Financial management can be a daunting subject, and mastering it requires dedication and perseverance. Fortunately, you are not by yourself on this journey. Explore these 10 personal finance books to identify the options that resonate with you, helping you to develop positive financial practices today.
1. Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole
Renowned blogger and financial educator Tiffany Aliche has navigated her own financial challenges successfully. After achieving personal financial stability, she devoted herself to empowering others to do the same. In Get Good with Money, Aliche offers a straightforward 10-step guide aimed at helping you attain financial security and the wisdom necessary to grow and protect that wealth.
Her steps cover essential actions such as managing your finances through effective budgeting, making investments, and setting clear financial goals. Aliche’s objective is to guide readers towards becoming “financially whole” by aligning with the ten pivotal financial principles laid out in her book. With comprehensive resources such as checklists and insights from specialists to reinforce the teachings, Get Good with Money equips readers with lifelong, beneficial financial habits.
2. Retire Before Mom and Dad: The Simple Numbers Behind A Lifetime of Financial Freedom
The aspiration for financial independence is exhilarating, yet many resources can leave readers feeling bewildered or lost, unsure of their next steps. Rob Berger, the deputy editor of Forbes and the founder of the Dough Roller blog, is well-versed in personal finance and guiding others through it. His book, Retire Before Mom and Dad, simplifies crucial concepts to assist readers in embarking on their financial education journey.
Covering topics such as pursuing FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early), mastering uncomplicated investment strategies, selecting a retirement account, and reshaping your financial behaviors, Retire Before Mom and Dad offers practical advice to help readers achieve their own financial freedom.
3. My Money My Way: Taking Back Control of Your Financial Life
Emotions can serve us in many ways—they foster connections and facilitate self-expression, enabling us to engage with the world deeply. However, when emotions begin to dictate our actions, they can become obstacles instead of allies.
Kumiko Love, an accredited financial counselor and creator of The Budget Mom, has surmounted her own financial challenges. In My Money My Way, she shares insights to help readers avoid or navigate their financial issues. Covering topics like altering your mindset, sustainable budgeting, and investing—bolstered by personal anecdotes from Love and others—this book serves as a roadmap to attaining financial security without being overshadowed by emotional influences.
4. Clever Girl Finance: Ditch debt, save money and build real wealth
While financial literacy plays an increasingly essential role in our lives, many women lack access to this knowledge. This gap is where Clever Girl Finance steps in. Authored by Bola Sokunbi, a certified financial educator and founder of Clever Girl Finance®, the book strives to equip women with the essential tools for achieving financial success.
Drawing from her own financial journey, Sokunbi discusses motivating oneself for change, understanding credit, and preparing for unexpected expenses. Though hard work is needed, Clever Girl Finance empowers readers with the knowledge and encouragement to embark on their path toward financial literacy and freedom.
5. The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness
Even after perusing countless financial guides and meticulously adhering to expert recommendations, we still face setbacks. Unfortunately, our financial choices—similar to various other facets of our existence—are often swayed more by our psychological tendencies than by external guidance.
In The Psychology of Money, Morgan Housel explores 18 principles influencing your financial outcomes and strategies to overcome them. He addresses concepts like recognizing sufficiency, effective saving techniques, and establishing a margin of safety, guiding readers to navigate these hurdles for a prosperous financial future.
6. The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money
Financial guides serve diverse audiences—from seasoned entrepreneurs seeking professional insights to newcomers embarking on their financial endeavors. The Financial Diet caters specifically to beginners, providing concise overviews on a wide array of subjects, backed by resources, expert advice, and straightforward language—creating a comprehensive and accessible guide for those aiming to establish a fundamental grasp of their finances.
What originated as a personal blog in 2014 eventually transformed into a financial resource for women, led by The Financial Diet author Chelsea Fagan. The popular blog’s insights were compiled and refined into book format. While not an exhaustive exploration of finance’s intricacies, this book serves as an enjoyable introduction for those starting to uncover the world of financial literacy.
7. Financial Freedom: A Proven Path to All the Money You Will Ever Need
Time is one of our most precious assets, yet as life accelerates, it often feels like time slips away more quickly than we can manage. Work is a significant factor in this equation.
Grant Sabatier, a best-selling author and entrepreneur who achieved a million-dollar net worth in five years, offers a pathway to achieving financial independence much earlier than traditional retirement age. While you may not wish to spend your early retirement idly, reaching financial stability affords you the freedom to shape your life and use your time as you desire.
Sabatier explores how much money you truly need for your desired lifestyle, ways to restructure your time and expenditure—including potential side hustles—and guidance on when and how to invest, offering solid advice for achieving the same success he has experienced.
8. Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your Financial Sh*t Together
Many find it difficult to discuss their earnings with co-workers, family, or friends. Yet, how often do you engage in conversations about finances in general, even when seeking clarity on unfamiliar topics?
Author and podcaster Gaby Dunn believes that money talks are infrequent, if they happen at all, and this reluctance contributes to our financial misunderstandings—a situation that worsens if one struggles financially. After all, if you don’t share your challenges, how can you or those around you grasp the support you require?
In Bad with Money, a perfect companion for those in their 20s trying to navigate financial complexities, Dunn offers insights to comprehend and overcome financial hurdles in a manner that is both engaging and enlightening.
9. Just Keep Buying: Proven ways to save money and build your wealth
If you’re already knowledgeable about investing but seeking expert tips, look no further than Just Keep Buying by Nick Maggiulli, the Chief Operating Officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management and the creator of Of Dollars and Data. This guide provides data-driven advice aimed at enhancing your financial health, covering strategies for both saving and investing.
With over 20 insightful chapters, Just Keep Buying balances thoroughness with readability, delivering an in-depth guide that is straightforward and applicable to your life. Topics include increasing your income to boost savings, retirement planning strategies, and key insights on where and how to invest wisely, all supplemented with personal anecdotes from Maggiulli’s life.
10. Smart Money: The Step-by-Step Personal Finance Plan to Crush Debt
Navigating debt is challenging, and finding the motivation to escape it can be equally daunting. That’s where Smart Money by Naseema McElroy comes into play. The founder of Financially Intentional is familiar with the journey out of debt herself, and she’s eager to pass on the strategies that proved effective for her.
Covering essential practices from budgeting to minimizing fees and investing, McElroy’s guide is designed to assist readers in eliminating debt and establishing robust financial objectives for their futures.
Happy reading!
