Customer Reviews

Common Sense on Mutual Funds: Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition

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I read Jack Bogle's first book, "Bogle on Mutual Funds" in 1994. It changed my investing life forever--and for the better. We often say: "We live in the house that Jack Built."

I have read all of Mr. Bogle's books and learned from every one. He is a gifted writer with an unequaled background in investing. Fortune magazine designated him as one of the investment industry's four "Giants of the 20th Century." He instituted the first index mutual fund which became the largest mutual fund in the world, and he also founded the only mutual fund owned by its shareholders (Vanguard).

"Common Sense on Mutual Funds (updated) is actually, two books in one. It is his first edition written 10-years ago with charts and data completely updated. In addition, throughout the book, is Jack's commentary on the many changes that have taken place during the past 10 years and how it relates to what he wrote in the original edition. I found it notable that the common sense advice Mr. Bogle dispensed in the first book has stood the test of time remarkably well.

"Common Sense on Mutual Funds--Fully Updated" deserves a place on the bookshelf of every serious investor.

Some people are larger than life in their fields and everyone would likely agree that Jack Bogle is such a figure in the mutual funds area. Bogle founded Vanguard in the 70's and has since helped ordinary people make more money than perhaps anyone else living or dead. At least he helped those who had the intelligence to listen to his advice. Which is pretty much to invest in really boring index funds for your entire life and then come back decades later and be astonished at how wealthy you are.

This book was originally written in 1999 right before the telecom/internet stock mania finally took its well-deserved step off the cliff. This edition supplements the original book with updated charts and commentary on what the last decade of volatility has wrought. Bogle's view, backed up by data, is that even the past 10 years hasn't altered his view of the correct strategy - if anything it has been strengthened. If you are not greedy and stick with boring stuff then you don't really have too much to worry about over the long haul.

Given Bogle's message of simplicity I am confused about a book that requires a whopping 600 pages to make the point. Much of what he says gets repeated over and over and over again, to the point where it leaves a far less crisp message than intended. If you are not convinced by page 50 or so that index funds are the way to go, the remaining 550 pages will probably not be all that much more persuasive. In the process he is also less than clear about Vanguard. Perhaps it is just a polite or "objective" writing style, but repeatedly saying things like "all mutual funds companies, with one exception...", when he really means Vanguard, makes little sense to me. Given his continuing involvement with Vanguard it would remove any hint of conflict if he just made things even clearer. Of course, if such a statement really references a company other than Vanguard it would be even more interesting to know that.

The book really is good and comprehensive but also made me wonder for whom it is written. The people who most need his advice are young, since they by definition have the longest investment horizon. But, somehow I doubt that a lot of 20-year olds will be using this tome to address issues in their lives that are 40 years in the future. It is really too bad because I believe the message needs to get out there. I wish that I had known of Bogle when I was 20 and had had the guts to stay with it through thick and thin.

Everyone should read some Bogle but some of his shorter books may be a better start.

In Common Sense on Mutual Funds: Fully Updated 10th Anniversary Edition, John C. (Jack) Bogle has done what most would have considered to be an impossible task. He's taken his 10-year old best-seller (Common Sense on Mutual Funds) and made it even better. This version is updated to reflect the recent and often unpleasant events in the market and the marketplace. There's commentary on what worked and what didn't, and he shows how his timeless message still holds true today, using recent events to make his point. Charts and return data have also been fully updated. This new version is a must addition to any mutual fund investor's library. If you can only find time to read one investing book, this is that book. Read it and reap!

Jack Bogle has produced a real monster of a resource this time! This greatly expanded volume (some 650 pages in all!) has all the verve and audacity of a work you'd expect from industry rogue, Bogle, and is jampacked with new information and updated statistics that help to make his message seem more relevant now than ever before. In the Preface to the 10th Anniversary Edition, Bogle addresses the recent upheaval in the markets in the context of his time-tested formula for ensuring the integral, health of investors' portfolios and posting consistent gains over the long haul. Bogle's investment philosophy emphasizes the importance of maintaining a streamlined portfolio that relies on stock indexing and conservative, long-range predictions regarding growth.

Avoiding the kind of I-told-you-so rhetoric that many readers may find off-putting in these difficult times, Bogle diplomatically explains how recent trends in the markets confirm the advantages of owning a highly diversified portfolio managed according to certain intelligent investment principles, which he has termed the 12 Pillars of Wisdom. He gives hope to investors who may have made some wrong turns or were misled during the housing boom by offering them a practical plan for how to get their investments back on the right track.

Bogle's game has always been mutual funds--he's one of the originators and foremost experts in America on this unique investment type. In the ten years since the original publication of Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor and the 35 years since he founded the Vanguard Group, John C. Bogle has remained the one constant an industry where fortunes and reputations are made and lost practically overnight. This 10th Anniversary Edition explains why mutual funds continue to be effective financial instruments that work by leveraging the combined buying power of a large pool of investors and equitably distributing gains and losses among the ownership pool. Bolge points out which types of mutual funds to add to your portfolio and which to stay away from based on their proven track records of long-range durability. In an insightful final section titled "On Spirit," Bogle offers actionable solutions for dealing with a market that operates according to principles of instability that mirror those of human psychology. Bogle's investment philosophy is perfect for the risk-averse investor, which, let's face it, is pretty much everyone these days.

Another pertinent investment strategy book published this year, which captures the DIY spirit of the John C. Bogle's "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" is Thomas C. Scott's Fasten Your Financial Seatbelt: What A Fatal Plane Crash Taught Me About Retirement Planning. This guide articulates an investment game plan similar to Bogle's. It has the added advantage of being is a quick and easy read, especially when compared with Bogle's more ponderous tome.

