A Wealth of Common Sense by Ben Carlson Summary
Overview of A Wealth of Common Sense
In "A Wealth of Common Sense," Ben Carlson demolishes Wall Street's complexity myth. While billionaire Ray Dalio praises complex strategies, Carlson reveals a counterintuitive truth: the simplest investment approaches consistently outperform. What if financial success requires less effort, not more?
Similar books to A Wealth of Common Sense
Feel the book through the author's voice
Turn knowledge into engaging, example-rich insights
Capture key ideas in a flash for fast learning
Enjoy the book in a fun and engaging way
Key takeaways
Why Your Investment Strategy Is Probably Too Complicated
Your portfolio contains seventeen mutual funds, eight individual stocks, two alternative investments, and a cryptocurrency position you barely understand. You check it three times daily, read market commentary obsessively, and lose sleep when headlines turn negative. Meanwhile, your neighbor owns three index funds, checks his account quarterly, and sleeps soundly. Who do you think will be wealthier in twenty years? The uncomfortable truth is that investment success rarely comes from doing more-it comes from doing less, but doing it consistently. Complex strategies create an illusion of control while actually increasing the odds of costly mistakes. Markets crashed in March 2020. Investors who panicked and sold locked in devastating losses. Those who maintained discipline and rebalanced into stocks captured the subsequent recovery. What separated these groups wasn't intelligence or market knowledge-it was focus. One group obsessed over uncontrollable variables like pandemic trajectories and Federal Reserve decisions. The other focused exclusively on controllable factors: their savings rate, asset allocation, and rebalancing schedule. This distinction determines investment outcomes more than any other factor. You cannot control interest rates, inflation, geopolitical events, or market sentiment. Worrying about these elements wastes mental energy that could be directed toward productive activities. Instead, control your savings rate, minimize costs, maintain appropriate diversification, and manage behavioral errors. When you create systematic processes for these controllable elements, market volatility becomes background noise rather than a crisis requiring constant attention.
The Strategy You Can Actually Follow Beats the Perfect One You Can't
Why Smart People Make Terrible Investors and the Limits of Intelligence
The One Decision That Determines Everything
The Uncomfortable Truth About Getting Rich Slowly
Building Wealth That Actually Matters
Money as a Tool for Living
Quick Summary Mode - Read or listen to A Wealth of Common Sense Summary in 9 Minutes
Break down key ideas from A Wealth of Common Sense into bite-sized takeaways to understand how innovative teams create, collaborate, and grow.
Flash Card Mode - Top 9 Insights from A Wealth of Common Sense in a Nutshell
Distill A Wealth of Common Sense into rapid-fire memory cues that highlight Pixar’s principles of candor, teamwork, and creative resilience.
Fun Mode - A Wealth of Common Sense Lessons Told Through 21-Min Stories
Experience A Wealth of Common Sense through vivid storytelling that turns Pixar’s innovation lessons into moments you’ll remember and apply.
Personalize Mode - Read or listen to A Wealth of Common Sense Summary in 0 Minutes
Ask anything, pick the voice, and co-create insights that truly resonate with you.
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
Get the A Wealth of Common Sense summary as a free PDF or EPUB. Print it or read offline anytime.