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JL Collins •
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How to make sure you get the right version of The Simple Path to Wealth
As most of you already know by now, as of May 20, 2025 there is a new, updated version of The Simple Path to Wealth available. Indeed, it has already reached #7 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. If you buy the book at Barnes & Noble or any local bookstore, you’ll automatically… [Continue Reading]
The Book: The Simple Path to Wealth
The Simple Path to Wealth
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Yes, you can rent with kids!
From JL: Turns out you can still travel, even with a kid. Who knew? Certainly not their detractors. For years they confidently said, “You can only travel as you do, and be FIRE’d, because you don’t have kids. Once you have a kid, you’ll have to settle down and very likely have to go back… [Continue Reading]
Guest Posts Homeownership
JL Goes International, and to ETFs…… Oh my!
Photo by siamak poorjam on Unsplash Sometimes we do things that seem minor to us but somehow create a stir in others. So it seems with a couple of, to me, minor adjustments I recently made to the Collins portfolios. If you care, here’s the scoop. Adding International A couple of weeks ago… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Some Thoughts on Spending
Photo by Gabriel Meinert The subject of spending seems to be getting a lot of attention of late in and around the financial independence (FI) community. The issue seems to be that those pursuing FI are on a path of deprivation and delayed gratification, and this behavior becomes so ingrained that when the time… [Continue Reading]
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JL Goes International, and to ETFs…… Oh my!
Photo by siamak poorjam on Unsplash Sometimes we do things that seem minor to us but somehow create a stir in others. So it seems with a couple of, to me, minor adjustments I recently made to the Collins portfolios. If you care, here’s the scoop. Adding International A couple of weeks ago… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
The one thing that will determine whether the market makes you wealthy or leaves you bleeding on the side of the road
I’ve been an investor in the stock market for 50 years. Here’s the one thing that will determine whether the market makes you wealthy or leaves you bleeding on the side of the road: What you do when the market drops. Market drops fall into three broad categories: Corrections, which are drops of ~10% Bear… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
A New Edition of The Simple Path to Wealth
Let’s start with a couple pieces of exciting news, and then I’ll fill you in. First, there is a brand new edition of The Simple Path to Wealth coming to bookstores on May 20th. Second, my pal Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache himself, and I will be doing a live zoom conversation, open to everyone… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series The Book: The Simple Path to Wealth
Deja vu all over again
April 7, 2025 Deja vu all over again A few short years ago my blog comment section and social media were blowing up. Panic was in the air. The comments were varied, but uniformly convinced this time was different. As a theme, they ran along these lines: “JL, I love your work and have been… [Continue Reading]
Money Stock Investing Series
Are Index Funds a Bubble?
Lanju Photografie, Unsplash Recently a friend reached out asking for my take on concerns raised in this article: What Goes Up I hate these kind of requests, probably because every time this sort of hand wringing article appears, people want me to talk them down off the ledge. Ordinarily, I ignore these requests. Guess… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Part XXXVI: Estate Planning 101 — The Simple Path to an Estate Plan
Pull Your Head Out of the Sand By Vicki Cook and Amy Blacklock Before I sat down to write this post, I re-read The Simple Path to Wealth. This quote from JL… “As individuals we only have one obligation to society: To make sure we, and our children, are not a burden to others.” …is… [Continue Reading]
Guest Posts Stock Investing Series
Investing with Vanguard for Europeans: 2020 update
Please Note: If you are outside Europe and the US, please be sure to read thru the comments on the original of this post. They have become a valuable forum for investors from all over the world. Who knew? Certainly not I. This all started when I wrote a series of letters to my daughter… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Part XVII-B: ETF vs. Mutual Fund — What’s the Difference?
