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John Bogle Quotes

31 quotes from John Bogle — Founder of Vanguard Group and creator of the first index mutual fund..

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“Common sense tells us that performance comes and goes, but costs go on forever.”

— John Bogle

“The mutual fund industry had lost its way. It had become more focused on gathering assets and generating fees than on serving investors. I knew there had to be a better way.”

— John Bogle

“I can't believe that the great mass of investors are going to be satisfied with receiving just average returns. The name of the game is to be the best.”

— Fidelity Executive (1976)

“If a statue is ever erected to honor the person who has done the most for American investors, the hands down choice should be Jack Bogle. In his case, there is no doubt: he has saved investors more money than any other human being.”

— Warren Buffett

“In investing, you get what you don't pay for. Costs matter. So invest in funds that have low costs.”

— John Bogle

“The miracle of compounding returns is overwhelmed by the tyranny of compounding costs.”

— John Bogle

“Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy. Take advantage of compound interest and don't be captivated by the siren song of the market.”

— John Bogle

“The mutual fund industry has been built, in a sense, on witchcraft. The witch doctor tells the people, 'I'll make you rich,' and they believe it.”

— John Bogle

“After nearly 50 years in this business, I do not know of anybody who has done it successfully and consistently. I don't even know anybody who knows anybody who has done it successfully and consistently.”

— John Bogle

“The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing.”

— John Bogle

“Buy right and hold tight.”

— John Bogle

“Don't look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack!”

— John Bogle

“Stay the course. When I take a ship from here to England, I don't get off at every port. I stay on the ship.”

— John Bogle

“The stock market is a voting machine in the short run, but a weighing machine in the long run.”

— John Bogle

“Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy.”

— John Bogle

“The idea that a bell rings to signal when investors should get into or out of the market is simply not credible. After nearly fifty years in this business, I do not know of anybody who has done it successfully and consistently. I don't even know anybody who knows anybody who has done it successfully and consistently.”

— John Bogle

“Investing is not nearly as difficult as it looks. Successful investing involves doing a few things right and avoiding serious mistakes.”

— John Bogle

“The winning formula for success in investing is owning the entire stock market through an index fund, and then doing nothing. Just stay the course.”

— John Bogle

“If you have trouble imagining a 20% loss in the stock market, you shouldn't be in stocks.”

— John Bogle

“The mutual fund industry has been built, in a sense, on witchcraft.”

— John Bogle

“Most investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best way to own common stocks is through an index fund that charges minimal fees.”

— John Bogle

“The fund industry has moved from being a profession of stewardship to a business of salesmanship.”

— John Bogle

“We must never forget: In the long run, investing is not about markets at all. Investing is about enjoying the returns earned by businesses.”

— John Bogle

“Enough. The word has a nice ring to it. Enough of what we have. Enough of what we've achieved. Enough of what we've accumulated.”

— John Bogle

“Your success in investing will depend in part on your character and guts, and in part on your ability to realize at the height of ebullience and the depth of despair alike that this too shall pass.”

— John Bogle

“The business of investing is the business of stewardship. And stewardship is the business of serving others.”

— John Bogle

“I think we all have to ask ourselves: How much is enough? At what point do we say, 'I have enough wealth, I have enough power, I have enough prestige?' The word 'enough' has a nice ring to it.”

— John Bogle

“The index fund is a most unlikely hero for the typical investor. It is no more (and no less) than a broadly diversified portfolio, typically run at rock-bottom costs, without the putative benefit of a brilliant fund manager.”

— John Bogle

“Index funds eliminate the risks of individual stocks, market sectors, and manager selection. Only stock market risk remains.”

— John Bogle

“The greatest enemies of the equity investor are expenses and emotions.”

— John Bogle

“I would always choose the fund with the lower costs. It's the only thing you can control.”

— John Bogle

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John Bogle

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John Bogle

Founder of Vanguard Group and creator of the first index mutual fund.