1893: An Excerpt From Transparent Investing: How to Play the Stock Market Without Getting Played by Patrick Geddes

The investment industry wants you to believe in stock market wizards who can predict the future and make a killing for you. But there's a simpler way to invest using indexing that offers better returns and less stress—no crystal ball needed.

We all know from experience that rational thoughts often lose out to primal cravings: if someone handed you a plate of chocolate cake and a plate of broccoli right now, which would you instinctively reach for?

When investing, you face this same tension between the part of your brain that longs for the sweet, satisfying allure of beating the market versus the rational and wise part that chooses the boring solution offering better results. You also face an uphill battle against an industry that makes more money selling you the finance equivalent of chocolate cake.

This is the truth the investment industry doesn't want you to know: a low-cost passive portfolio not only earns you higher returns on average than active investing (the kind that makes them the most money) but is also shockingly simple to build and manage. Smart investing doesn't have to be intimidating or as complicated as the faux wizards behind the curtain want you to believe. With Transparent Investing, you'll learn how the game works and how to achieve your investment goals with far less study, time, and anxiety than you might think.