Last month, I wrote that David Booth’s new book, Stay Calm, would launch on September 1, and with a lot of travel planned, I thought I’d dig into the book before our November 10, 2026, webinar (see “Upcoming Events” below), with David.

As a long-time fan of Dimensional, our primary strategic investment partner, and someone who’s followed the firm and its founders since 1997, I thought I knew a lot about David Booth, Co-Founder and Chairman of Dimensional. I was wrong.

In addition to learning many more details about the confluence of timing, luck, and people coming together at the University of Chicago in the late 60’s and early 70’s, which led to the founding of the first, truly data and evidence-based investment firm in America, I learned about the person behind the numbers and what excites him beyond the science of investing.

In particular, David’s passion for philanthropy has grown along with his net worth, and he feels strongly about giving back. You can read the book yourself to learn the details of the specific dollar amounts, which are significant. However, the “why” is what’s interesting to me. His gift to the University of Chicago was a gift to provide thanks to the place that allowed him to learn so much and meet the people who would lay the foundation for, and join him in his future success. And David wanted to ensure that the opportunity remains for future students as well.

David is also a major art collector. But as he stated himself, “I don’t buy art as an investment. I buy it because I like it.” He goes on to say, “I like happy art, which means that when I walk by it, I smile. And I really love when other people see a piece of art and smile too.” That’s not what I expected to hear from someone who believes so strongly in “data & evidence” and rational thinking. That said, David goes on to explain how he asks himself many of the same questions he would use to evaluate an investment strategy, including “Is it likely to endure over time?” That sounds a lot like taking the long view.

The bigger lesson. David is a sharer. Upon his death, David intends to donate his 50+ acre estate and dozens of outdoor sculptures to the public. When David paid more than $2.5 million for the original “Rules of Basketball” (yes, the real, 13 hand-written rules as penned by Dr. James Naismith), he donated them to the University of Kansas, his undergraduate alma mater. The list goes on.

To learn the entire story, request a complimentary copy of Stay Calm by emailing Annie Hall at annie@hillinvestmentgroup.com. Keep reading to learn about our upcoming webinar!

We’re excited to announce a client-exclusive webinar with David Booth, Co-Founder and Chairman of Dimensional, on Tuesday, November 10th, at 11:15 am – Noon CDT. Our own Co-Founder, Matt Hall, will lead a discussion with David about his new book, Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life.

In Booth’s own words, “Writing it was my attempt to share what I’ve spent 50 years learning, and to get it in front of as many people as possible. There are people losing sleep over their financial future who’ve never had access to these ideas. That’s what I’m trying to fix.”

If you’re a Hill client, you’re likely sleeping well.

In David’s spirit of sharing, if you’re not yet a Hill client and you’d like to dig into David’s ideas, simply email me at annie@hillinvestmentgroup.com, and I’ll send you a complimentary copy of Stay Calm.

If you’re a client, we hope you were able to join us on May 14, 2026, for a thoughtful webinar featuring Marilyn Wechter, nationally recognized wealth counselor and psychotherapist who helps families navigate the emotional side of money. Like Carl Richards, Marilyn has the gift of helping families deal with money and emotion; however, she comes at it with an entirely different perspective.

Specifically, Marilyn helped us all explore the question, “Am I really OK (financially)?” where there is sometimes a misalignment between our rational brain (numbers, spreadsheets, and probabilities) and our emotional brain (how we are actually feeling about our situation). Often, our emotional brain “wins” despite “knowing” we’re OK.

To understand the topic in more detail, we’d be happy to send you the full recording. If you’d like to see the highlight reel in 5 minutes, click play on the video above.

In addition, all of our clients know that we’re always available to discuss these issues in more detail.