What is most inspiring about this book is John Bogle's personal example. He has lived the life he espouses, and continues to do so. Through a variety of personal anecdotes and observations about modern times, he explains why we need to return to the basic values of character and thrift. He applies this message to investing, but the book is more social commentary than financial advice. What he does say about investing is exemplified in the approach Vanguard uses. Having studied the economics of personal finance early in his career, Bogle built Vanguard on the principle that investors can't expect to beat the market, especially while paying multiple "croupiers" along the way. The sensible approach is to invest indexes, using the lowest cost means possible. I still hold that someone needs to look for better returns at some point. A poorly managed company will eventually fail and it would be prudent to exit such an investment once that writing is on the wall. Overall, I enjoyed this book for its simple message. ( )

I'm not sure exactly what I should call this book. Is it finance? Is it motivational? Is it biography? I can't really say. But it is an interesting read when viewed from any of those perspectives. Of course, John Bogle is a fascinating guy and has rocked the world of finance over his lifetime, so he is eminently qualified to give us some words of advice on finance.

In this book, Bogle spends about 2/3 of the time working his way through 'what is wrong in finance.' Informative and thought provoking coming from him to be sure, but often a bit more technical than I would usually be able to ingest.

He also has sections on 'life' and 'money.' These two are more applicable for me, and he has some very poignant ideas on where America has gone wrong and what we can do about it. Some of the best sections are regarding America's need for true leaders and not just managers. He does a great job motivating the reader to integrity, courage and strength as a leader.

In short, I can definitely recommend this book, but if you aren't in to the technical aspects of finance, you will find yourself skimming through about 2/3 of the book before you get to the good stuff! ( )