Brennan and Erin Schlagbaum invest the majority of their money in index funds.Courtesy of Brennan and Erin Schlagbaum
Brennan and Erin Schlagbaum paid off more than $300,000 of debt and hit a seven-figure net worth.
Once they were debt-free, they got serious about investing and went all-in on index funds.
The couple now has a net worth of nearly $2 million. Most of their money is in three index funds.
Brennan and Erin Schlagbaum like to keep things simple when it comes to stock-market investing — and their approach has worked for them so far.
The couple spent five years paying off more than $300,000 worth of debt, including a $234,000 mortgage, before they could focus on actually building wealth. But once they were debt-free and able to start investing, they went all-in on index funds. That was back in August 2021.
Their net worth crossed $1 million in October last year — which Insider verified by looking at account screenshots — and is closer to $2 million today. A good chunk of their wealth is tied up in their new home in Arlington, Texas, which they bought for $495,000 this year in cash so that they could continue living without a mortgage payment.
However, more than 50% of their net worth is invested in the market.
Insider spoke with Brennan, who has his CPA and runs his own financial-literacy company, Budgetdog, about his investing strategy, exactly what investments he holds in his stock portfolio, and how he’s diversifying outside the stock market.
Their stock portfolio: Index funds and Meta stock
The couple use a variety of investment vehicles — including four retirement-specific accounts, a health-savings account, and a brokerage account — but the investments in each account look very similar. “Within every one of those accounts, it’s pretty much the same mix,” Brennan said.
When you open an investment account, you can choose how to invest your money. You can buy and sell various investments, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs.
Brennan said he liked index funds, a type of mutual fund that track a diversified range of stocks, often with a…
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