$10K invested in VTI (2001) $0 today

The Simplest Path to Building Wealth

One fund can change your life. A few more can optimize it. Inspired by JL Collins and Paul Merriman's timeless wisdom.

Explore Portfolios Our Philosophy
Buy. Hold. Chill. Complexity is a tax. Simplicity is a return. Your portfolio called. It wants fewer funds.

Choose Your Path

Three evidence-based portfolio tiers, each building on decades of academic research into factor investing.

Good

The 1-Fund Strategy

The heart of VTI & Chill. One fund, the entire US stock market, zero complexity. Buy it, hold it, live your life.

VTI
~$3.0M
$10K over 55 years (backtested)
 Better

The 4-Fund Strategy

Balanced diversification. Four asset classes covering US and international equities with value tilts.

AVUS AVUV AVLV AVSC
Near-optimal returns
Similar to 10-fund with fewer holdings
 Best

The 10-Fund Ultimate

Maximum diversification. 10 asset classes, ~12,000 companies globally. The Paul Merriman "Ultimate Buy & Hold."

AVUS AVUV AVLV AVSC AVDV AVDS VNQ +3
Historically superior
Outperforms S&P 500 with lower volatility

Why Index Funds Win

Index funds are "self-cleansing" — failing companies drop out, winners rise to the top through cap-weighting. You never need to pick stocks.

Wall Street profits from complexity. Your edge is simplicity. Dollar-cost average into low-cost index funds, stay the course through volatility, and let compounding do the heavy lifting.

90%
of active funds underperform
their benchmark over 15 years
0.03%
expense ratio
for VTI

S&P 500: Drawdowns vs. Long-Term Growth

$0.03
Average Expense Ratio
12,000+
Companies in Best Portfolio
55+ yrs
Backtested Data
100 yrs
Of Market History Behind Every Post
New · Beta
New Tool

Did your stock picks actually beat the market?

Drop in your brokerage CSV (Robinhood, Vanguard, Fidelity, Schwab) or enter trades manually. We replay every buy and sell as if the same dollars had gone into VTI on the same days — and show you the gap. The truth, in dollars and percentages.

Run the comparison

Free Tools to Plan Your Path

Calculators and planners built around the principles of passive index investing.

Compound Interest Calculator

See how $500/month grows over decades at historical VTI returns.

Coast FIRE Calculator

Find out when you can stop saving and let compounding finish the job.

When Can I Retire?

Input your numbers and see your projected financial independence date.