinking £12k into individual stocks and shares. This book offers the solution I was looking for which is indexing and the simplicity that goes along with it. I run my own business and I just dont have the time to research individual stocks so indexing is better suited to my needs, this book pointed that out with a big stick and I am now taking the indexing route with a Vanguard stocks and shares ISA. Thank you John G. Bogle.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

a great book for the layman investor

This book is a great synostosis about the principles of investing. However I would suggest to read the richest man in Babylon followed by the intelligent investor before reading this book. You will get a lot more from the principles outlined.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

pdf file was not available

great book but pdf was not available. so it was difficult to refer to certain aspects of the audiobook

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Simple

Explain the difference ways to invest in a simple way and with a easy approach.

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3 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Buy index funds

Buy index funds in long run they work better. Now, you read the book. This is first thing you learn if you look at any sensible investing advice out there. Perhaps this book was much more useful when it was originally written.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So much useful concepts

The narrator was great. made an already wonderful book worth it.
I would have never read this. Thanks to audible

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2 people found this helpful