There's no denying that these are the best of times for individual investors. Interestingly, an important catalyst of this individual investor revolution is a concept so simple, so mundane as to make it all but invisible to most observers.

That concept is dollar-based investing.

Think about the major concepts and investment vehicles that have powered this individual investor revolution - mutual funds, Roth IRAs, 401(k) programs, unique online investment services like BUYandHOLD. What do all these investment vehicles and programs have in common? Dollar-based investment approaches.

Think about it. You put in $200 per month into your company's 401(k) plan. You max out your annual Roth IRA with a $2000 contribution. You invest $60 in your favorite stock through your BUYandHOLD account.

What dollar-based investing provides is true empowerment, the ability to invest on one's own terms.

Let me explain.

In the bad old days, when full-service brokers ruled the financial landscape and entrance to the financial markets meant dealing with a full-service broker and doing things the broker's way, you didn't invest in dollar amounts. You invested in share amounts. And to be a player meant buying round lots of stock (100 shares). Thus, if you were a small investor, you often made investment decisions based not on the investment's merit, but its share price.

Now fast-forward to today. Through such investment programs as BUYandHOLD, any investor can buy stocks in dollar amounts that make sense for his or her own pocketbook. Want to buy a stock with a price of $200 per share? No problem. You can buy just $20 worth of the stock via BUYandHOLD. Now that's power.

Or maybe you can spare only $5 or $10 per week to invest. With your company's 401(k) plan, you can put that $5 or $10 a week to work across an assortment of mutual funds. Now that's power.

Now I know some commentators would accuse me of hyperbole; others, of omission. After all, how could I leave out the Internet as a major catalyst of the individual investor revolution. Actually, I acknowledge that the Web has done its share to expand this revolution. But as is the case with any revolution, the single biggest catalyst is the one that truly makes the revolution relevant for the masses. And that catalyst, that door opener for millions to join the party, was the advent of dollar-based investing.

So the next you make that $100 investment in your favorite stock via your BUYandHOLD account or contribute $25 to your 401(k) plan, appreciate the moment. For in that moment lies the power of the individual investor revolution.