There are thousands of books written about money. There are finance books, personal finance books, money management books, and many more. Start browsing on Amazon or visit your local bookstore, and you’ll find no shortage of titles that will promise you everything from how to manage your finances to how to retire early.
So, with so many different options, how do you know which books are the ones that are going to help the most?
Best Books About Money
After reading hundreds of personal finance books, I can tell you that some should definitely be read and do a very good job of explaining certain niche topics when it comes to money. Here are our top eight recommendations for the best books about money, organized by some of the most important pillars of finance.
Simple Money Management
1- “I Will Teach You To Be Rich: No Guilt, No Excuses – Just a 6-Week Programme That Works” by Ramit Sethi
For an all-around book on doing a better job managing your money, I Will Teach You to Be Rich is exactly what you need.
Witty and entertaining, financial guru Sethi will show you his 6-week plan for building your credit, setting up your bank and investment accounts, making better decisions about spending, and automating your savings.
You won’t hear any tired, old advice from Sethi. In fact, you might hear some of the opposite. For example, when it comes to budgeting, Sethi’s message is to “spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.” If that sounds like something you can work with, then – by all means – please check this book out.
2- “The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness” by Dave Ramsey
Love him or hate him, there’s no mistake – Dave Ramsey has become a powerful financial force in the lives of so many people. With over 5 million copies of this book sold alongside a successful radio show and speaking engagements, Ramsey has become a guiding light for several people who were in a dark place with their money.
In The Total Money Makeover, Ramsey will introduce you to his world-famous “7 Baby Steps” which will include things like starting an emergency fund (with as little as $1,000), paying off debt using the “Debt Snowball” method, saving for retirement using a Roth IRA, and much more. All throughout, Ramsey will also stress the importance of a written budget and show you how simple this can be if you use a cash envelope system.
If you were looking to do things differently with your money, then this is your book. You’re not going to find such a simple and straightforward game plan for changing your money habits anywhere else.
No-Nonsense Investing
3- “The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing” by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf
If you’d like to get into the world of investing, then why not start by hearing what twenty years of Jack Bogle followers can teach you about simplifying your approach and finding financial success.
The Boglehead’s Guide to Investing is a comprehensive look at the world of investing that cuts through all of the noise. Using the collective wisdom of one of the largest and most active non-commercial financial forums on the Internet, you’ll learn about how to invest, what to invest in, and why you need to do it.
Forget calling an advisor. This is a DIY investing handbook that you’ll wish you had read years ago.
4- “A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing” by Burton Malkiel
If you’ve ever been suspicious of why financial professionals always seem to be very interested in getting your business, read this book and you’ll know why. In A Random Walk Down Wall Street, author Burton Malkiel will show you how it’s the fund managers, advisers, and stockbrokers who are making all of the money when it comes to investing, and not you!
This book will challenge many of the conventional methods, strategies, and superstitions about stock picking and the investment industry as a whole. Instead, Malkiel will offer you some simple and practical advice for investing your money and growing your retirement savings. If you’ve got a 401(k) plan or an IRA, then you’re going to want to read this.
Finding Financial Freedom
5- “The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life” by JL Collins
From one of the most respected bloggers of the F.I.R.E. movement (financially independent, retired early) comes a book that will teach you what you could do with “F-You Money”.
The Simple Path to Wealth is a series of unconventional teachings and life lessons that are sure to challenge who you think about money. Collins, who is also a devoted discipline of Jack Bogle’s methods, will demonstrate how nearly anyone can take a simple approach to investing, sit back, and wait for the magic of time and compound interest to take them to financial freedom.
If you’re looking for a refreshingly unique and approachable take on your relationship with money, then this is your book. Reading it will feel more like listening to the advice of a sage, old friend more than anything else.
6- “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won’t Get from Your Financial Advisor” by Ernie Zelinski
Saving for retirement is one thing. But what you’ll do once you get there is quite another. In How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, you’ll find everything you need to do both.
Author Ernie Zelinski will help you to identify what it is that you actually want to do when you’re retired by addressing your fears, hopes, and dreams. Then once you have this, he’ll show you how to save your money towards fulfilling this goal.
Whether you’re getting close to retirement or would even like to retire early, this book can help you to better understand why and what you’re saving your money for in the first place.
Transform The Way You Think About Money
7- “The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy” by Thomas Stanley and William Danko
Hands down, one of the most eye-opening and talked about books in transforming the way you think about money is The Millionaire Next Door.
Tackling that age-old question “Why aren’t I as wealthy as I should be?”, Stanley identifies seven common traits that show up again and again among the wealthy. But what you’ll learn is that the rich don’t always spend their money the way you’d think. Instead, real millionaires bargain shop for used cars, pay less taxes, and reject the big-spending lifestyles most of us associate with “being rich”.
This book is an interesting read for anyone of any age, and it will truly help you to understand the differences in the money mindset between those who truly are wealthy and those who are just playing the part.
8- “Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
For more than twenty-five years, Your Money or Your Life has been considered the go-to book for understanding how money truly impacts the way you live.
Now in a recently updated version of the book, author Vicki Robin teaches you how to identify your value as a human being. This will be done with a nine-step program that starts with calculating exactly how much your time is worth and determining if the things you buy are actually worth that time.
This book is outstanding for anyone who is trying to change their relationship with money. Read it and you’ll be sure to start living in a more meaningful and deliberate way.
Final Thoughts: Best Books About Money
Money is one of those things that makes the world go round. Knowing how to manage and use your money wisely is essential.
Use this guide on the best books about money and find the right book that will help guide your money management choices. Go, get reading, and learn more now!