The Simple Path to Wealth

Your roadmap to a rich, free life — in just five minutes per week.

July 21, 2026

It's one of our most common reader questions:

"How can I follow The Simple Path from outside the United States?"

The Path is fairly straight for Americans, who have access to near-zero-cost index funds via brokerage services—like Vanguard and Fidelity—where pretty much anyone can sign up.

Just open an account, transfer money, and use it to buy your VTSAX or VTI or VT.

But for folks who live in other countries, things aren't so simple. There are so many different answers to the question above that—as we'll see below—even JL cannot answer it. At least not alone.

That's why we're asking THE BIG QUESTION at the top of this week's newsletter as well as the bottom:

If you live outside the U.S., how do you follow The Simple Path? Do you invest in mutual funds local to your country or region? Have you found a way to invest in Vanguard funds or ETFs?

Be sure to mention what country you're located in! We're looking to build a database of helpful information for our international readers.

THE SIMPLE NUMBERS

Back in 2014, Europeans could only invest in Vanguard funds if they had a minimum of €500,000 to throw in. It was a better scene for folks in the United Kingdom, who merely had to pony up at least £100,000.

Otherwise, you had to go through a broker—and pay their fee—to get access.

But per the Vanguard U.K. website, the situation has improved for the Brits: They've now got access to 85 different Vanguard funds, with a minimum investment of £500 for a one-off or £100-a-month for a recurring contribution.

You can open up an Individual Savings Account (ISA), a Personal Pension account, a Junior ISA for your kid, or a General Account that appears to function like a standard taxable brokerage in the U.S.

Of course, that's just one country. But it's a case study, and hopefully a signal that access to investing is becoming more democratized across the world.

SIMPLE PATH OF THE DAY

A slice of timeless wisdom from The Simple Path to Wealth:

"I don’t favor indexing just because it is easier, although it is. Or because it is simpler, although it is that too. I favor it because it is more effective and more powerful in building wealth than the alternatives."

Close-up of a globe showing north america. — OK but what about other countries?!

ASK JL

Q: One of my team members is based in Latin America, and I was sharing the investing principles from The Simple Path to Wealth. The challenge is that she hasn't found an equivalent to something like VTSAX where she lives.

Have you come across a good option for people outside the U.S.? Or is there a relatively simple way for a non-U.S. resident to invest in the U.S. stock market while following the same general strategy? —Geoff W.

Geoff,

This is a frequent question from around the world, but I personally haven’t tracked all the various solutions.

Pathfinders is filled with stories of people from all over following The Path, but investment details are scarce. The comment section in this post became a resource for a while, but it has been pretty quiet of late.

In short, I know people are successfully doing it, but I have no idea as to the details.

—JL

Got a money question keeping you up at night? Reply to this email and we'll get it over to JL.

WHAT WE'RE READING

📚 Check out JL's original blog post on Investing With Vanguard for Europeans, and the 2020 update!

📚 Another vintage JL: "What if you can't buy Vanguard?"

📚 Over at A Wealth of Common Sense, Ben Carlson reminds us that so many of the best days for the stock market are clustered into small periods of time. It's another reason to toughen up and hold on tight. You don't want to miss the upswings!

THE BIG QUESTION

If you live outside the U.S., how do you follow The Simple Path? Do you invest in mutual funds local to your country or region? Have you found a way to invest in Vanguard funds or ETFs?

Reply to this email and we'll feature some of your responses in upcoming issues!

Last time, we asked whether you feel different from those around you when it comes to money. Are your friends and family interested in financial independence? Here are a few of your answers...

I have family and friends who are interested in financial independence but don't seem as interested in following the tried-and-true path to get there. Instead, they choose to invest in individual stocks, cryptocurrency, options trading, and a financial advisor who charges a hefty AUM fee.

I’ve stuck with a high savings rate, low‑cost index funds, and a little bit of low-cost direct indexing for tax efficiency as I build financial independence. I'm quietly confident in the path I’m on, even if it looks boring to everyone else. —David T.

Do I feel different than those around me when it comes to money?! The answer is YES!

I am 51 years old, I’m retired, and I can count on one hand how many people I know who would even be willing to have a conversation about money or the market with me. I find it frustrating that I haven’t found my people. My partner is 70 years old and financially smart, though he has no problem informing me that it is not appropriate to discuss money amongst friends. PERIOD. I have gifted your book to more people than I can count! Of all of those people, only four of them—including my niece—have taken the initiative to follow up with me.

I dream of a future where people can sit together over coffee, happily discussing finances as though it were not a shameful, dirty word. At this point in my life, the women I hang out with would more comfortably speak about their sex lives than money! How do we change the conversation—and possibly the trajectory of this society?! I don’t know the answer. At this point, I’m just compounding in silence, knowing that this is the way to hold onto my freedom and continue traveling the world. —Angela P.

Yes, very different. A few years back, I left a soul-sucking corporate job and bought a neighborhood bar and grill. That story is for another time, but one unexpected benefit is that I now talk with all kinds of people every day, from all kinds of backgrounds.

Nobody really knows my financial situation or my interest in financial independence and F-U Money, but from what I hear in everyday conversations, most people seem to fall into one of two camps.

A: Work until you die.

B: Retire in your 60s or 70s, take Social Security, and hang on for dear life.

A lot of the people I talk with have good-paying jobs, but many still seem to spend most or all of what they make. Credit card debt, big car payments, and large mortgages are extremely common.

When the conversation turns to investing, most people say something like, “I’ve got that covered with my 401(k).” But when I ask a few basic questions, they often don’t know how much they contribute, whether they get an employer match, or which funds they are actually invested in.

That part is scary. And if I mention taxable brokerage accounts, low-cost broad-based index funds, or building a stash of money that gives you options before traditional retirement age, most people look at me like I’m speaking another language.

So yes, I definitely feel different when it comes to money. But mostly I feel grateful. Finding The Simple Path gave me a framework that changed how I think about work, risk, freedom, and time.

It is amazing how many people are working incredibly hard, earning decent money, and still have no idea that another path even exists. —Thomas E.