Book · 1989
The Wealthy Barber
by David Chilton
A Canadian barber tells his three young clients how to get rich slowly, one parable at a time, decades before anyone said 'index fund.'
What does Reddit think of The Wealthy Barber?
r/Bogleheads and r/financialindependence split the fourteen recognized references almost evenly, and neither one is arguing that this is a live investing manual anymore. The ↑35 r/Bogleheads comment remembers Dave Chilton's touring joke better than any chapter: he tells rooms full of professional managers and CFAs how it feels to spend all that money proving you can't beat an index fund. The ↑11 r/financialindependence comment is more direct about the cost of that joke aging well while the book didn't, broad coverage of estate planning, insurance, home ownership, saving, retirement, written before indexing was the default answer. What holds up, per the ↑5 comment, is the gift-copy habit: handing it to nieces and nephews at high school graduation because it's simpler than Ramit Sethi and right-sized for someone who's never opened a bank account. r/investing mentions it twice, unscored, without adding an argument either way.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · A pre-index-fund primer on Canadian personal finance
- · Dave Chilton's live-talk joke about professional managers losing to index funds
- · Broad life-stage coverage: estate planning, insurance, home ownership, retirement
- · A graduation-gift book rather than a portfolio strategy
Common praise
- + The ↑35 comment remembers Chilton's index-fund joke better than most people remember the book's actual chapters.
- + The ↑5 comment calls it simpler than Ramit Sethi and perfect for a teenager who's never had a bank account.
- + The ↑11 comment credits it with covering estate planning, insurance, home ownership, and retirement in one sitting.
Common criticism
- − The ↑11 comment flags it as written decades ago and not reflective of current investing trends like indexing.
- − r/investing mentions it twice without scoring or elaborating on why it still comes up.
- − None of the displayed excerpts argue it still functions as a standalone portfolio guide.
Who it's for
Buy it for the teenager who's never opened a bank account, not for yourself if you already lurk r/Bogleheads. The ↑5 comment's move, handing out copies at high school graduation, is close to the only use case the data actually defends: broad, simple, dated. Want live index-fund mechanics instead of a barber's parables? The ↑35 comment already shows you where Chilton's own material stops and the joke about beating the market begins. Treat this as an on-ramp, then graduate to whatever your subreddit is currently arguing about.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for The Wealthy Barber?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Take your pick - I did enjoy The 4 Pillars of Investing - some history thrown in and very detailed explanation of different asset classes and how to build a strong portfolio. - If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly – an excellent free 15 page PDF by William Bernstein: [DOWNLOAD LINK](htt…
“Dave Chilton, the guy who wrote The Wealthy Barber, does talks all over Canada and the US to professional managers, CFA holders, etc. and often opens with a joke that goes something like "how does it feel to spend all that time and all that money just to realize that you can't beat an index fund?" …
“I hope you enjoy it! It's a very broad personal finance book that goes through estate planning, insurance, home ownership, short term saving, long term saving, retirement planning, etc.. **Fair warning:** It was written decades ago and isn't exactly reflective of current investing trends (like inde…
“This probably not going to help you, but I used to give copies of The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton to nieces and nephews at high school graduation time. It's a very good, and very simplistic book. Like, more simple than Ramit, but perfect for a teenager
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Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with The Wealthy Barber — counted from the comments, not curated.
The Wealthy Barber — frequently asked
Is The Wealthy Barber still worth reading in 2026?+
Depends on what you need from it. As a portfolio guide, no, the ↑11 r/financialindependence comment says outright it predates index investing and isn't reflective of current trends. As a plain-language intro to estate planning, insurance, and saving basics for someone starting from zero, the same comment still credits it with covering that ground broadly.
Who is The Wealthy Barber for?+
Beginners, specifically young ones. The ↑5 r/financialindependence comment describes gifting it to nieces and nephews at high school graduation, calling it simpler than Ramit Sethi's material and right-sized for a teenager. Nobody in these excerpts recommends it to someone already reading r/Bogleheads regularly.
Does The Wealthy Barber cover index fund investing?+
Not really. The ↑35 r/Bogleheads comment is about Dave Chilton's speaking-tour joke aimed at professional managers who can't beat an index fund, not the book's own advice, which the ↑11 comment says was written before indexing became the default answer for retail investors.
Is The Wealthy Barber better than Ramit Sethi's books?+
The one comment that compares them doesn't call it better, just simpler. The ↑5 r/financialindependence comment says The Wealthy Barber is 'more simple than Ramit,' framing it as the easier on-ramp for a teenager rather than a replacement for Sethi's more current material.