What Is the Boglehead Approach?
The Boglehead approach is a simple, evidence-based way to invest, inspired by John C. Bogle, founder of the first index fund for individual investors. Its followers believe ordinary people can build wealth without stock picking, market timing, or expensive advice.
The core ideas
- Live below your means and invest the difference early and often.
- Have a plan: a written target mix of stocks and bonds.
- Diversify broadly by owning whole markets through index funds.
- Keep costs low: fees compound against you every year.
- Minimize taxes by using tax-advantaged accounts first.
- Don't try to time the market. Nobody does it reliably.
- Stay the course through crashes and booms.
Why it works
Before costs, investors as a group earn the market's return. After costs, the average actively managed dollar must trail the market. An index fund simply owns the market at minimal cost, so over long periods it beats most of the alternatives — not by being clever, but by being cheap and consistent.
What it is not
It is not a get-rich-quick plan, and it is not exciting. Boring is the point. Your edge is time, savings rate, and discipline.
Not financial advice. This article is general education. Consider your own circumstances or consult a fee-only fiduciary.