Book · 2007
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
by John C. Bogle
John Bogle's case for index funds in 200 pages: own the whole market, pay almost nothing, and wait — cited 262 times on Reddit and counting.
What does Reddit think of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing?
r/Bogleheads accounts for 199 of those mentions — the book is practically a founding document there — and the community cites it so reflexively that one ↑152 thread mocked up a fake helpline where "contemplating market timing" routes callers straight to it. r/investing's 62 mentions carry the highest per-sub sentiment of any sub in this dataset and lean more prescriptive: commenters pair it with A Random Walk Down Wall Street as a two-book course on why stock-picking is arithmetic's loser. The ↑199 r/investing comment reproduces Bogle's core argument from memory: simple arithmetic suggests active management, in aggregate, must underperform the market by the exact cost of its fees. The ↑166 r/Bogleheads commenter calls the expense-ratio chapter a genuine eye-opener. The one contested note: an r/Bogleheads commenter (↑227) points out that Bogle predicted a 4–5% annual equity return for 2007–2017 in this book's pages, and that actual returns came in far higher — a rare note of skepticism in otherwise deferential company. Mention volume peaked at 69 in 2023.
Evidence, not a rating
Recommendation receipt
A compact, source-linked answer derived from the same Reddit sample and editorial synthesis as this page.
Editorial summary
r/Bogleheads accounts for 199 of those mentions — the book is practically a founding document there — and the community cites it so reflexively that one ↑152 thread mocked up a fake helpline where "contemplating market timing" routes callers straight to it.
Read if
You've heard 'just buy index funds' a dozen times and want the source document. This is it. r/investing explicitly rates it above The Intelligent Investor for someone opening their first brokerage account — the ↑361 thread says so directly. If you already hold VTSAX and understand why expense ratios matter, the book confirms what you know and you can skip it. Read it first, though.
Skip or borrow first if
The r/Bogleheads ↑227 commenter notes that Bogle's own 2007–2017 return forecast in this book missed significantly — actual returns came in much higher.
Strongest published evidence
“I agree fully. The Intelligent Investor is not a book I'd recommend to new investors unless they are seriously interested. I see it get recommended to parents looking for financial books for their 16yo kids. IMO, although full of good content, the way this book is written I found it to be pretty de…”r/investing source · score 361 ↗
Dissent & strongest caveat
The r/Bogleheads ↑227 commenter notes that Bogle's own 2007–2017 return forecast in this book missed significantly — actual returns came in much higher.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Index fund investing vs. active management
- · The arithmetic of fees and market returns
- · Low-cost fund selection and expense ratios
- · Market timing as a losing strategy
- · Bogle's forecasting record
Common praise
- + The expense-ratio argument lands hard enough that r/Bogleheads commenters describe stopping their active fund contributions the same week they read it.
- + r/investing (62 mentions) quotes Bogle's core thesis from memory in unrelated threads — the book has become the standard rebuttal to stock-picking arguments.
- + The r/Bogleheads ↑152 fake-helpline joke works precisely because everyone on the sub already knows what the book says.
- + At under 200 pages, it delivers the entire passive-investing case without padding; r/Bogleheads calls it a quick read that explains everything.
Common criticism
- − The r/Bogleheads ↑227 commenter notes that Bogle's own 2007–2017 return forecast in this book missed significantly — actual returns came in much higher.
- − r/investing threads suggest the book doesn't go deep enough for readers who want to understand mechanisms, not just conclusions.
- − The core thesis fits in a paragraph; some threads imply the book repeats the same point across chapters without adding much.
