Six Personal Finance Books Everyone Should Read

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In the hallowed words of US poet Gertrude Stein, whoever said “money can’t buy you happiness” was shopping at the wrong store. However, building wealth takes a considerable amount of skill – especially if you don’t have tons of disposable income.

These personal finance books provide strategies for everything from creating a budget, to clawing your way out of debt, to teaching your kids how to be wealthy.

The following books were recently recommended by the money experts at Business Insider. They will prove indispensable to anyone who has trouble saving money, whether you’re looking to get into the home market or simply want to stop living pay cheque to pay cheque. We’ve also included links to buy each book – some of which are discounted by 25% or more!


#1 ‘The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying‘ by Suze Orman

Ten years ago, Suze Orman, America’s most celebrated finance expert, transformed the way we all view personal finance with her groundbreaking “The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom.” This “New York Times” bestselling blockbuster broke from the ranks of traditional money management books by looking at finances from an entirely new perspective, advising people to approach money from an emotional standpoint in order to achieve their financial dreams. By emphasizing the psychological and spiritual power money has in our lives, while still including information on all aspects of our financial daily activities, Orman has helped millions break through the barriers that hold them back. She is now our country’s leading personal finance expert, and here is the book that started it all.

Orman is back in a brand-new, fully updated edition to “The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom,” her personal finance classic that offers thoughtful, easy-to-follow steps toward a life of financial freedom. Here is the most up-to-the-minute information on a wide range of financial topics that plague us today: credit card debt, bankruptcy, paying for education, wills versus trusts, the best retirement account, life insurance, and more. Combining real-life recommendations with Suze’s own brand of inspiration and motivation, this is the only guide you’ll need to provide for yourself and your family.

As Orman shows, managing money is so much more than a matter of balancing your checkbook or picking the right investments. It’s about redefining financial freedom and realizing that you are worth far more than your money. Let America’s leading personal finance expert show you how.


#2 ‘The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness’ by Dave Ramsey

The Total Money Makeover, written by David Campbell, is a book about something that all of us secretly crave – financial freedom. Just the thought of being totally financially independent makes us tingle with excitement. This book could help many people, especially today when we live in societies where earning money is mandatory and where the “importance of spending it” is even more mandatory. But just a thought that there is a way to be entirely financially independent makes people wonder, and if they run into a book like The Total Money Makeover, their excitement and thrill grows even more.

So, is it possible to be financially independent? Is it possible to finally have a “normal” life without a debt? Are there some tricks to earn more money by doing less? That and many more questions are contained in our next chapters.


#3 ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money – That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!’ by Robert Kiyosaki

Rich Dad Poor Dad is Robert’s story of growing up with two dads — his real father and the father of his best friend, his rich dad — and the ways in which both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing. The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to be rich and explains the difference between working for money and having your money work for you.

In the 20th Anniversary Edition of this classic, Robert offers an update on what we’ve seen over the past 20 years related to money, investing, and the global economy. Sidebars throughout the book will take readers “fast forward” — from 1997 to today — as Robert assesses how the principles taught by his rich dad have stood the test of time.


#4 ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill and Arthur Pell

Think and Grow Rich has been called the “Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature.” It was the first book to boldly ask, “What makes a winner?” The man who asked and listened for the answer, Napoleon Hill, is now counted in the top ranks of the world’s winners himself.

The most famous of all teachers of success spent “a fortune and the better part of a lifetime of effort” to produce the “Law of Success” philosophy that forms the basis of his books and that is so powerfully summarized in this one.

In the original Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, Hill draws on stories of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and other millionaires of his generation to illustrate his principles. In the updated version, Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D., a nationally known author, lecturer, and consultant in human resources management and an expert in applying Hill’s thought, deftly interweaves anecdotes of how contemporary millionaires and billionaires, such as Bill Gates, Mary Kay Ash, Dave Thomas, and Sir John Templeton, achieved their wealth. Outmoded or arcane terminology and examples are faithfully refreshed to preclude any stumbling blocks to a new generation of readers.


#5 ‘The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money’ by Chelsea Fagan

The Financial Diet is the personal finance book for people who don’t care about personal finance. Whether you’re in need of an overspending detox, buried under student debt, or just trying to figure out how to live on an entry-level salary, The Financial Diet gives you tools to make a budget, understand investments, and deal with your credit. Chelsea Fagan has tapped a range of experts to help you make the best choices for you, but she also knows that being smarter with money isn’t just about what you put in the bank. It’s about everything–from the clothes you put in your closet, to your financial relationship habits, to the food you put in your kitchen (instead of ordering in again). So The Financial Diet gives you the tools to negotiate a raise and the perfect cocktail recipe to celebrate your new salary.

The Financial Diet will teach you:
– how to get good with money in a year.
– the ingredients everyone needs to have a budget-friendly kitchen.
– how to talk about awkward money stuff with your friends.
– the best way to make (and stick to!) a budget.
– how to take care of your house like a grown-up.
– what the hell it means to invest (and how you can do it).


#6 ‘Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together’ by Erin Lowry

If you’re a cash-strapped 20- or 30-something, it’s easy to get freaked out by finances. But you’re not doomed to spend your life drowning in debt or mystified by money. It’s time to stop scraping by and take control of your money and your life with this savvy and smart guide.

Broke Millennial shows step-by-step how to go from flat-broke to financial badass. Unlike most personal finance books out there, it doesn’t just cover boring stuff like credit card debt, investing, and dealing with the dreaded “B” word (budgeting). Financial expert Erin Lowry goes beyond the basics to tackle tricky money matters and situations most of us face #IRL, including:

– Understanding your relationship with moolah: do you treat it like a Tinder date or marriage material?
– Managing student loans without having a full-on panic attack
– What to do when you’re out with your crew and can’t afford to split the bill evenly
– How to get “financially naked” with your partner and find out his or her “number” (debt number, of course) . . . and much more.

Packed with refreshingly simple advice and hilarious true stories, Broke Millennial is the essential roadmap every financially clueless millennial needs to become a money master. So what are you waiting for? Let’s #GYFLT!


You can check out more recommendations over at Business Insider.

[Via Business Insider]


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At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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