Fund Lessons From John Bogle

Editor's note: This is another in a series of profiles of stellar stock investors.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- John C. Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group and proclaimed "father of index mutual funds," is widely recognized as one of the giants of the financial world.

Bogle set the stage for today's mutual fund and ETF world, all while keeping his main focus on what is best for the individual investor.

Nobody can accuse Bogle of thinking like everyone else on Wall Street. Born in 1929 in New York City, Bogle is one of twin boys from a financially comfortable family. However, all that changed with the crash of 1929. His family lost its money, and he and his two brothers were forced to get jobs to support the household. The early respect for money he gained from this experience is one quality that has never left him.

After attending a private school in New Jersey, Bogle went on to Princeton University where he graduated magna cum laude in 1951 with a degree in economics. His senior thesis would gain the attention of fellow Princeton alumni, Walter L. Morgan, the founder of the Wellington Fund. Bogle was hired by Morgan after graduation.