JL Collins: The “Simple” Path to Wealth, FIRE, and Stress-Free Investing

BiggerPockets Money Podcast

BiggerPockets

Investing, Education, Business

4.6 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Simple Path to Wealth is arguably the most influential book in the FIRE movement. JL Collins, its author, is revered among early retirees as one of the trailblazers for FIRE, showing that anyone, with the right investing consistency, can reach financial independence WITHOUT complicated investing strategies, risky alternative assets, or individual stock picking. This is THE simplest way to wealth, but does it still work in 2025? To see, we had to ask the man himself. So, back again, is JL Collins! Today, we’re answering the big questions many FIRE chasers still ask. What’s the right portfolio balance when growing wealth vs. retiring, does JL hold bonds or 100% index funds, should we be worried about all-time-high price-to-earnings ratios, and do you EVER need to rebalance your portfolio? JL answers them all, plus gives Scott his honest take on what a market crash would mean for his portfolio. But what about real estate, cryptocurrency, and other alternative assets? Is there any space in your portfolio for those, or should you only invest in index funds and bonds? JL has some advice you might not expect, but it could help you if you’re itching to diversify. Want to learn more about The Simple Path to Wealth? Pre-order the updated version, The Simple Path to Wealth (Revised & Expanded 2025 Edition), today! In This Episode We Cover The “simple” path to wealth, FIRE, and early retirement explained JL’s exact stock/bond ratio while in retirement (and where yours should be) Are Scott’s concerns about price-to-earnings ratios valid? JL shares his view When to rebalance your portfolio and why “set it and forget it” investing WON’T work REITs, real estate, and crypto: does JL invest in ANY of these alternative assets (and should you)? And So Much More! Links from the Show Mindy on BiggerPockets Scott on BiggerPockets Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place Join BiggerPockets for FREE Email Mindy: [email protected] Email Scott: [email protected] BiggerPockets Money Facebook Group Follow BiggerPockets Money on Instagram “Like” BiggerPockets Money on Facebook Subscribe to the BiggerPockets Money YouTube Channel! The Simple Path to Wealth (Revised & Expanded 2025 Edition) How I Lost Money in Real Estate Before It Was Fashionable Grab “The Simple Path to Wealth (Revised & Expanded 2025 Edition)” Get to FIRE Faster with “Set for Life” Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Money Newsletter Property Manager Finder The Simple Path to Wealth—Index Funds Explained with JL Collins Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-640 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The market in 2025 has become a perfect storm of volatility.
0:04.8	Tariffs escalating, interest rates fluctuating wildly, tax systems in flux, and your hard-earned retirement portfolio caught in the crossfire.
0:13.5	Whether you're just beginning your journey to financial independence or you've already retired early, today's episode will outline the simple strategies for not just surviving
0:22.7	market downturns, but potentially using them to strengthen your position.
0:32.0	Hello, hello, hello, and welcome to the Bigger Pockets Money podcast. My name is Mindy Jensen,
0:36.6	and with me as always is my
0:38.2	not so simple co-host, Scott Trench. Mindy, great to be here. Thanks so much for joining me on the
0:43.2	perpetual path to wealth for our listeners that we are always on. Bigger Pockets has a goal of creating
0:48.2	one million millionaires. You are in the right place if you want to get your financial house
0:51.5	in order because we truly believe financial freedom is attainable for everyone no matter when or where you're starting as long as you
0:57.6	follow a consistent long-term approach.
0:59.8	We are so excited to be joined by the one and only J.L. Collins.
1:03.0	I think this is the third time, maybe the fourth time we've now had you on.
1:06.8	But if you aren't familiar with J.L., he is the author of The Simple Path to Wealth, one of the best
1:11.9	reads in the personal finance category and the history of what's been written out there.
1:17.9	A lot of ways, it's even a better audiobook, if you haven't checked it out yet.
1:21.3	Now, with 10 more years of market chaos as evidence, J.L. has worked on an updated book
1:26.6	with a powerful message.
1:27.8	Simplicity isn't just easier, it's actually more effective.
1:31.5	And I also want to call out this is very timely, given that I have been a little skittish
1:36.2	about the public markets in the recent past.
1:38.8	And so we're going to have me getting schooled by J.L. here today.
	...

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