Best Personal Finance Books | Top 6
Take your personal finances to the next level with these great books
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the six best personal finance books. These books are some of our all-time favourites. Personal finance is one of those topics that might sound a little dry. But getting your personal finances in order is a first step towards success in many walks of life. That includes investing in property, starting a new business and generating wealth. When done right, these books can be life changing.
The books on this list cover all the core personal finance topics you’d expect. This includes budgeting, getting out of debt, the importance of saving for the future and investing. However, the hidden message in many of these books is all about taking control of your life sticking it to the man, and putting yourself out there to create something for yourself by starting a new business venture. What better way to take control of your finances.
Most of the books in this list are priced at less than £30. So, they’re an inexpensive way to acquire the knowledge you need to get your personal finances under control. You can also read some of these books for free with Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited free trial. Moreover, many of the authors of these books have podcasts you can download later to take your learning even further.
You can click on the books to see the latest reviews and prices on Amazon. In addition, you can look inside to find out about the contents.
Our Reading List
Best Personal Finance Books
Click links to see latest reviews and prices
1. Rich Dad Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
Synopsis:
“It’s been 25 years since Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad first made waves in the personal finance industry. This book has since become the #1 personal finance book of all time.
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 both men shaped his thoughts about money and investing.
The book explodes the myth that you need to earn a high income to become rich and explains the big difference between working for money and having your money work for you.”
Our view:
This book is a classic. It’s also the reason many people get into property in the first place.
It’s a super entertaining read, making great use of storytelling and narrative to drive home some hard-hitting messages. As well as teaching you the importance of core financial concepts like good budgeting, the difference between assets and liabilities, and the importance of getting set up with the right tax structure, the book is great at challenging conventional wisdom and giving you the confidence to fight against the crowd.
It’s a book that can spark a fire in the heart of many a budding investor and entrepreneur.
2. The Richest Man in Babylon – George Clason
Synopsis:
“The Richest Man in Babylon, which based on ‘Babylonian parables’, has been hailed as the greatest of all inspirational works on the subject of thrift, financial planning, and personal wealth.
These fascinating and informative stories set you on a path to prosperity and its accompanying joys. A celebrated bestseller, it offers an understanding and a solution to your personal financial problem.
Revealed inside are the secrets to acquiring money, keeping it, and making money earn more money. This original edition has the original language and 1926 message from George Clason as intended.”
Our view:
An great read that teaches personal finance through stories. An absolute, modern classic.
Written in 1926, the messages of the book are no less relevant today. The book covers topics like saving, cutting expenses, the importance of increasing your skills, work ethic, and how to conquer your fears. There’s also some great advice on how to invest wisely, by avoiding investments that sound too good to be true or that you don’t understand and the importance of collateral.
There’s something here for everyone, even the most seasoned of investors.
3. The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss
Synopsis:
“Forget the old concept of retirement and the rest of the deferred-life plan – there is no need to wait, especially in unpredictable economic times.
Whether your dream is to escape the rat race, travel the world, earn a monthly five-figure income with zero management, or just live more and work less, this book offers you a blueprint.
More than 50 practical tips and case studies from readers who have doubled their income, overcome sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book.”
Our view:
The book that started a digital nomad revolution with the promise of greater time and freedom.
The 4-Hour Workweek is a little bit like marmite – some love it, some hate it. Those who love it credit the book for opening their eyes to a new world of lifestyle design, geographical arbitrage, and how starting a small, lifestyle business can give you back the freedom of time and location that you lose with a traditional 9-5 job. Even if the examples are a little exaggerated, there’s no doubt that core idea of the book holds true, and plenty of readers have already made the leap.
The book also has a bit of attitude that anyone looking to make life changes can benefit from.
4. Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant – Robert Kiyosaki
Synopsis:
“Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant is your guide to financial freedom. It’s the second book in the series and reveals how some people work less, earn more, and become financially free.
Cashflow quadrant was written for those who are ready to move beyond job security and enter the world of financial freedom. It’s for those who want to make big changes in their lives and take control of their financial future.
This book will change the way you think about jobs, careers, and owning your own business and will inspire you to learn the rules of money that the rich use to build and grow their wealth.”
Our view:
For us, this is probably the best book in the Rich Dad series, and it’s not to be missed.
The core idea of the book is that some routes to wealth are faster and more efficient than others. It uses Robert Kiyosaki’s Cashflow Quadrant as a mental model to explain the pros and cons of different life paths. The four quadrants in the model are employee, self-employed, business owner, and investor, depending on where you derive most of your income. The book talks you through the pros and cons, the mindsets tied to each, and how to move into a better quadrant.
One of the best personal finance books to read if you’re thinking about your next steps in life.
5. Side Hustle – Chris Guillebeau
Synopsis:
“Side Hustle is about much more than just making some extra cash. It’s about financial freedom and job security in today’s unstable business world.
When you receive income from multiple different sources, you’re no longer dependent on the whims of an employer. It affords you choices and options.
Full of practical exercises and great stories, Side Hustle shows readers how to choose, launch and refine their side business, with little budget, without having to quit their job.”
Our view:
Looking to earn extra cash or start a business? Then take a look at Side Hustle.
If you’ve managed to get through the Rich Dad books and The 4-Hour Workweek, then you may be looking for some creative inspiration about starting your own business. If so, this book is a great place to start. Side Hustle takes readers through the process of starting a new business in just 27 days. It covers business idea generation, scoping out competition, defining your processes, and sales and marketing. It’s basically a crash course in entrepreneurship.
One of the best personal finance books for those looking to start a business.
6. The Meaningful Money Handbook – Pete Matthew
Synopsis:
“In The Meaningful Money Handbook, personal finance expert Pete Matthew guides you through everything you need to know and do to secure your financial future.
You’ll learn how to get out of debt, techniques for financial control, the importance of insurance in managing downside risk, and how to save and invest as you work your way towards financial freedom.
The Meaningful Money Handbook is a practical guide to succeeding with money by cutting out the stuff you don’t need and clarifying the things you do to make a difference to your life.”
Our view:
A fantastic book that’s great if you’re looking to cut your debt and get back to the basics.
If you’ve listened to Pete’s Meaningful Money podcast, then you’ll know you’re in for a treat. The Meaningful Money Handbook covers topics like budgeting, techniques for getting out of debt, insuring against disasters, and saving and investing. It does this in a simple, easy-to-understand way and in Pete’s unique style, which is a joy to read. It’s a book we recommend to new investors whose finances need work.
It’s one of the best personal finance books out there for getting your finances under control.
Best Personal Finance Books – The Challenge
Read these six fantastic personal finance books in six months
Are you looking to get your personal finances in order? Then our challenge to you is to see if you can get through the reading list above in just six months. That’s right, we challenge you to read six of the best personal finance books in just six months. This is a personal development challenge you can start at any time of the year. It doesn’t have to be as part of a New Year’s resolution. And you don’t have to wait until January to start. You can start this today.
We’re confident these books contains the core ideas every investor needs to get their personal finances in order. These books will teach you strategies for saving and investing more. They’ll teach you strategies for getting yourself out from under a pile of debt. Finally, you will learn how to maximising your earnings, either by starting your own business or improving your skill set.
If you decide to take on the challenge, best of luck. This reading list will take your thinking on life and what it takes to be successful in a whole other direction. You may never be the same again. Remember, you can read many of them for free on Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited free trial.
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