After 10 years, this classic Jack Bogle book continues to be the clearest and most concise book published to date on why index investing works, and why it will continue to be the superior investment strategy for investors in the future. What has Mr. Bogle changed since his first edition? Not much. And that is strong testament for this strategy.

John (Jack) Bogle's Common Sense on Mutual Funds is a must read and with the updated data, Mr. Bogle's wise words of wisdom have been confirmed that Index Investing does pay off in the long run. God Bless you Jack in preaching common sense. We are forever indebted to you.

If you are looking for one book to start with to learn about investing this is a great start. John Bogle founded the Vanguard Group and he is an advocate for low cost index funds. This book will help you learn about mutual fund expenses, how to compare funds against and index and what to look for in management. This book won't teach you everything you need to know about investing but it will make it a lot easier to learn more if you want to.

The average investor would benifit greatly from reading this book. The recent economic downturn has demonstrated that Jack Bogles ideas are timeless. In my opinion most investors would benifit from Bogle's updated Common Sense and Benjamin Graham's Intelligent Investor and Security Analysis. One idividual is overly optimistic the other overly pesimistic and the average joe should find the path that lie's in-between. Forget slice and dice, forget recent out performance of certain market sectors, in the long run it hardley matters. Some lessons are hard to learn but the previous mentioned books will demonstrate them over and over. Price is what you pay, value is what you get. Own the entire stock market and own the highest quality fixed income you can find. Its really that simple and you can't force returns from assets that are not there to begin with. You dont need a library of investment books just two authors will suffice.

I read this updated edition because the first edition was so well written and I wanted more! In my opinion, if you had only one book to read about learning how to prudently invest in the stock market, this would be the book. I'm confident in saying that after I read this book, I learned more about investing than many people will ever know about the subject.

Thank you Jack Bogle for your numerous books, and speeches letting the small investor see, investing doesn't have to be a difficult process. You have inspired a legion of fans known as the, "Bogleheads," because you have given us the tools to make informed investing decisions, and have cared about giving, the small investor, "a fair shake."

this is *the* book to read on mutual funds. it's a hefty tome coming in at 600+ pages, but fear not. this book does not read like a dry financial report. bogle is opinionated and his writing flourishes with reminders of his personality amidst the endless but important charts and tables. to spice things up, bogle makes references to a wide variety of sources including shakespeare, thomas paine, scripture and even hegel! by the time you're done, you'll know *everything* you've ever wanted to know (and more) about the mutual fund industry, all straight from the founder of the vanguard group himself. for those afraid of the size of this book, perhaps check out bogle's "little book of common sense investing" instead and then come back to this book if you want more details.

bogle's main message is that costs do matter and simplicity is the best way to avoid costs. the recommendation is to buy low cost broad-based index funds that will outperform the vast majority of actively managed mutual funds in the long run. notice by the definition of "average" that the average investor will get average market returns minus fees and taxes. notice the low cost broad-based index fund gets average market returns minus *minimized* fees and taxes. the index investor will thus outperform the average investor in actively managed mutual funds given all the extra costs associated with active management. also notice that the margin of victory from indexing will compound over the years and will lead to an even greater index fund performance in the long run. that's the gist of why indexing works. if you're not convinced, read bogle's book!

even if you've already read some of the other great passive investing books espousing the virtues of indexing, you still owe it to yourself to read at least one of bogle's books. "common sense on mutual funds" is both readable as well as comprehensive, and would be a good addition to your library. burton malkiel, rick ferri, william bernstein, larry swedroe and others have all written excellent books on the subject as well, but they also hold differing opinions on the specifics, so read all of these authors! i was already convinced on indexing after first reading malkiel's book, but continued reading more on passive investing to work out all the details. these books as a whole help reinforce the main ideas while also exposing the reader to the authors' differences in perspectives, thus building confidence in the reader to think and succeed as an independent d.i.y. investor.

of particular interest to me was the issue of small-cap value tilting. i was ambivalent on this practice, but bogle's book convinced me to *not* small-cap value tilt. readers who already know what small-cap value tilting is should feel free to skip to the next paragraph. now, for those unfamiliar with the terminology, stocks are divided according to size (small-cap, mid-cap, large-cap) as well as style (value, blend, growth). the size refers to the company's size as measured by its market capitalization, i.e. the number of shares multiplied by the price per share. the style is another way to partition stocks according to certain numbers such as price/book ratios and dividend yields; there's no agreed upon standard that's universally accepted for what constitutes a value/blend/growth stock. informally, you could think of value stocks as those that are not currently favored by the market for whatever reason. at the opposite extreme, growth stocks are "hot" stocks that scream potential. blend stocks are in between value and growth. given 3 sizes and 3 styles, there are thus 9 size-style combinations. according to research done by professors fama and french, small-cap value stocks significantly outperform the other 8 size-style combinations in the long run. the problem is, small-cap value stocks make up about 3% of the total stock market. small-cap value tilting means overloading on small-cap value stocks to try to capture the bonus identified in the fama/french research, but that also means underweighting 97% of the total market and potentially missing out if the other 8 size-style combinations outperform small-cap value. you see the dilemma.

bogle's repeated message of simplicity, as well as his emphasis on reversion to the mean, ultimately convinced me to resist the temptation of small-cap value tilting. bogle's unwavering conviction in the simple serves as a necessary component in the chorus of voices, helping to guide your investment decisions, even on the more esoteric matters. and although the message of simplicity is easily stated, i am glad bogle wrote a comprehensive text because the details illustrating the majesty of simplicity is what finally settled the small-cap value tilting question for me.

this book's huge size and scope definitely has its drawbacks, not the least of which is the sheer intimidation factor. nevertheless, i believe this book does serve a useful role in the catalog of passive investing, and bogle was the only one who could've written it.