The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life

Collins reflects on his own resistance to index fund investing and credits Jack Bogle—founder of Vanguard and creator of the first S&P 500 index fund—as a key figure in democratizing investing. Collins explains how Bogle challenged a financial industry built on expensive, underperforming products by offering low-cost index funds aligned with investor interests. Despite initial ridicule, Bogle’s model gained traction as data increasingly showed its effectiveness.

Collins uses historical context, including Warren Buffett’s endorsement of indexing, to highlight the credibility and growing relevance of Bogle’s approach. Nevertheless, he notes that managed funds persist due to greed and investor psychology. His bias in favor of Vanguard and indexing is clear, grounded in the belief that simplicity outperforms complexity in investing.

While framed from a US investor’s perspective, the message has broad applicability: avoid high-fee products and trust broad-based index funds. Collins positions this not just as a financial strategy, but as a defense against an industry designed to profit off confusion. His takeaway is direct: own index funds, preferably through Vanguard, and keep more of one’s own money.

Collins dismantles the illusion that individual investors—or even seasoned professionals—can consistently beat the market through stock picking. Drawing from personal experience, he shares how even top analysts with deep industry knowledge often fail to outperform index funds.