Who it's for
You've heard 'just buy index funds' a dozen times and want the source document. This is it. r/investing explicitly rates it above The Intelligent Investor for someone opening their first brokerage account — the ↑361 thread says so directly. If you already hold VTSAX and understand why expense ratios matter, the book confirms what you know and you can skip it. Read it first, though.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Little Book of Common Sense Investing?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“I agree fully. The Intelligent Investor is not a book I'd recommend to new investors unless they are seriously interested. I see it get recommended to parents looking for financial books for their 16yo kids. IMO, although full of good content, the way this book is written I found it to be pretty de…
“I’m pretty sure you wrote this sarcastically but fwiw: - 70% lose generational wealth by the 2nd generation - 90% lose generational wealth by the 3rd generation - 80% of millionaires today are self made It’s actually a lot harder than it sounds to instill discipline into people who haven’t earned …
“Meanwhile Vanguard has literally been making this same forecast since 2007. I remember sitting up attentively while reading John C. Bogle's The Little Book of Common Sense Investing where he predicted a 4%-5% average annual return in equites for the decade of 2007-2017. We all know how that turned o…
“There are classic books that explain in detail why trying to pick individual stocks "is a loser's game". Chief among them is A Random Walk Down Wall Street. I would spend my summer reading these two books. If you want to try your hand at stock picking I wouldn't go 50:50. I would use 10% or less of …
“The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns. It's a quick read too.
“I'm just going to leave this snippet of the first two paragraphs of the introduction to The Little Book of Common Sense Investing here: "Successful investing is all about common sense.... Simple arithmetic suggests, and history confirms, that the winning strategy for investing in stocks is to own…
“Read the "Little book of common sense investing". It explains everything. My big takeaway from it is that no mutual fund will beat the total market long term so why pay someone(high expense ratio) to even try. It was a real eye opener.
“Thank you for contacting the Bogleheads helpline. How may we direct your call? If you are contemplating market timing, hang up and read *The Little Book of Common Sense Investing* Press 1 to be told to keep down payment in HYSA Press 2 for a link to approximating VTSAX Press 3 to debate US vs …
Convinced? Pick up The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Little Book of Common Sense Investing — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Simple Path to Wealth
JL Collins
A retired fund manager distills 40 years of index investing into one rule: buy VTSAX, ignore the noise, and wait.
The Millionaire Next Door
Thomas J. Stanley
A 1996 study of 1,000 American millionaires found they drove used cars, lived in modest houses, and got rich by spending less than they earned.
The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel
Morgan Housel paid off a 3% mortgage early and calls it his best money decision ever — 209 Reddit mentions say the paradox is the whole point.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street
Burton G. Malkiel
Burton Malkiel's 50-year argument that you can't beat the market, backed by data, and Reddit's most-cited reason to stop stock-picking.
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
Taylor Larimore
The index-fund bible that turns 136 Reddit mentions into one repeatable answer: buy, hold, ignore the noise.
The Wealthy Barber
David Chilton
A Canadian barber explains index funds and pay-yourself-first saving to his regulars, and the advice still holds up decades later.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing — frequently asked
What does Reddit think of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing?+
Broadly favorable, across 262 mentions over 7 years. r/Bogleheads (199 mentions) treats it as the community's foundational text — the ↑152 market-timing helpline joke is the most upvoted use of the title, and it works because everyone knows what the book says.
Is The Little Book of Common Sense Investing accurate after Bogle's 2007 return forecast missed?+
Yes on the core thesis, less so on that forecast. The ↑227 r/Bogleheads commenter notes Bogle predicted 4–5% annual returns for 2007–2017 in this book, and actual returns came in far higher. The community treats this as a data point rather than a disqualifier. The fee-arithmetic argument doesn't depend on any particular return number.
Should I read The Little Book of Common Sense Investing or A Random Walk Down Wall Street?+
The ↑225 r/investing comment recommends both in the same thread and treats them as a paired summer reading course before touching individual stocks — Malkiel for the academic grounding, Bogle for the practical conclusion. The consensus is they cover the same territory from different angles. Read Bogle first; it's shorter.
Is The Little Book of Common Sense Investing worth reading if I already know about index funds?+
Probably not. r/Bogleheads treats it as the introductory text. If you already own a total-market fund and understand expense ratios, the book confirms your priors. Its value is in the conversion — getting someone from confusion to a defensible first investment. After that, you've extracted what it offers.