While I touched on it in Part XVII, the differences between ETFs and Mutual Funds is a recurring question here. Perhaps I should have covered it better. Let’s do that now. We’ll use VBTLX and its ETF version, BND, as examples since those were my choices in my most recent move. ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) were… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXV: Investing for Seven Generations
As I have mentioned many times, we don’t discuss secret stuff at Chautauqua. There is no “special sauce” revealed for investing or life not available here on the blog or in my book. But we do kick around ideas and I sometimes explore concepts rattling around in my brain with the exceptional attendees Chautauqua always… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks–Part XXXIV: How to unload your unwanted stocks and funds
If you have come here, read thru the Stock Series and decided the simple low-cost approach described makes sense, you are now faced with the problem of how do you get from where you are to where you want to be. That is, what do you do with all the investments you already have? How, exactly, do… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXIII: Optimism
Ya gotta be optimistic if yer gonna be an English Major Several years ago, as an English Major myself and because I can’t draw, I put a description of the cartoon above in my “About” page and in a post or two I can’t remember just now. In it I invited “one of my talented readers”… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Stocks — Part XXXII: Why you should not be in the stock market
A couple of weeks back my pal and fellow Chautauqua speaker Firecracker and I were talking. At one point I was sharing with her an insight I had begun to develop about myself. Namely that I simply must be fundamentally wired differently than most folks. One of the key human characteristics that research has nailed down… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing SeriesRecommended Resources
Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: The Best Card for Travel Rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has always been a favorite among travelers, and now it offers even more reasons to love it. The big sign-on bonus and recently introduced additional perks have elevated this card’s appeal, making it a must-have for those seeking flexible and valuable travel rewards. With the introduction of Chase Ultimate Rewards®… [Continue Reading]
Stuff I recommend
Develop Your Skills and Talents
By Shawn Jenkins and Jonathan Mendonsa Shawn Have you ever considered your career to be like a brokerage account for financial freedom? You want to make the most of what’s in your account—or career—but you also want to do things to grow the account. In terms of a career, that translates to increasing your income…. [Continue Reading]
Education Guest Posts Stuff I recommend
Chainsaws and Credit Cards
Post Highlights: Credit cards are powerful, dangerous tools. If you fail to understand them and use them poorly, they can become an endless source of misery and debt. Credit card variable interest rate increases are tied to the prime rate, so as the Fed raises the interest rate, the interest rate on your credit card… [Continue Reading]
business Money Stuff I recommend
The Simple Path to a Lucrative Career
It is always wise to be careful in choosing with whom you associate and do business. The older I get the more this has proven true. I’ve known Jonathan and Brad, the founders of ChooseFI, for a long time. I was one of their first podcast guests and have been honored to be invited back… [Continue Reading]
Guest Posts Stuff I recommend
Review: Empower Retirement Planner
Empower If you have come here, read through the Stock Series and decided the simple low-cost approach described makes sense, you are now faced with the problem of how do you get from where you are to where you want to be. That is, what do you do with all the investments you already have?… [Continue Reading]
Money Stuff I recommend
Tuft & Needle: A better path to sleep
About a decade ago and roughly a mile from where I lived at the time there was a mansion on a hill. As I don’t much care about mansions I don’t recall many of the details. I do remember a huge pool in the center of the house with columns running along the sides and… [Continue Reading]
Stuff I recommend
Betterment: The Alternative to DIY Investing
One of the things I’ve learned in the years I have been writing this blog is just how many people there are whose eyes begin to glaze over at the mere mention of investing. They know it is important but their mind just shuts down when the topic comes up. They have better things to… [Continue Reading]
Money Stuff I recommendPopular Articles
Stocks — Part XVII: What if You Can’t Buy VTSAX? Or Even Vanguard?
Today we’ll explore some alternatives In Part VI of this Stock Series, and in other posts on the blog, I recommend two specific mutual funds: VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund) VBTLX (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund) These are the funds I own myself. In each case they are the “Admiral Shares” version. As such… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series
Why your house is a terrible investment
James Altucher calls homeownership a part of The American Religion, so I know I’m treading dangerous ground here. But before you get out the tar and feathers, let’s do a little thought experiment together. Imagine over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine we get to talking about investments. Then maybe one of… [Continue Reading]
Homeownership
Stocks — Part VI: Portfolio Ideas to Build and Keep Your Wealth
Today we’re gonna look at the fun stuff. What, exactly, can we use to build and keep our wealth. I’m going to give you three portfolios each using the tools (funds) we discussed last time. First will be exactly what I tell my 20-year-old to do. She couldn’t care less about investing. With this simple… [Continue Reading]
Stock Investing Series