To: Veterans and Principals
From: John C. Bogle
Date: April 10, 2014
Re: More Recognition for Our Firm
The spate of attention focused on Vanguard that took me three consecutive mailings to send you (on March 4, March 5, and March 6, 2014) subsided. But, surprisingly, it resumed about 10 days ago, although this note requires only two mailings. This is the first such mailing; the second will be circulated on Tuesday, April 15.
1) “The Inspiration for John Bogle’s Great Invention.” On March 5, The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch began a series called “Things Written Long Ago That I Wish I Had Read Long Ago.” The first essay in the series was columnist George Sisti’s piece on Paul Samuelson’s essay, “Challenge to Judgment,” published in the very first issue of The Journal of Portfolio Management in 1974. As many of you know, it was this essay that helped inspire the creation of the world’s first index mutual fund. To this day, I remember in considerable detail this remarkable piece, and the credibility that this brilliant Nobel Laureate brought to my forthcoming creation.
2) “You Don’t Know Jack: The Education of Jack Bogle.” On April 4, the Philadelphia Business Journal published this lengthy interview, focused on Vanguard’s history and my long career. Perhaps I was a bit too honest in responding to the final question, but that kind of candor is a small price to pay for the credibility that Vanguard has established with the press and the public.
3) “Bogle: Tilt To Corporates for More Yield.” Olly Ludwig, financial editor of ETF.com (formerly IndexUniverse.com, not, for me, a happy change!) covers a wide range of issues relating to Vanguard and the fund industry. Some of the numbers are a bit garbled, but you’ll get the point. Despite another bit of controversy, stories don’t get much more positive for our firm than this one.
Happy reading! More to come.
Best,
Jack