“In the dark, bewildering, trap-infested jungle of misinformation and opaque riddles that is the world of investment, JL Collins is the fatherly wizard on the side of the path, offering a simple map, warm words of encouragement and the tools to forge your way through with confidence. You'll never find a wiser advisor with a bigger heart.” -- Malachi Rempen: Filmmaker, cartoonist, author and self-described ruffian

This book grew out of a series of letters to my daughter concerning various things—mostly about money and investing—she was not yet quite ready to hear.

Since money is the single most powerful tool we have for navigating this complex world we’ve created, understanding it is critical.

“But Dad,” she once said, “I know money is important. I just don’t want to spend my life thinking about it.” This was eye-opening. I love this stuff. But most people have better things to do with their precious time. Bridges to build, diseases to cure, treaties to negotiate, mountains to climb, technologies to create, children to teach, businesses to run.

Unfortunately, benign neglect of things financial leaves you open to the charlatans of the financial world. The people who make investing endlessly complex, because if it can be made complex it becomes more profitable for them, more expensive for us, and we are forced into their waiting arms.

Here’s an important truth: Complex investments exist only to profit those who create and sell them. Not only are they more costly to the investor, they are less effective.

The simple approach I created for her and present now to you, is not only easy to understand and implement, it is more powerful than any other.

Together we’ll explore:
<ul class="a-unordered-list a-vertical">
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Debt: Why you must avoid it and what to do if you have it.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">The importance of having F-you Money.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">How to think about money, and the unique way understanding this is key to building your wealth.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Where traditional investing advice goes wrong and what actually works.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">What the stock market really is and how it really works.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Why the stock market always goes up and why most people still lose money investing in it.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">How to invest in a raging bull, or bear, market.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Specific investments to implement these strategies.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">The Wealth Building and Wealth Preservation phases of your investing life and why they are not always tied to your age.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">How your asset allocation is tied to those phases and how to choose it.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">How to simplify the sometimes confusing world of 401(k), 403(b), TSP, IRA and Roth accounts.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">TRFs (Target Retirement Funds), HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) and RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions).</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">What investment firm to use and why the one I recommend is so far superior to the competition.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Why you should be very cautious when engaging an investment advisor and whether you need to at all.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Why and how you can be conned, and how to avoid becoming prey.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">Why I don’t recommend dollar cost averaging.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">What financial independence looks like and how to have your money support you.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">What the 4% rule is and how to use it to safely spend your wealth.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">The truth behind Social Security.</span></li>
 	<li><span class="a-list-item">A Case Study on how this all can be implemented in real life.</span></li>
</ul>
Don’t let any of this intimidate you. Those that have gone before you say:

“….in his patented no-frills and often humorous style, JL makes it both approachable and simple. And powerful.”
“…effective message told in a visual, funny style.”
“…a refreshingly unique and approachable take on investing.”
“JL Collins has the gift of making boring financial concepts funny and interesting.”
“Instead of esoteric equations about measuring a stock's alpha and comparing it to its beta, he lights up the campfire and starts telling stories.”