Critique
The Advisor Fee Problem
How a 1% AUM fee costs you $2,090,862 over 30 years ā and why the real number is always worse than it appears.
Buy The Haystack
New here? Start with these.
If you just found Buy The Haystack, welcome. Here's the fastest way to get up to speed on what we're doing and why it matters.
Step 1 ā Start with the problem
Most people are paying far more than they need to.
Critique
Do active managers actually beat the market?
97.8% of active large-cap growth managers underperformed their benchmark over 15 years. The SPIVA data, explained simply.
Critique
Why timing the market doesn't work
The JP Morgan data that changes how you think about market crashes ā and why staying invested is the only strategy that consistently wins.
Critique
The Wall of Worry
Every crisis in market history from 1920 to today ā and what happened after every single one of them.
Step 2 ā Understand the alternative
Simple investing isn't a compromise. It's the strategy the data supports.
Education
Active vs passive investing ā explained simply
The average active fund costs 32 times more than a passive index fund. Here's what that actually means for your money.
Action
The young investor's playbook
If you're young there is one investing decision that matters. Everything else is noise.
Action
The 401k ā most people are using it wrong
Your most powerful wealth-building tool, explained simply. The employer match alone is a 100% instant return on your money.
Action
The simple playbook ā four rules
Four rules that cover 99% of what you need to know about investing. No jargon, no complexity.
Step 3 ā Figure out where you fit
Not everyone needs the same solution.
ā Read the About page
Explains the three types of investor ā the true DIYer, the guided DIYer, and the advisor-appropriate investor ā and helps you figure out which path makes sense for your situation.
Free tools
See the numbers for yourself.
Calculator
ā Advisor Fee Calculator
Move the sliders to see exactly what a 1% advisor fee costs you over your investing lifetime ā including the compounding you lose forever.
Stay in the loop
New posts every week.
Data-driven personal finance education ā no BS, no advisor fees, just the data.