Millionaire Teacher The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School

Millionaire Teacher shows you how to achieve financial independence through smart investing — without being a financial wizard. Author Andrew Hallam was a high school English teacher. He became a debt-free millionaire by following a few simple rules. In this book, he teaches you the financial fundamentals you need to follow in his tracks. You can spend just an hour per year on your investments, never think about the stock market's direction — and still beat most professional investors. It's not about get-rich-quick schemes or trendy investment products peddled by an ever-widening, self-serving industry; it's about your money and your future. This new second edition features updated discussion on passive investing, studies on dollar cost averaging versus lump sum investing, and a detailed segment on RoboAdvisors for Americans, Canadians, Australians, Singaporeans and British investors.

Financial literacy is rarely taught in schools. Were you shortchanged by your education system? This book is your solution, teaching you the ABCs of finance to help you build wealth.

• Gain the financial literacy to make smart investment decisions
• Learn why you should invest in index funds
• Find out how to find the right kind of financial advisor
• Avoid scams and flash-in-the-pan trends

Millionaire Teacher shows how to build a strong financial future today.

Andrew Hallam built a debt-free, million dollar portfolio on a middle class salary before he was forty years old. He has shared his simple, evidence-based investment strategies on CNBC, in MoneySense magazine and with his columns in The Globe and Mail and Canadian Business magazine. He also writes a column for AssetBuilder, an online US-based investment firm. He and his wife are digital nomads. They travel the globe to explore new places. They often couple their adventures with talks around the world, inspiring others to effectively manage their money. Join the conversation and gain continued financial insight on his blog at www.andrewhallam.com.

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Rule 1 Spend Like You Want to Grow Rich 5

The Hippocratic Rule of Wealth 6

Can You See the Road When You’re Driving? 10

One of the Savviest Guys I Ever Met—And His View on Buying Cars 13

Careful Home Purchases 19

Millionaire Handouts 20

How Did I Become a Millionaire? 21

Looking to the Future 24

Rule 2 Use the Greatest Investment Ally You Have 27

Compound Interest—The World’s Most Powerful Financial Concept 29

The Bohemian Millionaire—The Best of Historical-Based Fiction 31

Gifting Money to Yourself 34

When You Definitely Shouldn’t Invest 36

How and Why Stocks Rise in Value 36

Rule 3 Small Fees Pack Big Punches 43

With Training, the Average Fifth Grader Can Take on Wall Street 44

Financial Experts Backing the Irrefutable 45

What Causes Experts to Shake Their Heads 49

When the Best Funds Turn Malignant 51

Reality Check 58

When Best Mutual Fund Lists Can Strip You Naked 61

What’s Under the Hood of an Index Fund? 69

Captain America Calls for Government Action 70

Who’s Arguing against Indexes? 72

Rule 4 Conquer the Enemy in the Mirror 81

When a 10 Percent Gain Isn’t a 10 Percent Gain 81

Are Index Fund Investors Smarter? 86

It’s Not Timing the Market That Matters; It’s Time in the Market 88

On Stocks . . . What You Really Should Have Learned in School 90

Internet Madness and the Damage It Caused 96

Taking Advantage of Fear and Greed 99

Young People Should Salivate When Stocks Sputter 101

Opportunities after Chaos 103

Rule 5 Build Mountains of Money with a Responsible Portfolio 111

What Are Bonds? 112

Profiting from Panic—Stock Market Crash, 2008–2009 116

Having a Foreign Affair 118

Introducing the Couch Potato Portfolio 120

Combinations of Stocks and Bonds Can Have Powerful Returns 123

Rule 6 Sample a “Round-the-World” Ticket to Indexing 129

What’s the Difference between an Index Fund and an ETF? 129

Indexing in the United States—An American Father of Triplets 135

Indexing in Canada 142

A Canadian Couch Potato Strips Down Costs 145

Indexing in Great Britain 148

Indexing in Australia—Winning with an American Weapon 151

Indexing in Singapore 153

The Next Step 157

Rule 7 No, You Don’t Have to Invest on Your Own 161

Are You Wired Like a Buddha? 162

How Does the Average Index Investor

Underperform the Index? 163

Intelligent Investing for Americans 165

Intelligent Investing Firms for Canadians 172

Intelligent Investing Firms for British Investors 179

Intelligent Investing Firms for Australians 183

Intelligent Investment Firms in Singapore 185

Don’t Ask about Another Lover 186

Rule 8 Peek inside a Pilferer’s Playbook 189

How Will Most Financial Advisers Fight You? 189

The Totem Pole View 197

Is Government Action Required? 200

Rule 9 Avoid Seduction 205

Confession Time 205

Investment Newsletters and Their Track Records 210

High-Yielding Bonds Called “Junk” 213

Fast-Growing Markets Can Make Bad Investments 214

Gold Isn’t an Investment 216

What You Need to Know about Investment Magazines 216

Hedge Funds—The Rich Stealing from the Rich 219

Don’t Buy a Currency-Hedged Stock Market ETF 223

Beware of the Smart Beta Promise 225

Don’t Jump Heavily into Small-Cap Stocks 226

Conclusion 231

About the Author 233

Index 235

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