I absolutely love getting lost in a book and so many others I work with are also total book lovers. There are quite a plethora of finance books out there and it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not know where to start or begin and hopefully this list helps whittle it down for you:). I have read countless finance books over the years and these are my favorites that I think are the most helpful for building up your financial badassness. I know a list of 10 books can be a bit intimidating, but there is something on this list for everyone from the woo-y to the more technical (but also I promise none will make you want to fall asleep) and I hope you pick at least one to learn a bit more!
Woo-y Finance Books: If you know me, you know I love all things “Woo-y” and these books are for you if that also resonates. Less on the technical side and more on the touchy-feely side of finance:
- The Soul of Money by Lynne Twist is a fantastic read that will help you transform your relationship with money and how you find value and meaning in your life. Heads up this book starts out SLOOOOOW and you will be wondering why the hell I suggest it, but get through the first few chapters and I promise you will be hooked! Lynne Twist is a global activist and has raised over $150 million dollars for charitable causes and gives a unique perspective of how money is treated and thought of by the richest and poorest across the world. This book will give you insights into the true meaning of money and how you can use it to improve your life.
- Money Magic by Jessie Susan calls herself the Money Witch and wrote an easy-to-follow, step-by-step book on overcoming money mindsets and beliefs about money that are holding you back, and creating self-care rituals and meditation practices to reinforce your money positivity. She uses journal prompts, affirmations, mindfulness moments, rituals, suggests money magic allies, and how to heal your finances homework in each chapter to help you work through your relationship with money. Bonus is that it’s a gorgeous book to read and work through!
- Infinite Possibilities by Mike Dooley is a fantastic book that will help you discover what is truly important to you and how to live a life of purpose, with intention, and create a future full of abundance. This book has a little less to do with money, but will help you find your values and meaning so that when you do create and implement your financial plan, you know you are aligning with exactly what makes you happy:-).
- Money, Manifestations & Miracles: A Guide to Transforming Women’s Relationships with Money by Meriflor Toneatoo this book celebrates and teaches the power that women have when it comes to money and influence in the world. This book teaches women to use their superpowers for good and shows how to use money to make a difference in the world, in their communities, and in their families. She writes about money being an “emotional currency” and defines Eight Holistic Principles that will help you create the magical life of your dreams.
Less on the woo-y side and more on the technical side of finance (but nothing boring!):
- Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth Greed & Happiness by Morgan Housel is all about how your behaviors and mindsets can dictate the success of your financial life. This fabulous book is an introduction to saving and investing and how to be aware of the biases that you will face as you try and make sense of the wild world of finance. He uses a variety of short stories exploring the way people think about money and helps you make sense of this important topic.
- I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi is a book filled with everything you need to make good decisions about how you spend your money. This is the book you wish you would been assigned before high school graduation to set you up for maximum adulting success. This is a no-bullshit guide on banking, saving, budgeting, and investing and is actually really funny and entertaining to read. He has an awesome podcast with the same name as well that I suggest checking out if you love podcasts!
- The One-Page Financial Plan by Carl Richards is all about figuring out what all of the money in your life is actually for. The concept of a one-page financial plan means to simply ask where are you now and where do you want to go? If you don’t have an overall framework for what you want your life to look like and what the purpose of your money is, then the financial plan with all the details, tips, tricks, hacks, or whatever will honestly just not be all that helpful. Creating your one-page financial plan will help guide you to your financial success.
- The Investment Answer by Daniel Goldie & Gordon Murray I’ve mentioned this on a blog here before, but it deserves to be on this list too as it’s the number one book I have all of my clients read as it’s short and to the point. Before investing or working with a financial professional, you should check this out. It’s a super short read (only 66 pages, so no excuses!) and is an incredibly powerful book written by Wall Street veteran Gordon Murray as his life’s project with only 6 months left to live.
- Get Good With Money by Tiffany Aliche is a practical guide written by a preschool teacher that found herself in a tough financial situation after a recession and some bad financial advice. She focuses on “Financial Wholeness” and shows you her 10 simple steps process for becoming financially secure in a realistic way with tons of helpful tips, tools, checklists, and a whole bunch of other resources. She helps you piece together your financial life without bringing in shame and breaks things down so you don’t feel overwhelmed by what you need to do.
- Get Financially Naked by Manisha Thakor & Sharon Kedar is co-authored by a local Portland badass finance woman (Manisha with MoneyZen!) and is a helpful book to facilitate how to have money conversations with your partner and what you should be chatting about. Money is a leading factor that leads to the demise of a relationship and what most people want to work on within their relationship, so we can all use a little assistance and this book is just what you need. It will help you both prepare and communicate effectively to create a healthy financial future as a team. This is a must-read for couples wanting to build a healthy financial foundation for their partnership. Extra bonus tip: create a weekly or monthly financial date with your partner and have a book club for the first few date nights and share this book together!
Let me know what you think when you read one of these and if you have any other finance books that you LOVE and think others should read too!!!