Stay Calm: Learn to Embrace Uncertainty in Investing and Life

New York Times Bestseller

"Success—in anything, from fitness to business to investing—comes from discipline and patience, not chasing shortcuts. David Booth, who is a visionary and a great friend, reminds us that staying calm, loving the process, and focusing on what we can control is the real path to lasting results. This book is about building strength the smart way—over time."
—Arnold Schwarzenegger, longtime Dimensional shareholder

From one of the pioneers of index investing and a founder of factor investing comes a clear, calming, and empowering guide to building true wealth—rooted not in predictions, hacks, or market timing but in the science of how markets actually work.

“Uncertainty isn’t something to fear—it’s where possibility lives.” —David Booth

For more than 50 years, David Booth has been at the center of a monumental transformation in personal finance. As founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors, Booth has worked alongside Nobel laureates Gene Fama, Merton Miller, Myron Scholes, and Robert Merton, helping to transform investing from a game of speculation into a discipline grounded in evidence, diversification, and long-term thinking. In Stay Calm , he shares the lessons, mindset, and stories behind that revolution—and shows readers how to apply them in their own lives.

In this accessible and engaging book, Booth explains why trying to pick stocks or predict the market’s next move is a losing game, and why trusting markets—not gurus—gives ordinary investors a powerful advantage. Drawing on decades of data and experience, he explores:

Why market prices reflect information faster than any individual can, and why this is good news for investors
How to build a resilient, low-stress investment strategy using diversification, discipline, and patience
How to avoid the emotional traps that cause investors to buy high, sell low, and miss long-term gains
Why uncertainty is not a danger to be eliminated but a source of opportunity
What “true wealth” really means—and how money can support a life of purpose, freedom, and meaning

Warm, wise, and refreshingly free of jargon, Stay Calm is both a practical guide to long-term investing and a philosophy for living with clarity and confidence. Whether you’re just starting out, rethinking your financial plan, or guiding others, this book will change the way you think about markets, risk, and what really matters.