The most boring investment decision we ever made (and why it worked)

We didn’t start with a grand investing plan.

Like most people, I checked the box on my 401(k), picked a target date fund, and called it “handled.” It worked fine—for a while.

But when we started learning about Financial Independence, “fine” started to look like expensive autopilot.

Those funds were risk-averse, fee-heavy, and gave us zero sense of ownership in what we were building.

And honestly? The list of “options” inside workplace plans was intimidating enough to keep me stuck.

Then I found a book that changed everything.

Simple is better. Simpler to follow. Simpler to profit from.

— J.L. Collins, The Simple Path to Wealth

That line hit hard. Because up until then, I thought “simple” meant naïve.
Turns out, it meant freeing.

I learned that broad market index funds—like the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index—let you invest in everything without having to play expert.
Low fees. Easy to understand. Proven growth.

That shift changed everything.

Charlie’s 457 account used to be split across nine different funds, most of which were underperforming the S&P 500. It looked “smart” on paper—diversified, balanced, managed by finance pros! But the results? Meh.

Once we moved everything into a total stock market index fund and let it ride, it became a real test of trust. (Especially during 2020 when COVID hit and we kept investing!)

No fancy allocations. No tweaking. Just simplicity.
And since 2018, that “boring” move has returned over 60%.

Here’s a snapshot of the growth in Charlie’s 457 account, invested in a straightforward index fund.

Even Warren Buffett—who could out-invest anyone—has said:

On my death, there’s a fund for my then-widow, and 90% will go into an S&P 500 index fund, and 10% in Treasury bills.

— Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting 2021

If that’s his plan, simplicity starts to look a lot smarter.

Turns out, “boring” isn’t the opposite of smart—it’s the proof of it.

Takeaway #1: Simple doesn’t mean small. It means sustainable.
Takeaway #2: Complexity sells, but it rarely outperforms.
Takeaway #3: You don’t need to outsmart the market to build wealth—you just need to stay in it.

If you’ve been meaning to “get serious” about investing, maybe this week’s move isn’t another research spiral. Maybe it’s logging into your account, looking at how many funds you’re actually in, and asking:
“Is this complexity doing anything for me?”

Because sometimes, the smartest thing you can do is choose the simple path—and trust yourself to stay the course.

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PS.  Steal my process for simply tracking my investments  – all in one place.  We use the Empower Personal Dashboard™.  Easy and free.  It’s where the snazzy screenshot above is from!