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The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism [Hardcover]

John C. Bogle (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)


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Book Description

November 1, 2005
There is no one better qualified to tell us about the failures of the American financial system and the grotesque abuses that have taken place in recent years than John Bogle, who as founder and former chief executive of the Vanguard mutual funds group has seen firsthand the innermost workings of the financial industry. A zealous advocate for the small investor for more than fifty years, Bogle has championed the restoration of integrity in industry practices. As an astute observer and commentator, he knows that a trustworthy business and financial complex is essential to America’s continuing leadership in the world and to social and economic progress at home.
This book tells not just a story about what went wrong but, more important, the story of why we lost our way and of how we can right our course. Bogle argues for a return to a governance structure in which owners’ capital that has been put at risk is used in their interests rather than in the interests of corporate and financial managers. Given that ownership is now consolidated in the hands of relatively few large mutual and pension funds, the specific reforms Bogle details in this book are essential as well as practical. Every investor, analyst, Wall-Streeter, policy maker, and businessperson should read this deeply informed book.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Despite its inflated title, this volume is a worthy jeremiad against corporate excess, especially the kind hastened by the mutual fund industry that Bogle, former CEO of low-cost Vanguard, knows well. Among the problems: inflated executive compensation and creative accounting that allows companies to claim profits even when they're in the red. Mutual fund companies, Bogle charges, care more about short-term results than long-term value, and many of them gain profits for larger parent corporations by charging investors unnecessary fees that undermine the funds' net returns. To remedy such problems, Bogle writes, mutual fund owners and their fiduciaries must exercise the corporate responsibility they now shirk, and fund boards must be reshaped to serve the interests of shareholders. He advances in all seriousness Warren Buffett's once-joking idea for a high tax on short-term trading gains and calls for a federal commission to examine the way pension funds are managed, as well as the state of our retirement systems in general. While other recent books, such as David Swensen's Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment, marry similar criticisms with more advice for individual investors, Bogle—a rock-ribbed Republican businessman—still deserves attention in the precincts of power. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"This is an important book for the post-Enron era. In his characteristic hard hitting style, one of the legends of the mutual fund industry presents an insider’s view of what’s wrong with corporate America and what can be done to improve it."—Burton G. Malkiel, Princeton University
(Burton G. Malkiel )

Simply put, capitalism has too many characters and not enough men of character. When one of the few tells us that the system he loves is ailing, and how he''d fix it, we had best listen."—Cliff Asness Ph.D., Managing and Founding Principal, AQR Capital Management

(Cliff Asness )

"In his characteristic style, Bogle delivers strong medicine for what ails our capital markets and corporate governance framework. Not all will agree with everything that he has written, but they would be wise to take note, as his message is resounding and his proposals go to the heart of crucial debates about management, ownership, and value creation."— Devin Wenig, President, Business Divisions, Reuters Group

(Devin Wenig )

“Jack Bogle has written a brilliant and insightful book that highlights the many ways that our economy has suffered because managers have placed their own economic interests ahead of those of owners and investors. Bogle offers prescriptions that, if enacted, will help prevent a repeat of the scandals that we have witnessed over the past five years.”—Eliot Spitzer, Attorney General, New York

(Eliot Spitzer )

"John Bogle has written an insightful book with great historical and contemporary perspective. His analysis of what has gone wrong and what needs to be done should be required reading for students, financial practitioners, and official policymakers."—Henry Kaufman, President of Henry Kaufman and Company, Inc.

(Henry Kaufman )

"This is a must-read book for anyone interested in how to restore badly needed integrity, and efficiency, to our capital markets."—Honorable Peter G. Peterson

(Honorable Peter G. Peterson )

"Bogle describes the continuous struggle for control of our capitalistic system, the odds being heavily in favor of the managers.  Individual investors and beneficiaries remain helpless, intermediaries are passive or conflicted, and boards not yet effective.  You owe it to yourself to read this book and reflect on his call for further federal intervention to restore some balance."—Ira Millstein, Senior Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP  
(Ira Millstein )

"A wake-up call to policy makers. Anyone who cares about the future of [America] needs to read [this] book."—Jack Treynor, President of Treynor Capital Management, Inc.

(Jack Treynor )

"Once again Jack Bogle is the clearest and most courageous voice pointing out critical flaws in our governance and financial system but also showing in constructive, brilliant ways how to make the timely repairs. This book presents a rare blend of erudition, experience, and utility. It should be required reading for CEOs, public policy leaders, and MBA students—if not all informed investors."—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Yale University

(Jeffrey Sonnenfeld )

"In this tour de force, Bogle subjects corporate America to a forceful critique. Keen insights, rich experience, and moral courage shine throughout. Anyone interested in our corporate system should read this book, and those who do will never see corporate America the same again."—Lucian Bebchuk, Harvard University 

(Lucian Bebchuk )

"This superb book should be a required reading for every business student in college. Like a fine surgeon, Jack Bogle dissects what is wrong with the capital markets from an investor’s view, and at the same time provides a well-reasoned cure."—Lynn Turner, Former Chief Accountant of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

(Lynn Turner )

"Jack Bogle has done more to protect corporate shareholders from mounting abuses at the hands of greedy and negligent CEOs, directors, and money managers than anyone in America. The case he makes here is so powerful and well reasoned that our Washington politicians will be hard pressed to ignore it."—Mario Cuomo, 52nd Governor, New York State

(Mario Cuomo )

"John Bogle has done more to help ordinary investors than any other person in America today. He continues his battle on behalf of shareholders with this impassioned new book. Every investor and every policy maker should read his ideas for reform."—Peter Fitzgerald, U.S. Senator for Illinois, Retired
(Peter Fitzgerald )

