A boring way to become rich: The Simple Path To Wealth, by JL Colins – A Book Review

As a book enthusiast, I firmly believe that books are a necessary part of life. They expose us to new ideas and methods, and help us improve ourselves as well as our understanding of the world and how to best adapt to it. Reading books can also be a great way to reduce stress, improve our imagination, and entertain us while helping us develop life skills.

Today, I want to share with you my thoughts on a book that has had a profound impact on my perception of personal finance, “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins.

In this post, we will introduce you to the author, JL Collins, provide an in-depth summary of the book, highlight the main takeaways and interesting facts, and discuss who the book is suitable for. We will also suggest other similar books that you might be interested in checking out. Are you ready to dive in and learn more about this book that changed our lives?

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The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

“The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins is a comprehensive guide to personal finance and investing that provides a simple and straightforward investment strategy for achieving financial independence through saving, investing, and living below one’s means.

The Simple Path To Wealth in a nutshell

About the author

JL Collins is a retired businessman and investor who has spent years researching and practicing the principles outlined in his book, “The Simple Path to Wealth”. He is also a popular blogger and writer, known for his easy-to-understand and practical approach to personal finance and investing. His book is based on his own experience and knowledge gained during his journey towards financial independence.

Detailed summary

The book is a guide to investing and building wealth through the stock market, and it emphasizes the importance of saving and investing early in life.

The book starts by discussing the importance of living below one’s means and avoiding consumer debt. JL Collins stresses that the key to building wealth is to save and invest as much money as possible, and that this is only possible if you are not spending all of your income on consumer goods and services. He explains that by living below your means, you will be able to save more money, which can then be invested to grow over time. He also highlights the dangers of consumer debt, and how it can cripple your ability to save and invest, and put you in a never-ending cycle of debt payments.

Once you get a grasp of the importance of saving, JL Collins moves on to the topic of investing. He advocates for a simple investment strategy of buying low-cost index funds and holding them for the long-term. He explains that by investing in a broad range of stocks, you are able to achieve market returns, without the risk of picking individual stocks. JL Collins argues that index funds are the best way to achieve consistent returns over time, and they are also less risky than other types of investments. He also stresses the importance of diversifying your portfolio, which allows you to spread the risk across a range of different assets.

The book also covers the topic of early retirement and achieving financial independence. JL Collins explains that by saving and investing early in life, you are able to take advantage of the power of compounding, which means that your money will grow exponentially over time. He argues that if you can achieve financial independence, you will have the freedom to do what you love, without being tied to a traditional 9-to-5 job. He also covers some of the psychological and emotional aspects of early retirement, and how to prepare for it.

Throughout the book, JL Collins uses real-life examples and personal anecdotes to illustrate the concepts he is discussing. He also provides practical advice and tips on how to implement the strategies he outlines. He also covers the topic of tax management and how it can improve your returns, and some common mistakes that investors make and how to avoid them.

The book is written in a conversational and easy-to-understand style, making it accessible to readers of all levels of financial knowledge. JL Collins provides a comprehensive guide to personal finance and investing, which is based on years of research and experience.

Main takeaways

In summary, “The Simple Path to Wealth” is a comprehensive guide to personal finance and investing. It provides a simple and straightforward investment strategy that anyone can follow, regardless of their starting point. The book emphasizes the importance of saving and investing early in life, the power of compounding, the dangers of consumer debt and the importance of tax management.

Here are 5 main takeaway from the book:

1. The importance of saving and investing early in life to take advantage of the power of compounding over time.
2. The value of living below your means in order to have more money to save and invest.
3. The simplicity of index funds as a way to achieve consistent returns without the risk of picking individual stocks.
4. The power of diversification in spreading the risk across a range of different assets.
5. The benefits of achieving financial independence and the freedom it offers.

Interesting facts

Here are 3 interesting facts about the book:

1. The author, JL Collins, became financially independent at the age of 35 and retired at the age of 42, thanks to the strategies outlined in the book.
2. The author emphasizes the power of compounding, which is the process of earning interest on interest over time, as a key to achieving financial independence.
3. The book has been widely praised for its easy-to-understand style and practical advice, making it accessible to people of all levels of financial knowledge.

How did this book affected our lives?

When we first learned about the concept of financial independence, “The Simple Path to Wealth” was one of the first books we dove into. Previously, we had been heavily invested in individual stocks of the company we worked for, through their ESPP program, which gave us the opportunity to purchase shares at a discounted price. However, this book taught us the dangers of putting all of our eggs in one basket and not diversifying our portfolio. As a result, we sold most of our stock and transitioned to investing in index funds.

This book also gave us the confidence to invest in the stock market in general. Since we started investing in index funds in 2017, we have not looked back and have been enjoying generous dividends from our investments.

In addition to investing in index funds, we also decided to diversify our portfolio by purchasing a bit of real estate. This allowed us to diversify our investments beyond the stock market. While real estate may not be as passive of an investment as the stock market, it offers a different type of return. Instead of dividends, the return on real estate investments comes in the form of rent. Additionally, while the principal investment (purchase price) may not grow as rapidly as dividends, the return on investment (rent) is generally higher.

Who is The Simple Path to Wealth for?

This book is written in a conversational and easy-to-understand style, making it accessible to people of all levels of financial knowledge. I would recommend this book to:

1. People who are just starting to think about their financial future and want to learn more about saving and investing.
2. People who are looking for a simple and straightforward approach to investing, without the need to constantly monitor their investments.
3. People who want to achieve financial independence and retire early.

Similar books

If you enjoyed reading “The Simple Path to Wealth” by JL Collins, here are some other books that cover similar topics you might also want to read:

“Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez: This book provides a comprehensive program for achieving financial independence through budgeting, saving, and investing.

“Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki: This book provides a different perspective on money and investing, and explains the difference between assets and liabilities, and how to build wealth through investments in real estate and small businesses.

“The Simple Dollar: How One Man Wiped Out His Debts and Achieved the Life of His Dreams” by Trent Hamm: This book provides practical advice on how to live a frugal life and pay off debt.

“The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach: This book provides a step-by-step plan for achieving financial independence through automatic savings and investing, and is written in an easy-to-understand style.

“Money Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom” by Tony Robbins: This book provides a comprehensive guide to personal finance and investing, and covers topics such as saving, investing, retirement planning, and achieving financial freedom.

“I Will Teach You to Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi: This book provides a step-by-step plan for achieving financial independence through saving, investing, and budgeting, and is written in an easy-to-understand style.

What about you?

Have you read “The Simple Path To Wealth” by JL Collins? If so how has the book changes your perspective on saving and investing? Are there any specific strategies or tips from the book that you plan to implement (or have already implemented) in your own financial plan? What is your thoughts on the author’s approach to achieving financial independence through living below one’s mean, investing in index funds and diversifying one’s portfolio?

Please leave us a comment in the comment section below with your thoughts as we would love to hear from you. Also, if you are not following JL Collins, please check out his blog at https://jlcollinsnh.com/ immediately and sign-up for his newsletter.