Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life
David Booth
Sep 2026 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Matt Godfrey
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5 hr 24 min
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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
From a pioneer of index investing comes a firsthand account of the quiet revolution that changed how the world invests, and the calm, practical lessons that can help anyone build true wealth.
David Booth grew up in Kansas with Depression-era parents who never trusted the stock market. Back then, investing was an insider’s game, one that rewarded Wall Street with high commissions for frequently buying and selling stocks for investors. Then, at the University of Chicago in the late 1960s, Booth found himself among a band of outsiders, led by Eugene Fama, “the father of modern finance,” whose research would turn investing from a game of speculation into a discipline grounded in evidence, diversification, and long-term thinking.
In Stay Calm, Booth shares his journey from Kansas shoe salesman to founder of a trillion-dollar investment firm, working alongside Nobel laureates including Fama, Merton Miller, Myron Scholes, and Robert Merton, and the stories behind the revolution they built.
Along the way, Booth distills 50 years of data and experience into a simple, calming philosophy:
Through it all, he reflects on what true wealth really means, and how money can support a life of purpose, freedom, and meaning.
From a pioneer of index investing comes a firsthand account of the quiet revolution that changed how the world invests, and the calm, practical lessons that can help anyone build true wealth.
David Booth grew up in Kansas with Depression-era parents who never trusted the stock market. Back then, investing was an insider’s game, one that rewarded Wall Street with high commissions for frequently buying and selling stocks for investors. Then, at the University of Chicago in the late 1960s, Booth found himself among a band of outsiders, led by Eugene Fama, “the father of modern finance,” whose research would turn investing from a game of speculation into a discipline grounded in evidence, diversification, and long-term thinking.
In Stay Calm, Booth shares his journey from Kansas shoe salesman to founder of a trillion-dollar investment firm, working alongside Nobel laureates including Fama, Merton Miller, Myron Scholes, and Robert Merton, and the stories behind the revolution they built.
Along the way, Booth distills 50 years of data and experience into a simple, calming philosophy:
- Stop trying to pick stocks or predict the market’s next move, and trust markets, not gurus.
- Use diversification, discipline, and patience to build a resilient, low-stress portfolio.
- Avoid the emotional traps that lead investors to buy high and sell low.
- Accept that uncertainty isn’t a danger to eliminate but a source of opportunity to embrace.
Through it all, he reflects on what true wealth really means, and how money can support a life of purpose, freedom, and meaning.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER
From a pioneer of index investing comes a firsthand account of the quiet revolution that changed how the world invests, and the calm, practical lessons that can help anyone build true wealth.
David Booth grew up in Kansas with Depression-era paren...
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About the author
From his first sales experience selling shoes as a teenager in Lawrence, Kansas, to working on the team that launched the first index fund, to pioneering what would come to be known as factor investing, David Booth didn't just witness the financial revolution—he helped lead it. For five decades, he’s bridged the worlds of academic theory and practical investing, collaborating with Nobel laureates to build Dimensional Fund Advisors into a $1 trillion global firm that has democratized evidence-based investing for millions.
Booth earned degrees in economics and business from the University of Kansas, followed by an MBA from the University of Chicago. His Chicago education proved instrumental to his success, leading to a transformative gift to the business school in 2008. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business now bears his name, and the contribution continues to support faculty and their field-defining research.
Through his visionary application of financial theory to real-world investing, Booth has established himself as one of the most influential figures in investing—an outsider who challenged Wall Street’s conventional wisdom and won.
Booth earned degrees in economics and business from the University of Kansas, followed by an MBA from the University of Chicago. His Chicago education proved instrumental to his success, leading to a transformative gift to the business school in 2008. The University of Chicago Booth School of Business now bears his name, and the contribution continues to support faculty and their field-defining research.
Through his visionary application of financial theory to real-world investing, Booth has established himself as one of the most influential figures in investing—an outsider who challenged Wall Street’s conventional wisdom and won.
From his first sales experience selling shoes as a teenager in Lawrence, Kansas, to working on the team that launched the first index fund, to pioneering what would come to be known as factor investing, David Booth didn't just witness the financial revolution—he helped lead it. For five decades, ...
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