"The American wage earners’ pension and 401(k) savings are now a major source of capital. Incredibly, although the source of capital is democratized, wealth is more concentrated. Jack Bogle finds this contradiction unacceptable and in this book shows us how to democratize the rewards of capitalism."—Ray Carey, author of Democratic Capitalism: The Way to a World of Peace and Plenty

(Ray Carey )

"This book is a gift to the reading and investing public. Bogle uniquely understands mutual funds and everyone needs to listen when he warns of the deceptions that have plagued the industry. Investors will profit if they follow his simple straightforward advice."—Robert A.G. Monks, author of Corporate Governance

(Robert A.G. Monks )

"Jack Bogle’s The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism is arguably the most important treatise on the bubble era. Policymakers, investment fiduciaries and individual investors should read and act upon Bogle’s prescriptions. The stakes are high: our collective financial souls."—Steve Galbraith, Limited Partner, Maverick Capital

(Steve Galbraith )

"Jack Bogle says exactly what needs to be said, and he does it with gusto. His tales and lessons should be required reading for any business leader, plus they offer great insights for smart investors."—Walter Isaacson, The Aspen Institute
(Walter Isaacson )

"Over the past half century, American capitalism nearly lost its soul. One of the few who noticed was Jack Bogle. Now, for the first time, he tells the whole tale as only Jack Bogle can: just what happened, just how it happened, and just how to fix it. This is mandatory reading for anyone with a dollar to invest or an interest in the future of American capitalism."—William Bernstein, author of The Birth of Plenty



 

(William Bernstein )

"Jack Bogle’s brilliant tour de force provides the first integrated view of how our system of investing often destroys more value than it creates. Bogle clearly understands how the system works and how perverse motivations are undermining value creation. Always a pragmatic, he offers workable and practical solutions of how to get back on track."—William W. George, Former Chairman and CEO of Medtronic, Inc.

(William W. George )

"Bogle . . . makes clear what went wrong and who is to blame."—Paul B. Brown, New York Times

(Paul B. Brown New York Times )

“[Bogle’s] book is yet another important contribution in an illustrious career.”

(Jeff Madrick New York Times Book Review )

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (November 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300109903
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300109900
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #825,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John C. Bogle (Bryn Mawr, PA) is Founder of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and President of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center. He created Vanguard in 1974 and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer until 1996 and Senior Chairman until 2000. He had been associated with a predecessor company since 1951, immediately following his graduation from Princeton University, magna cum laude in Economics. The Vanguard Group is one of the two largest mutual fund organizations in the world. Headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Vanguard comprises more than 100 mutual funds with current assets totaling about $742 billion. Vanguard 500 Index Fund, the largest fund in the group, was founded by Mr. Bogle in 1975. In 2004, TIME magazine named Mr. Bogle as one of the world's 100 most powerful and influential people, and Institutional Investor presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1999, FORTUNE designated him as one of the investment industry's four "Giants of the 20th Century." In the same year, he received the Woodrow Wilson Award from Princeton University for distinguished achievement in the nation's service."

 

Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
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3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 132 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism", October 1, 2005
This review is from: The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism (Hardcover)
Jack Bogle, often called the "concience of the industry," has written a powerful book on a subject that concerns every American--"capitalism." As founder and retired CEO of the second largest mutual fund company in the world, Mr. Bogle understands capitalism. He has the unusual ability (for a businessman) to write beautifully, logically and understandably for the average reader. "The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism" is the result.

The thrust of Mr. Bogle's message (documented over and over) is that corporations are now controlled by their managers--not by their owners (shareholders). (The average CEO compensation has soared to 280 times that of the average worker.) Mr. Bogle deftly lays out the problem, but more importantly, he gives us the solution that will return capitalism to its owners and value creation. I could not put the book down.

Taylor Larimore,
Miami, Florida
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76 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A True Friend of Capitalism, October 8, 2005
This review is from: The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism (Hardcover)
The individual investor has no better friend than Jack Bogle. Not only did he introduce index funds as a significant investment alternative some thirty years ago, but he has consistently and uncompromingly spoken out against the shareholder-unfriendly practices of his own mutual fund industry. "The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism" is a beautifully written, persuasively argued overview of how corporate and investment fund shareholders are short-changed. More importantly, Bogle offers sensible reforms to fix the problems. This is more than an investor's book, it is an essential book for all caring citizens.
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56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Wake Up Call, October 1, 2005
This review is from: The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism (Hardcover)
In his usual tell-it-like-it-is, no-holds-barred fashion, Jack Bogle names names and affixes blame where it belongs as he outlines the major problems facing our present system of capitalism, with special emphasis on the greed and coruption in corporate America and in the investment arena, and the failure of our "gatekeepers" to do their jobs properly. Like the true leader and visionary that he is, Bogle not only identifies the problems, but offers sound solutions as well. Powerful stuff! A must-read for investors as well as those who care about the future of American capitalism.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
We begin with an analysis of what went wrong in corporate America, reflected in "a pathological mutation" from traditional owners' capitalism to a new form, managers' capitalism. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Wall Street, Social Security, Merrill Lynch, Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, Morgan Stanley, New York Times, Adam Smith, United States, Time Warner, Berkshire Hathaway, Federal Reserve, King Kong, Arthur Andersen, Attorney General Spitzer, John Maynard Keynes, Magellan Fund, Vanguard Group, Alexander Hamilton, Institutional Too, Investment Company Institute, Lord Keynes, Massachusetts Investors Trust, Morgan Chase, Owners of the World
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