If you’re one of those few and determined people striving to build themselves a nice little fortune, a successful business or you just want to get your finances in good order, you should prepare for quite a journey. Tough, long and with plenty of opportunities to fuck things up, because building a wealth isn’t something easy.
Becoming rich sounds alluring to so many people in this world but only a select few have what it takes to make it there, to make the mistakes, learn their lessons and to continue no matter what life throws at them.
While it’s always a good idea to learn from your mistakes, it’s even better to learn from other’s mistakes. That’s why books in general are an efficient – and safe – way to learn from other people’s experience, especially in the world of finances where it takes so long to build a little fortune and only one moment, one bad decision to ruin everything.
So order the books on this list, turn off your phone, lock your door and unleash your reading appetite because these are 10 of the best finance books that can teach you how to become rich:
10. The Automatic Millionaire – David Bach
As the title suggests, the path to riches doesn’t have to be hard, complicated and on a tight budget and willpower but you only need to have a good plan and automate some important habits.
In The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach explains some misconceptions about money that most of us have and shows a better and simpler alternative to building a nice wealth.
9. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
In his book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker takes a tour into the mind of the rich and shows everyone the attitude, the beliefs and everything else that allowed those people to make huge fortunes.
Besides these wonderful insights in the mind of the world’s wealthiest people, the author provides strategies and plans that everyone can use to change their attitude towards money and rise further up the ladder of success.
8. The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham
One of the most important players in the investment arena of the twentieth century, Benjamin Graham, offers some good insights into his philosophy of value investing, teaching the readers to develop a long-term vision and to shield themselves from errors.
The Intelligent Investor was praised by Warren Buffet as the best investing book ever written, so it’s probably a good idea to pick up a copy and read it cover to cover if you’re in the business of making money work for you. The professional writers from getfinanceessay often refer to this book when preparing papers and essays on finance and investing.
7. The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
The authors of this book, Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko began interviewing a good number of millionaires in the attempt to find which are the habits that most wealthy people have in common, and published their results in the form of a book, The Millionaire Next Door, which has quickly become one of the most important books about finances ever written.
First published in 1996, The Millionaire Next Door offers this knowledge structured in seven important steps, such as spending less than you earn, budgeting and saving money. This book is a must read for everyone hoping to up their financial game.
6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
Another timeless classic that has changed the ways people look at money, jobs, businesses and investments is Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, a book that can help anyone understand the difference between a rich person’s mentality and that of a poor person, thus helping the reader make a conscious choice for a wiser financial future.
With insights on the decisions that shape each of those two mentalities and a deeper understanding on why and how to invest, Rich Dad, Poor Dad is promoting good, healthy financial habits to each and every one of its readers and even challenges them to pass on the wisdom to the younger generations.
5. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
The bestseller Think and Grow Rich is a classic in the line of financial education books. Written by Napoleon Hill after the great depression of 1929, the book encompasses timeless principles that can be applied by everyone not only in the financial part of life, but in almost every other aspect of it.
The author wrote the book after doing an extensive research by interviewing over five hundred successful people over a period of two decades, with some of the names being Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Graham Bell. He then gathered all the information and synthesized it into thirteen steps to success that are no less important today than they were at that time.
4. The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason
One of the most famous and inspirational books about success and personal wealth, The Richest Man in Babylon, by George S. Clason, talks about a few simple concepts like paying yourself first, providing value or investing, but does it through several compelling parables which will make anyone comprehend and remember these principles with a lot more ease.
Written in an attractive way, the book presents some of the oldest, time tested and trusted ‘secrets’ to getting rich. It’s a powerful book worth reading by anyone who wants to have a better control over his or her finances.
3. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing – John C. Bogle
Recommended by the legendary Warren Buffet to every investor out there, no matter how big, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing teaches the best ways to make investments work and yield returns. With plenty of good advice such as portfolio diversification and long term investments, this book is a gold mine for those who are about to enter the world of investments.
The book’s author, John C. Bogle, is the creator of the world’s first index fund and the founder of the Vanguard Group and couldn’t be more qualified to offer advice on some of the most simple and efficient strategies to invest.
2. What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars – Jim Paul and Brendan Moynihan
What’s more important than to know how to get rich? To know what not to do to in order to get rich. Also known as the via negativa, a latin phrase used by Christian theologists to explain God by what he is not rather than what he is, it’s an important idea that can be used in all aspects of life.
In this case, it means to stop doing the things that are endangering one’s path to riches as a first step to getting there. Focusing on getting rid of the bad habits and decisions that lead people to financial ruin is the main idea of ‘What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars’.
This book tells the story of the co-author, Jim Paul, as he first rises from a small town in Kentucky and reaches the successful and wealthy lifestyle he was dreaming of, and how he manages to lose everything afterwards. It shines a light on all the aspects that led him to ruin by losing his $1.6 million fortune, his reputation and his job and teaches everybody the lessons he had to learn the hard way.
1. Antifragile – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
While not necessarily a financial education book, Antifragile, by bestselling author of The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, rocks the traditional views on our world and shows how some systems are actually getting benefits from chaotic events that shape our lives.
He offers a counter-intuitive approach on how to deal with the chaos and disorder that define this world, no matter what our domain of activity is. While most people would simply be fearful of and run away from these uncertain events, he’s actually advising us on how to use them in beneficial ways and thrive in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, and this couldn’t be a better advice for financial systems as well.
From general life decisions and the economic system to politics, investments and personal finances, this book is a gold mine for anyone hoping to get better at not only finances but every aspect of our uncertain lives.
Contents
- 10. The Automatic Millionaire – David Bach
- 9. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
- 8. The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham
- 7. The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
- 6. Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
- 5. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
- 4. The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason
- 3. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing – John C. Bogle
- 2. What I Learned Losing A Million Dollars – Jim Paul and Brendan Moynihan
- 1. Antifragile – Nassim Nicholas Taleb