Character Counts : The Creation and Building of the Vanguard Group

by John C. Bogle

How John Bogle built Vanguard and transformed the investment world­­in his own words Jack Bogle remains one of the titans of the investment world and a hero to the independent investor, as renowned for his influence as he is respected for his accomplishments. Character Counts is the story of how Vanguard was born, why it has flourished, and what leadership principles and management practices fostered its development. Covering the period 1974­2001, the story is told through the dozens of potent and memorable speeches he has given to Vanguard crew members over the years, interspersed with a narrative that provides context and explanation. This "you are there" approach provides new insights into one of the world's most important financial institutions­­and into the mutual fund industry itself. Character Counts paints an indelible portrait of the man Fortune named one of the "four giants of finance" of the 20th century.

Genres: Finance

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

John Clifton "Jack" Bogle (born May 8, 1929) is the founder and retired CEO of The Vanguard Group. He is known for his 1999 book Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor, which became a bestseller and is considered a classic.
More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._...

Reviews

[James Pinola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't think it would ever end, I should have just bailed on it. Painfully repetitive, dry, boring. A few, and I mean a few, nuggets of wisdom but not worth the effort. I should have just read the cliff notes online and called it a day but I felt a tug of guilt to read this because it was gifted to me.

[Karen Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helps me have a framework for reading other investment books. I enjoyed both the story and information that Bogle writes about. Many people do not even know that Vanguard is a not-for-profit enterprise, and this book tells how and why it came into being.

[Wayne Zill · Rating 5 out of 5]

IF our investment managers and financial institutions had half of the character and investment principles of John Bogle, we most likely would not be in the financial mess we are in since 2007 ... This is well worth reading, especially after the experience we are having in America from 2007 to 2010 and perhaps for the rest of most of our lives ....

[Neil · Rating 1 out of 5]

An ego project to bind a boring man's speeches into a book.

Vanguard is a great company with a great mission. In a world of greedy financial service companies, Vanguard does occupy the moral high ground of not being built to turn a profit. And Bogle has done a tremendous job to shape an industry, but Gandhi he is not. This book should be pulped with anything Lee Iacocca or Jack Welch wrote.