INTRODUCTION

Managing our finances will always prove to be one of the most daunting tasks we can embark on at every stage of our lives. Nevertheless, it is important to have some sense of control over our immediate and future financial situations, whether it is digging ourselves out of debt, acquiring the discipline required to save, learning how to invest rightly, or even automating and sorting our finances. Books on personal finance contain a wealth of resources, and having this kind of knowledge and insight about money could make getting our finances under control less daunting. Here are ten of some of the best personal finance books you should read in no particular order.

Best books on personal finance

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

Think and grow rich is among the most popular finance books. In this engaging book about increasing finance, Napoleon Hill explains how a healthy desire to reach one’s goal, whatever it is, is important to grow wealth. This book focuses on how you can conquer your mind and protect it from negative emotions. It teaches how to master one’s emotions and overcome fear. This disposition of the mind prepares you to follow through on what it takes to be disciplined about saving, budgeting, and investing. With the use of real-life examples, Hills was able to inspire his readers to adopt principles that assist them with reaching their financial goals. This book is a perfect recommendation for readers hoping to master their minds and emotions to make better decisions about the money.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki.

Rich dad, Poor dad is among the best personal finance books of the last two decades. Rich dad, Poor dad’s author uses stories and what he learned from his dad and his friends’ fathers while growing up to give nuggets of wisdom for readers to take in. He makes the contrast between the lessons learned from his father (poor dad) and his friend’s father (rich dad). Kiyosaki also explains wealth generation and introduces concepts and mindsets that change readers’ paradigms about how money is generated and kept. He also talks about how the educational system doesn’t teach about personal finances, a system flaw that needs to be corrected. This book is a perfect recommendation if you want to manage your money better and change your outlook on money in general.

Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley.

The Millionaire Next Door is an impressive compilation of the thoughts and mindsets of over a thousand real-world millionaires and how they differ from ordinary people. In this book, Stanley pens down his observations about the wealthy, from how they make financial decisions to how they spend, budget, and invest. He points out the difference between wealth and income and how the wealthy have accumulated income resulting in wealth. He added that rich people are more “wealth oriented” than “consumer-orientated.” He concludes that financial discipline, solid foundations, and sacrifices are common denominators in how millionaires grow and keep their wealth. While this book might not present as a “how-to” be a millionaire guide, it is an excellent read for people looking to get into the minds of the wealthy.

The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

In nineteen short stories, the author espouses to us how preconceived notions about money and growing wealth can affect our decisions making process concerning the management of our financial resources. Morgan says that our behavior towards money is oddly similar across tribes, races, and classes. Morgan explains that understanding human psychology is required for expertise in finance and avoidance of costly mistakes due to ego. He mentioned greed, impatience, and overconfidence as bad attitudes that have dire impacts on our personal finances. He uses research and anecdotes to offer insightful advice to readers who are hoping to understand their behavior towards and concerning money. So, whether you are a beginner or expert at sorting your finances, this book promises something for everyone.

The Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagan.

The Financial Diet is an easy-to-read relatable book about personal finance for twenty-something-year-olds. It offers tools and advice to young adults looking to get out of student loan debts, manage credit cards and organize their finances to live a better life. Fagan also explains how to navigate salary negotiations with employers as a new graduate. Although Fagan refuses to go deep into financial concepts, she gives an excellent overview for beginners to get their feet into the door of finance. The tips and advice offered in this book are actionable, helpful, and inspiring to people looking to get their finances right.

I Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry.

This book targets twenty-something to thirty-something-year-olds who are still trying to get their lives together. In an effortless conversational style, the author gets into millennials’ most critical financial predicaments, from improving credit card scores and getting out of student loans to navigating awkward money conversations at work and with family and friends. She thinks that money conversations are essential to have, especially with potential lifetime partners, and gives tips on how to go about these conversations. With a food balance of practical advice and excellent narration, broke millennial is an absolute delight to read for beginners looking for how to sort their finances and get on track to achieve their financial goals.

Your Money or your Life by Vicki Robin.

In ‘Your Money or Your Life, the author takes us back to the drawing board by asking us specific questions like how much money is required to live the life you desire and how much of your life you are willing to give in exchange for money. He also posits that saving up, budgeting, living frugally, and investing are ways to grow wealth and retire early to maximize happiness. In nine steps, Robins seeks to offer mindset changes that help readers improve their relationship with money and build wealth. Your money or your life talks about choice, freedom, and peace instead of deprivation, and because it asks its readers specific questions about their end goals, fulfillment is not far from reach—an excellent read.

Clever Girl Finance by Bola Sokunbi.

Clever girl Finance focuses specifically on money issues that concern women, such as the gender pay gap and how it affects women’s growing wealth. She speaks on how women need to adopt a newer mindset towards investing and growing their wealth. She makes mention of the current trend of women earning more money than ever before and advises women to have more money conversations; she discourages seeing finances and the ideas behind it as a man’s thing. She is of the belief that women are great investors and encourages them to invest rightly and take charge of their finances. If you are a woman who is sparkling new to finance and financial discussions, this.

The book is excellent for you.

Spend Well, Live Rich: How to get what you want with the money you have by Michelle Singletary.

In spend well, live rich, the author took us through memory lane with her grandma to demonstrate the efficiency of excellent financial planning. She encourages her readers to always differentiate between a need and a want. She preaches frugality and living below your means as a way of getting out of debt and saving up. The advice she gives is carefully planned and realistic advice on managing whatever you earn at the moment. Singletary advises that her readers acquire items they can afford in cash and invest in things that they appreciate. Empathetic and with the use of humor, Singletary passes across her message easily and clearly. This is a delightful read for people looking for financial insights and nuggets without a judgmental tone.

Get Good with Money by Tiffany Aliche.

Aliche, in this spectacular book, gives us her advice on becoming ‘financially whole’ in ten distinct parts. In this well-thought-out and organized book by Aliche, she takes us through important topics such as paying off your student loan, building up your net worth, and investing effectively. Her simple but powerful advice is valuable to young people, especially to avoid making mistakes or bounce back if they already have one. Her outline of advice makes it easy to apply and makes the task of getting your finance right less daunting. It is practical, actionable, and realistic. The tips, if applied diligently, will assist you in setting a solid foundation for your financial journey.

In conclusion, understanding and investing in books that open our minds to new principles and realities about money is essential to getting control of our finances. Whether talking about psychology, philosophy, investing, or budgeting, these books offer insights that enable beginners and experts alike to adopt the right attitude towards money or make a complete change in their spending and investing habits. Whatever stage in life you might have reached or financial goals you might have reached, these books on personal finance promise something for every individual who picks them up to read.