Renowned financial educator JL Collins has some advice for millennials and younger generations struggling to build wealth. Collins, widely known as the “Godfather of Financial Independence,” emphasized two fundamental strategies in a recent conversation with the comedian Hasan Minhaj: Invest in Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares, and rent instead of buying a home.
Minhaj, who rose to fame as a correspondent on “The Daily Show” and later hosted Netflix’s Emmy-winning “Patriot Act,” interviewed Collins in June about his bestselling book, “The Simple Path to Wealth.” The book, which has sold over one million copies across 20 languages, emerged from Collins’ failed attempts to teach his daughter about money when she was young. Collins spent decades in B2B magazine publishing, but has been investing in the stock market all the while—for over 50 years. He also worked as an investment officer at an international investment research firm, marketing analysis to institutional investors.
The financial independence community has embraced Collins as a pioneer, with his blog launching in 2011 after he began writing letters to his daughter about investing concepts she initially showed little interest in hearing. His straightforward approach and real-world experience have earned him recognition as a foundational figure in the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement.
Collins’ two simple strategies for building wealth
During his interview with Minhaj, Collins emphasized his core advice for younger generations: “VTSAX and rent”—a philosophy he says he’s shared with his own daughter, who is now in her early 30s. VTSAX, or the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares, provides broad exposure to the entire U.S. stock market with an extremely low expense ratio of just 0.04%.
The fund, which holds over $1.9 trillion in assets, tracks approximately 100% of the investable U.S. stock market across large-, mid-, small-, and micro-cap stocks. With a current yield of 1.16% and a five-star Morningstar rating, VTSAX has delivered strong returns for long-term investors. Collins argues this single fund provides sufficient diversification for most investors while avoiding the complexity and higher fees associated with actively managed funds.
His second recommendation—renting instead of buying—challenges conventional wisdom about homeownership. Collins told Minhaj that his daughter successfully avoided becoming “house poor” by choosing to rent, which provided her with the flexibility to make bold career decisions. She recently quit her corporate job, having accumulated what Collins calls “f–k you money”—enough financial cushion to make career changes without being dependent on a paycheck.
Collins emphasizes that while homeownership can provide lifestyle benefits such as stability or space for children, it shouldn’t be viewed as a wealth-building strategy. “If your key goal is building wealth, then owning a house is not gonna contribute to that,” he said in the interview. Instead, he frames real-estate purchases as lifestyle decisions rather than financial investments.
This perspective aligns with his broader philosophy that emerged from watching his father lose his ability to earn income during Collins’ childhood—an experience that motivated him to ensure investments could eventually replace employment income. Collins began saving 50% of his income from his first professional job paying $10,000 annually in 1974, a practice he maintained throughout his career.
For millennials facing economic challenges including student debt, housing costs, and uncertain employment prospects, Collins’ advice offers a straightforward path forward: invest consistently in low-cost index funds while avoiding the financial burden of homeownership until wealth accumulation goals are met. As he demonstrated through both his own experience and his daughter’s success, this approach can provide the financial freedom to make career and life choices based on personal fulfillment rather than economic necessity.
You can watch the full conversation between Hasan Minhaj and JL Collins below:
For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
