John Bogle s journey from industrypioneer to one of itstoughest critics
Arguably the greatest shareholder advocatein the history of Wall Steet, John Bogle notonly created the first index mutual fundbut has become the primary voice for change inan industry plagued by excess and complacency.Bogle stumbled upon mutual funds by accident in1949 as a college student at Princeton. In his junioryear, he read a Fortune article about the burgeoningfund industry that sparked his interest, and hewrote his now famous senior thesis about it.
What began as an intellectual pursuit would turninto Bogle s life mission. The House That Bogle Builtchronicles the years of Bogle s development fromcollege whiz kid into a titan of the mutual fund industryand shareholder advocate highlighting hiscreation of the Vanguard Group and the Vanguard500 Index Fund and his frequent battles to shakeup the status quo. It takes you through the twodecades he spent running Vanguard, until hisforced retirement in 1999, and discloses what he thinks about the fund industry today.
Bogle has always stood out for his extraordinarytalents in math, analysis, management, and investing.But his most noteworthy trait is his mostbasic: his humanism in an industry not exactlyfamous for placing people over profit. It s Bogle sdedication to clients interests above all else thathas earned him the reputation as the conscience of the investing industry.
In his ninth decade of life, Bogle is remarkablycandid about the role he plays at Vanguard today and about his opinion of Jack Brennan, hissuccessor. How do you keep Vanguard a placewhere judgment has at least a fighting chance totriumph over process? he asks. Skeptical but never defeatist, Bogle maintains a retired-but-activestatus at the company, keeping a close watch overthose now at the helm of Vanguard.
The House That Bogle Built reveals one of the investingworld s most fascinating and complex figures.A dogged advocate of shareholder democracy, hewas a self-confessed dictator at Vanguard. Abrilliant mathematician, he is more interested inpeople than numbers. Fiercely competitive, he bemoansthe cut-throat approach that drives his industryof choice. Always, though, Bogle places thegood of the client before anything else a practicethat has become steadily rarer in his business.
The House That Bogle Built provides an insightfullook at the past, present, and future of one of today slargest industries, through the eyes of one of itsmost influential pioneer.
