Vanguard's Ticker for the S&P 500, VOO - VOO and Chill
The Case for Buffett’s Recommended Investment Strategy
Watch and read Warren Buffett make the case himself for his investment recommendation for most people in a 15-minute 2018 presentation that solves the long-term investing problem.
Then explore the rest of the site for the data and evidence showing why it works better than just about anything else.
▶ The Warren Buffett Investing Plan
Warren Buffett’s Investment Advice - In his own words
- When he purchased his first stock during WWII, the best thing he—or anyone—could have done was to buy the S&P 500 index fund.
- $10,000 invested in an S&P Index fund at that time would be worth a staggering $52 million in 2018.
- Think of investing in the S&P Index as buying and holding a piece of American business.
- One investment decision for your lifetime:
- You would never have to look at another stock quote or listen to another person give you advice.
- All you had to do was believe that America would do well over time. If America did well, American business would do well.
- If you listened to the doomsayers and invested in gold, you would have 1% of what you would have had investing in a productive asset like the S&P.
- We have operated in this country with the greatest tailwind at our back that you can imagine; it's an investor's heaven.
- You can't really fail unless:
- You buy the wrong stock.
- You get excited at the wrong time.
- But if you own a cross-section of America and consistently invest over the years, there's no comparison between that and:
- Owning something that produces nothing.
- Trying to jump in and out of stocks.
- Paying investment advisors.
- The only problem with this advice? Your friendly stockbroker would have starved to death, and you could have gone to their funeral to atone for their fate.
- The truth is, you would have been better off doing this than a very high percentage of investment professionals or active investors.
- It’s very hard to move around successfully and beat what can be done with a very relaxed philosophy.
- You don’t need to know about:
- Accounting.
- Stock market terminology.
- What the Fed is going to do next.
- None of that counts in a lifetime of investing.
- What counts is having a philosophy that you stick with and understand why you're in it.
Then explore the site to find everything you need to implement the Buffett Plan for a lifetime.
- Why owning a piece of American business has been a winning strategy for generations
- Why this solution was developed—after researchers in the 1970s discovered that professional money managers were not beating the market; the market was beating them
- The proof it works, backed by decades of data
- Why it works—and why it is likely to continue working in the future
- Why the S&P 500 is uniquely suited to long-term, buy-and-hold investing
- How Buffett won a $1 million bet that an S&P 500 index fund would outperform a group of hedge funds
- How to prepare for inevitable market declines, including Peter Lynch’s guidance on handling periods when stocks fall sharply
- Endorsements and testimonials from other legendary investors—such as Charlie Munger, Charles Ellis, and Ed Thorp—who independently reached the same conclusion
And much more.
One investment decision. One lifetime plan.
© 2025 Dan Mahoney | Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. I am a self-taught investor who worked in sales in the IT reseller solutions industry. After watching Warren Buffett—arguably the greatest stock picker in history—deliver an investing lesson, I asked a simple question: Why would he recommend a low-cost S&P 500 index fund for just about everyone?
Simplifying how to invest
The Quest
The Quest for the best way to invest