Episode 688: Brilliant Vs. Boring : Planet Money John Bogle died last week. His creation — the index fund — changed investing. Today, how his invention set off a million dollar bet between some of the biggest brains on Wall Street.

Episode 688: Brilliant Vs. Boring

John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, died on Wednesday at the age of 89. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

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Mark Lennihan/AP

John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, died on Wednesday at the age of 89.

Mark Lennihan/AP

Note: This episode originally ran in 2016.

In 2006, Warren Buffett bet a million dollars that over ten years, his investment in the most brainless, boring fund would do better than the investment of some of the smartest hedge fund managers in the world.

Today on the show, we look at how that bet turned out. Also, we reflect on the life of the creator of that very boring, but influential fund: John Bogle. Bogle died last week, but his creation lives on in the trillions of dollars invested in index funds.

Music: "Kameleon," "Alright, Alright," and "One Touch."

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