INTRODUCTION: AN EASY STROLL TO INVESTMENT SUCCESS AND A BETTER LIFE xiii CHAPTER 1 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ASPIRING ASTRONAUT AND BIOLOGIST BECOMES A WRITER 1 PART I THE HUMAN LIFE CYCLE: WE SHARE MORE THAN YOU THINK 7 CHAPTER 2 WHAT SEVEN BILLION HUMANS WANT 9 CHAPTER 3 MEASURING THE BIG SAMENESS IN CASH: THE REVISED EQUIVALENCE SCALE 17 CHAPTER 4 THE BIG SAMENESS IN CASH: THE REVERSE ENGINEERING WAY 25 CHAPTER 5 THE SNATCH DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY INDUSTRY 35 CHAPTER 6 THE SUBLIME BLESSING OF DEATH 41 PART II THE LONG, GLORIOUS HISTORY OF INVESTMENT FAILURE 45 CHAPTER 7 WESTON WELLINGTON AND THE WISDOM OF NOT GUESSING THE FUTURE 47 CHAPTER 8 THE LEGION OF AMAZING, BUT TEMPORARY, HEROES 55 CHAPTER 9 BOGLEHEADS AND FIGHTING BACK 63 CHAPTER 10 TURN OFF, TUNE OUT, AND DROP IN (WITH APOLOGIES TO TIMOTHY LEARY) 67 PART III HOW TO INVEST YOUR SAVINGS 71 CHAPTER 11 ETFS: YOU CAN NOW INVEST ALMOST FOR FREE 73 CHAPTER 12 THE SIMPLICITY PORTFOLIO - COUCH POTATO INVESTING 79 CHAPTER 13 OCCAM'S RAZOR: RIFFS ON THE COUCH POTATO PORTFOLIO THAT DON'T WORK 85 CHAPTER 14 RIFFS ON THE COUCH POTATO PORTFOLIO TO CONSIDER 93 CHAPTER 15 THE BONUS OF LOW-COST COMPOUNDING WHILE GROWING 101 CHAPTER 16 THE BONUS OF LOW-COST INVESTING WHILE SPENDING 107 CHAPTER 17 CAN YOU SPEND MORE? 117 PART IV THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING 125 CHAPTER 18 THE PUDDING REPORTS: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CASH 127 PART V THE REWARDS OF SIMPLICITY FOR ACTUAL PEOPLE 133 CHAPTER 19 HOW AVERAGE BECOMES SUPERIOR 135 CHAPTER 20 THE UNSPOKEN FORMS OF CAPITAL 139 CHAPTER 21 RISING ABOVE SERFDOM IN AN AGE OF NEO-FEUDALISM 145 PART VI THE REWARDS FOUND ELSEWHERE 153 CHAPTER 22 THE BIG KAHUNA: SHELTER 155 CHAPTER 23 A PENNY SAVED IS MUCH MORE THAN A PENNY EARNED 161 CHAPTER 24 THE LIFETIME COMPOUNDING OF UN-MONEY 167 CHAPTER 25 HEALTH IS ALL! 173 CHAPTER 26 SHOULD YOU STRIVE FOR EARLY RETIREMENT? 181 PART VII MORE COUCH POTATO COOKBOOK - EXACTLY HOW TO DO IT 187 CHAPTER 27 THE BASIC COUCH POTATO COOKBOOK 189 CHAPTER 28 STILL MORE COUCH POTATO COOKBOOK 199 PART VIII THE RESEARCH AND DATA THAT SUPPORTS EVERYTHING I'VE SAID 207 CHAPTER 29 WHY COUCH POTATO INVESTING MAKES SENSE: A TOUR OF THE RESEARCH AND DATA 209 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 225 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 227 INDEX 229.