Only an income-producing possession, suc... by William J. Bernstein | We Heart Quotes

Only an income-producing possession, such as a stock, bond, or working piece of real estate is a true investment.

- William J. Bernstein

Other quotes by William J. Bernstein

Ideally, a fine painting, like a house, is neither a speculation nor an investment; it is a purchase. Its value consists solely of the pleasure and utility it provides now and in the future. The dividend the painting provides is of the non-financial variety.

- William J. Bernstein

There are only two kinds of investors: those who don’t know where the market is headed, and those who don’t know that they don’t know. Then again, there is a third kind: those who know they don’t know, but whose livelihoods depend on appearing to know.

- William J. Bernstein

Market history shows that when there’s economic blue sky, future returns are low, and when the economy is on the skids, future returns are high.

- William J. Bernstein

An index fund dooms you to mediocrity? Absolutely not: It virtually guarantees you superior performance.

- William J. Bernstein

If you are such an individual and become upset when one of your asset classes does poorly, even when the rest of your portfolio is doing well, then you should not be managing your own money.

- William J. Bernstein

Would you believe me if I told you that there’s an investment strategy that a seven-year-old could understand, will take you fifteen minutes of work per year, outperform 90 percent of finance professionals in the long run, and make you a millionaire over time? Well, it is true, and here it is: Start by saving 15 percent of your salary at age 25 into a 401(k) plan, an IRA, or a taxable account (or all three). Put equal amounts of that 15 percent into just three different mutual funds: A U.S. total stock market index fund An international total stock market index fund A U.S. total bond market index fund. Over time, the three funds will grow at different rates, so once per year you’ll adjust their amounts so that they’re again equal. (That’s the fifteen minutes per year, assuming you’ve enrolled in an automatic savings plan.) That’s it; if you can follow this simple recipe throughout your working career, you will almost certainly beat out most professional investors. More importantly, you’ll likely accumulate enough savings to retire comfortably.

- William J. Bernstein

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