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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
  • Written by: John C. Bogle
  • Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
  • Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (376 ratings)

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The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

Written by: John C. Bogle
Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
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Publisher's 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.

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What listeners say about The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

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    5 out of 5 stars

wow what a great book

I'm 69 years old have a nice portfolio I built through the bank but I'm not making any money. that's not true I am making some money but the bank is taking most of it. But not any more I've moved most of my money to Quest trade I'm now investing on my own mostly in index funds and I feel very comfortable im going to do very well all thanks to this one book and help from a good friend. Anyway great book I learned a lot

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10 people found this helpful

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  • Don
  • 2019-03-12

Never to late...

I wish I had read this book 10 years ago. This book has changed by perspective on long-term investing and while I still enjoy "trading" I realize that long term steady gains require a simple buy and hold philosophy - and is probably my best strategy for Retirement fund. Picking individual stocks to do this with is not easy (i.e. GE). So the concept of buying the "Market" makes sense, and at the same time avoiding high fees associated with Mutual Funds is a no-brainer. RIP John C. Bogle and Thank you.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Necessary reading

This book is important as it teaches you fundamental investment knowledge that financial advisors have an incentive not to. For that reason alone I recommend this book to all investors or would be investors.

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4 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

disappointing

after idolizing buffet and picking one of his must reads, I lost a bit of respect for him. all I got from it was a long commercial for ETFs. contrary to what buffet mentions all the time about only needing a few stocks and to hold for the long term yet ETFs are almost the compete opposite. they mention how fees eat up a person's returns which is a reason not to use Mutual funds but rather to use ETFs which still require a fee compared to no fee equities... I don't get it.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars

Very tedious to get through

The writing is uninteresting and repetitive. You hear the phrase “don’t take my word for it” atleast 30 times, could you not have been more creative with different phrases? This book could have been 1h30m and you would have got the exact same information. Overall the information is useful on index funds but you can find this information elsewhere and probably wont want to pull your hair out listening to it.

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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

Great book!

This is a must-read/listen for anyone who wants to learn about investing. The book is well written, covers important topics, and is really interesting. L. J. Ganser is easy to listen to - it seems like he was meant to read this book. #Audible1

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic and simple to understand.

a great introduction to index fund investing. no nonsense with real world examples. The accompany pdf is very informative.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Keep It Simple....

The book is fairly short in listening time and based on simplicity and common sense. The main theme is reiterated throughout it's chapters along with sub themes. Would recommend to the young investor.

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1 person found this helpful

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Essential book on index investing

classic book that anyone interested in investing should read. presents a solid argument for passive index investing.

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1 person found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Very little substance

The contents of this book could have easily been compressed into a couple of chapters. I was hoping for something with a little bit more substance after reading The Intelligent Investor

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