Book · 2021
The Simple Path to Wealth
Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life
Why people recommend it
The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is a foundational personal finance guide that demystifies investing through straightforward, long-term strategies centered around index funds and frugality. On ChooseFI, host Brad Barrett and author JL Collins celebrated the release of the revised and expanded 2025 edition, praising the work as the single most important book within the financial independence community. Barrett noted that the book's principles help readers realize that investing does not need to be overly complex, which explains why community members frequently gift copies to friends, recent graduates, and acquaintances. Collins shared that the most meaningful compliments he receives come from readers who previously struggled to understand financial concepts until picking up his book made everything finally click. During discussions on market volatility and economic uncertainty, Barrett emphasized that the steady, time-tested framework outlined in the text helps individuals maintain discipline, learn what true wealth requires, and hold onto their assets over the long haul. Across the episode, both speakers underscored how the book equips ordinary people with the mindset and tactical knowledge needed to navigate economic anxieties, simplify their portfolios, and steadily build lasting financial independence through calm, deliberate execution.
Who recommended it
- Brad Barrett Recommended
- JL Collins Discussed
- Mindy Jensen Discussed
Brad Barrett — 8 mentions
“And what's really exciting is his book, The Simple Path to Wealth, is actually coming out, a new version of it, the revised and expanded 2025 edition.”
“You have revised and updated really the single most important book in the FI community which is the simple path to wealth.”
“It's a book that people just gift. And I know I told you a friend of mine has renters and every single renter, she has travel nurses that stay with her and every single renter that comes through her house, she gifts a copy of The Simple Path to Wealth.”
“And because I thought investing was complex and I think when you read the stock series and now of course the simple path to wealth, you realize this can be simple and that's the real beauty of it.”
“And I know we're recording this at the end of April 2025. There's been a whole lot of craziness going on in the world the last couple months. And people are fearful, people are scared, they're uncertain, maybe the biggest thing. And in periods of uncertainty, people usually look for safety.”
“So, you and I are recording this at the end of April, but the book is coming out May the 20th, 2025. So, this is the revised and expanded, updated version of The Simple Path to Wealth.”
“If people want to get in touch with you, of course, your website is jlcinsnh.com and the revised expanded 2025 edition of Simple Path to Wealth comes out May the 20th, 2025, but it's available for pre-sale. This comes out the day before this episode.”
“I mean, so just one great piece of wisdom JL Collins had was to title his book The Simple Path to Wealth. And people say, well, wait a minute, that's just the simple path. And I I come back with, well, the simple path and the best path are not necessarily mutually exclusive.”
JL Collins — 3 mentions
“Finally, the biggest compliment I get that I most appreciate comes from people who who say, you know, I've tried to understand this investing stuff. I've tried reading different books about it and I've just never been able to get it and I pick up the simple path to wealth and suddenly it makes sense to me.”
“And so I think while it takes a long time of following the simple path to wealth to become wealthy, you also learn how to be wealthy and you learn what it takes and you are far more likely to hang on to it.”
“So for that decade the market on average returned I think a negative.63 63. I mean, not even a negative 1%.”
Mindy Jensen — 2 mentions
“One of the things that Scott and I really wanted to bring to everybody's the forefront of everybody's mind is you don't know what you don't know. and you I would hate for somebody to have read the simple path to wealth or worse have heard about the simple path to wealth, throw everything in VTSAX in their retirement accounts,”
“I want people to be making decisions on their investments based on information and education. not just because they heard from their best friends, sisters, boyfriends, brothers, girlfriend that JL Collins wrote this book that said, "Put it all in VTSAX, then you don't have to do anything anymore."”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And I think the beautiful part about FI over the last really almost decade since a simple path to wealth came out since choosi started in early 2017 is there are different flavors of it.”