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 

Booth is a keen observer who draws lessons from his experience as a young shoe salesman, a student, an early proponent of passive investing, and a founder, CEO, and Chairman of a successful money management firm. There are many takeaways. Most will help readers have a good investment experience. All will point readers toward a better life.

– Kenneth French, Roth Family Distinguished Professor of Finance, Emeritus, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and Director at Dimensional 

David Booth built one of the most successful investment firms in the world. He had a big idea, the right collaborators, and the discipline to trust evidence over instinct for five decades. 
Stay Calm is the story that legends are created from. And David Booth is the rarest kind of person to learn it from: calm in all circumstances, brilliant, and always willing to try a better way.

– Michael Ovitz, Co-Founder of Creative Artists Agency 

From humble beginnings to global impact, this concise yet powerful memoir charts the extraordinary rise of David Booth. It is a story of entrepreneurial success and transformative philanthropy, set against the backdrop of the revolution in modern finance. By weaving together the pioneering history of the University of Chicago and Dimensional Fund Advisors with personal wisdom, David offers a rare, ringside view of an industry’s evolution—and the timeless lessons he learned along the way.

– Madhav Rajan, Dean of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business 

This is David Booth’s take on life and investing after a long history with both. It’s an interesting read and unlike most books of this sort, it’s also fun.

– Eugene Fama, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences and Director at Dimensional 

There was a financial revolution in our time, brought about through a combination of computers, data collection, and theory. David Booth and the University of Chicago were at the center of it. Stay Calm is in part a chronicle of this financial revolution. But more relevantly, it’s a story about scientific principles of investing that shows how easy it is today for anyone to invest well.

– Errol Morris, Academy Award®–winning filmmaker 

Raised in Kansas and shaped by the University of Chicago, David Booth has built a career on a single conviction: that the rewards of public markets shouldn’t be reserved for insiders. For more than fifty years, David has worked to give anyone willing to learn how markets work the same fighting chance as the privileged few. He has measured his success by how many people he’s helped to reach their financial goals. This book is for everyone David hasn’t met yet. Reading it will change the way you see your money and possibly your life.

– Senator Bill Bradley, Dimensional Consultant 

No one has done more to bring the SCIENCE of investing to the broader public than David Booth. His commitment to understanding markets—through deep, evidence-based, academic research—is unparalleled.

– Barry Ritholtz, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management 

In Stay Calm, David Booth presents a timeless framework for thoughtful, science-based investing, honed by forty-five years of experience as founder of Dimensional Fund Advisors. Compact yet deeply insightful, this book is a rare gem that can benefit readers of every background and level of investing knowledge from novice to experienced professional. It is a book to be read—and reread often, especially in times of heightened uncertainty.

– Robert C. Merton, School of Management Distinguished Professor of Finance at MIT Sloan School of Management, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences, and Dimensional Consultant