If you’re acquainted with our offices, you’ve likely noticed the rows of books lining the walls of our lobby. Some businesses adorn their offices with books to manufacture an aura of thoughtfulness or sagacity. But at Hill Investment Group, our book collection goes beyond optics.

For the past 14 years, continued education has been a pillar of our firm. By exposing our minds to a wide swath of insights and information, we’re equipped to deliver better experiences—and ultimately better outcomes—for our clients.

We encourage new employees and clients alike to dig into the books that have shaped HIG’s philosophy. This month, we’re highlighting The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On with Your Life by Bill Schultheis.

Like countless other evidence-based investing advocates, Schultheis’ conversion was sparked by a disenchantment with the active, Wall Street-style approach to investing that characterized his early career.

13 years after Schultheis saw the light, he wrote a book with a simple premise: Simplifying your investment strategy produces more wealth and more leisure time. The book doesn’t divulge any secrets, hacks, or inside scoops. In other words, it’s anti-viral. And yet, The Seattle Times dubbed it “The best investment book you’ve never read.” Even John Bogle, the father of index investing, urged people to act on its message.

“Exhaustive studies have shown that it is difficult, if not impossible, to ‘beat the market’ over the long haul. And yet that is exactly what Wall Street encourages you to do,” says Schultheis. “For serious investors, the question is not, ‘Can I beat the market?’, but rather, ‘How can I limit if not totally eliminate ‘underperformance’ of the market?’”

Though we don’t agree with Shultheis on everything, we love the simplicity of his maxim “Ignore Wall Street and get on with your life”.  If you’re ever overwhelmed by the flood of investment advice, The Coffeehouse Investor will bring you back down to earth.

Let us know what you think of The Coffeehouse Investor, and stay tuned for next month’s recommendation!

Our son gave my wife the book Being Mortal for Mother’s Day. The author, Dr. Atul Gawande, is a surgeon in Boston, on the faculty at Harvard, and known for his best selling book The Checklist Manifesto. Whether you are caring for aging relatives or managing your own affairs as you reach your later years, I think it provides valuable insight on aging and death. It will force you to think about things most of us would rather not.

My personal takeaways were:

1. Stay in your home as long as possible.
2. Talk to multiple doctors to get more than one perspective on end-of-life health issues.
3. Talk to your children about what’s important to you and give them direction on what they can do.

I encourage you to pick up a copy and share your insights with your children.

I’m excited to share that my book project has made significant progress since your last update. The title is officially- Odds On: The Making of An Evidence-Based Investor. We’ve been chosen by a highly selective publisher who only takes 10% of submissions. Please stay tuned for more information regarding the book’s release and ways you can help make it a huge success.