Ten years ago, John Bogle, founder and retired CEO of The Vanguard Group, wrote a book titled “Common Sense on Mutual Funds.”  This long-running national best-seller has been praised since the day it was first published.  On one of our favorite blogs, the author reviews some of the updates that Bogle has made to the new edition.  Bogle didn’t make dramatic changes; rather, he updated his text based upon his last decade of experience.  His findings are what we would expect.

Followers of our blog will not be surprised by what Bogle confirms and highlights.  Essentially, Bogle’s updates expand upon the belief that one can achieve financial goals and be a successful investor by taking some simple steps.

1. Maintain a long-term horizon.
2. Diversify through broad index funds
3. Invest in low-cost funds
4. Avoid over-trading
5. Keep tax-efficiency in mind
6. Beware of active fund managers
7. Hold a balanced portfolio of equity and bonds - per your risk preferences.

Perhaps investing should not be as exciting as many pretend it should be.  A disciplined approach may be boring, but it also continues to prove to be effective.