Just Keep Buying By Nick Maggiulli Book Review

Investing can be emotional. But taking a close look at the numbers could be just the thing you need to confidently move forward with your investment strategy. 

Nick Magguilli guides readers through a two-part book that offers sound saving and investment strategies backed up with extensive data. The first part of the book focuses on savings strategies (and some conversations around debt), and the second part of the book is all about investing - with a big focus on mindset.

Let's dive in.

What's Just Keep Buying All About?

Just Keep Buying wants to help you find the reasons to build your investment portfolio continuously. 

Readers who want to invest will find this book incredibly useful, especially because it offers guidelines and strategies to help you prepare your finances before you dive into investing. 

Let’s take a closer look at what each chapter covers.

Chapter Summary

Each chapter is relatively short and gives you both a story and some actionable advice. Let's take a closer look at what you're getting in this book.

If you're on the fence about the topics, here's some short thoughts on each section.

Where Should You Start?

Maggiulli starts the book by helping you decide where to start — saving or investing. With some helpful examples, he illustrates where your financial priorities might lie. 

An honest look at this chapter will help you decide whether you should focus on saving or investing for now.

How Much Should You Save?

Saving money is a foundational part of a bright financial future. Maggiulli shares thoughtful advice on how much you should be saving backed up with plenty of facts. 

You’ll walk away from this chapter feeling better about your savings needs.

How To Save More

In this chapter, you won’t hear another lecture about cutting back on coffee. You’ll find a detailed explanation of how to save more. But instead of the traditional focus on a budget, Maggiulli tackles the idea of increasing your income to save money. 

How To Spend Money Guilt-Free

If you have any guilt around spending your hard-earned money, this chapter is for you. It offers practical tips to help you spend the funds you’ve worked so hard to save without feeling guilty. 

How Much Lifestyle Creep Is Okay

Lifestyle creep is a hotly debated topic in the personal finance community. Maggiulli breaks down the numbers to help you understand how much you should be saving. And how much lifestyle creep is okay. 

Should You Ever Go Into Debt?

The question of whether or not you should take on debt for any reason is a tricky one. Maggiulli shares some insightful suggestions backed up with extensive data. 

This also touches on a hot button issue for us - should you go into student loan debt to pay for college. Again, Maggiulli brings out the numbers to back up what he thinks could be a good use of debt.

Should You Rent Or Should You Buy?

Housing makes up a significant portion of any budget. But deciding to buy or rent can make a big difference. 

This chapter outlines all of the reasons to buy a house — or not.

Related: Here's our take on whether you should Buy vs. Rent A House.

How To Save For A Down Payment (And Other Big Purchases)

Optimizing your savings strategy can help you meet your financial goals faster. Maggiulli breaks down the savings vehicle options. This chapter will help you decide which vehicle is best for you. 

When Can You Retire

Retiring is the ultimate financial goal for many. You’ll get a solid breakdown of the finances of retirement. But Magguilli will also encourage you to look beyond the numbers before deciding to retire. 

When Should You Invest?

This chapter kicks off the book's second half, which is focused on investing. Maggiulli outlines some compelling reasons why investing is an important part of your financial future. 

A few reasons he dives into include inflation and replacing your human capital with financial capital.

What Should You Invest In?

Investing isn’t one size fits all. And with that, Magguilli’s advice isn’t restricted to a single option. He shares ideas on how and why you might want to invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, farmland, small businesses, royalties, or your own projects. 

Why You Shouldn't Buy Individual Stocks

Many financial experts warn you against from buying individual stocks, and Magguilli agrees. He offers a real-life example and dives into the details of why this is usually a bad choice. 

How Soon Should You Invest

This chapter includes detailed advice about investment strategies. The analysis focuses on the average-in method versus buying in all at once. 

Magguilli packs this chapter with plenty of data to back up his advice. You’ll find more information about strategy and risk.

Why You Shouldn't Wait To Buy The Dip

As an investor, it’s so tempting to try timing the market. Emotions can run high in the face of a dip, making you even more likely to give market timing a try. 

But Magguilli makes the case that buying the dip won’t always work out in your favor. Instead, consistently buying whenever you can is the best way to go. This makes for a compelling chapter with clearly outlined data to back him up.

Why Investing Depends On Luck

Luck is tied to investing in some ways. Instead of ignoring that fact, Magguilli sheds some light on the link between luck and investing. 

Beyond that, he shares some strategies for taking more control.

Why You Shouldn't Fear Volatility

For anyone looking to invest in the stock market, Magguilli recommends being aware of the inherent volatility. As you build your investment portfolio, market volatility is something to keep in mind. 

He shares some practical advice on how to build a portfolio in light of the inevitable volatility.

How To Buy During A Crisis

Market crashes are few and far between. When a major crisis leads to a plummeting market, it may seem like the worst time to buy. But Magguilli says otherwise. 

He shares why buying in a crisis is a smart move. Plus, how to overcome the fear of buying in a crisis. And, of course, he dives into the numbers to back up his claims.

When Should You Sell

At some point, you’ll need to sell your investments. Whether you want to rebalance or simply use the capital to live your life, there are some strategies to employ for the most efficient selling process.

Magguilli offers an alternative that avoids the need to sell if you are rebalancing during the accumulation phase.

Where Should You Invest

Determining what type of investment account is best for you can be tricky. Investing in taxable versus nontaxable accounts can make a difference in your investment strategy. Magguilli lays out all of the options in rich detail for you to make the best decision for yourself.

Why You Will Never Feel Rich

If you are looking to invest for a brighter financial future, then you likely want to build your net worth. But even as your net worth grows, you’ll likely never actually feel rich. 

Magguilli writes about this likelihood — and how to keep things in perspective.

The Most Important Asset

You might not believe it, but your investment portfolio isn’t your most important asset. This chapter serves to keep your eye on the bigger picture. 

Just Keep Buying Rules

This final chapter offers a high-level overview of the book's major points. The rules are clearly outlined as a helpful takeaway for you to look back on as you move forward easily. 

About Nick Magguilli

Nick Magguilli founded Of Data and Dollars back in 2017. Since then, he has regularly provided sound investment advice based on significant data. His website has been listed on our own list of the top investing blogs to follow.

He has an approachable writing style that breaks down complex investment strategies into actionable advice. He's also incredibly active on Twitter delivering amazing investing data points.

Who Should Read Just Keep Buying

Just Keep Buying offers insightful investment and saving advice that’s backed up with lots of research. If you enjoy diving into the numbers, then you’ll really enjoy this book. 

Even if you aren’t quite ready to invest but want to in the near future, you’ll find helpful strategies to boost your savings and get ready to dive into the world of investing.

Final Thoughts

Just Keep Buying is a smooth read full of thoughtful stories and chock full of data that backs up Magguilli’s investment advice. 

At 296 pages of helpful information, I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to build an investment portfolio.