building a personal finance library: 25 of the best books

10/25/2007 10:02 AMBuilding a Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best Books About Money ∞ Get Rich Slowly

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Building a Personal Finance Library: 25of the Best Books About MoneyWednesday, 7th March 2007 (by J.D.) This article is about Books

If you're new here, you may want to learn what this site is about.I encourage you to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks forvisiting!

I frequently get e-mail from people seeking bookrecommendations. Most messages are like the one Cody sentyesterday: “What is the first book that I should read that tells me



yesterday: “What is the first book that I should read that tells mehow to invest?” These are easy to answer. In January, Bobbyasked a broader question:

I was wondering if you have a list of PF books that youhave in your personal library. I use the library frequentlyand am very interested in furthering my own education inthe PF area. It is also a personal goal for 2007 (oneeducational book a month.)

This is a great goal and a great question. Eventually I’ll have asubsection of this site devoted to personal finance books. But fortoday, I’ll list the books I refer to frequently. (These aren’t all thebooks I own — I own many that aren’t worth having.) I’ve markedthe books I consider essential with a happy star .

Please note that these recommendations are based on how well aparticular book has worked for me. Your mileage may vary.

Basic Personal Finance

These books offer a wide view, discussing many aspects ofmoney. They offer advice about saving, investing, and getting outof debt. They don’t go into much detail about any one subject, butthey provide motivation to get started. And that’s what’s mostimportant.



The Millionaire Next Door by Stanley and DankoThe authors interview and survey a pool of millionaires,attempting to find common connections among them. Theydiscover that millionaires live below their means. They budget.They let their adult children make it on their own. This bookintroduces several key concepts, including degrees of wealthaccumulation. It’s a bit tedious in spots, at least in the audioversion. This is one of just a few books to cover both sides ofthe wealth equation: saving money and earning money. [Myreview.]

Your Money or Your Life by Dominguez and RobinA classic, and one of the foundation books for the simplicitymovement. The authors play off the concept “time is money” ina very literal sense. They encourage readers to sort outpriorities, to cut expenses, and then to seek passive income inpursuit of financial independence. A little New Age-y in spots.An excellent book. [Frykitty reviewed this book last year.]

The Total Money Makeover by Dave RamseyRamsey is an anti-credit zealot. He made a $4 million fortuneby his mid-twenties, and then lost it to bankruptcy. Now heruns a personal finance empire. He takes a lot of criticism forhis support of the Debt Snowball, which he describes in detailhere, but the thing is: his methods work. If you are strugglingwith debt, there is no better starting place than this book.Ramsey’s advice is permeated with his Christianity, but youcan get a lot out of this book even if you’re not religious.

The Wealthy Barber by David ChiltonThis book offers good, general personal finance advice in theguise of a novel. Several friends meet once a month at the



guise of a novel. Several friends meet once a month at thebarber shop where the titular character dispenses wisdom onsaving, investing, buying a house, and so on. The advice hereis excellent, often backed by clear examples. The book’sconversational tone may appeal to some who might otherwisebe turned off by personal finance. [My review.]

The Richest Man in Babylon by George ClasonClason offers personal finance wisdom in the form of parables.These nuggets of wisdom were originally distributed aspamphlets at banks and insurance companies during the1920s. The most popular were collected into book form. This isthe grand-daddy of personal finance (Benjamin Franklin is thegreat-granddaddy), and many of modern admonitions — “Payyourself first”, “Invest for the future”, “Learn the power ofcompound interest” — can be found here.

Frugality

Saving money is a key skill to develop if you hope to get rich.(Read The Millionaire Next Door if you don’t believe me.) Here arefour books that can help you learn to cut corners, to save moneyin ways that may not have occurred to you.

How to Live Well Without Owning a Car by Chris BalishBalish begins by explaining why you’re better off not owning acar — financially, ecologically, and socially. He spends the rest



car — financially, ecologically, and socially. He spends the restof the book describing how to survive without one. He offerstips for mass transit, walking, bicycling, and more. This bookhas a narrow focus. But if you’re in its target audience, it’sworth a read.

Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoyDon’t judge a book by its cover. Sometimes it’s the mostunassuming of books that offers the best advice, that canactively help you on your quest to get rich slowly. MiserlyMoms is ostensibly a guide for stay-at-home mothers, but isactually filled with useful tips for anyone who is concerned withfrugality (especially parents with young children). [My review.]

The Joy of Simple Living by Jeff DavidsonThis book is packed with tips. Davidson covers a wide range oftopics, and for each he offers several ways to save money. Ifthis book were a weblog, it would feature digg-able entry afterdigg-able entry. A great resource for anyone wanting to cutdown the clutter of life.

Wealth on Minimal Wage by James SteamerIf you’re a young adult just starting in life, this book is a finechoice. It offers hundreds of ideas on how to avoid debt,maximize your wages, save on insurance and utilities, andgenerally live a frugal lifestyle. A bit out of date, and maybe alittle radical, but filled with good advice. (I’ve had a copy outfrom the public library for six months. It’s been battered andworn by previous patrons — a sure sign of a good book.)

Another highly-regarded book on frugality is The CompleteTightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. I’ve never read it, but it’s



Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. I’ve never read it, but it’snear the top of my list of books to borrow from the library.

Investing

This set of books deals specifically with investing. The four books Ikeep at hand are user-friendly. They’re not technical, but offer agood introduction to the topic.

The Automatic Millioinaire by David BachThere’s more to David Bach than “the latté factor”. The systemhe recommends here is excellent. If you’ve been meaning toopen an IRA, but have never actually done so, then read thisbook! He’ll explain how to set it up so that it’s painless. (Ad:Buy Stocks for $4 at ShareBuilder.)

The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need by AndrewTobias

Andrew Tobias is an entertaining writer. His jocular,conversational tone will keep you interested as he describesmutual funds, bonds, and treasury bills. There’s a good sectionon how to handle a windfall (lottery, inheritance). This is anexcellent introduction to the subject of investing.

The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer,and LeBoeuf



You want expet investment advice? You can’t beat the infofound here. These devotees of Vanugard founder John Bogleare big on slow, sure investments like indexed mutual funds.They tap their decades of experience to teach aboutdiversification, inflation, and asset allocation. It’s not nearly asboring as it sounds. Highly recommended.

Yes, You Can…Achieve Financial Independence by JamesStowers

Despite the odd title, this is a solid book on investment fromone of the richest men in America. It does cover some basicpersonal finance information, but mostly gives tips on how toinvest. I haven’t read the entire book, but I often use it asreference when preparing entries here. It’s a sort of bridgebetween overviews like Tobias and more technical books likeGraham or Malkiel.

Two other classics on investing are The Intelligent Investor byBenjamin Graham and A Random Walk Down Wall Street byBurton Malkiel. I have both, but have read neither. They’re bothquite technical.

Success

Wealth is about more than money. These books will help youbecome a well-rounded person, will help you develop skills thatwill indirectly aid your personal finances.



50 Success Classics by Tom Butler-BowdonButler-Bowdon selected fifty important books from successliterature. For each, he created digest versions, summarizingeach volume in only a few pages, distilling its key points. Healso provided biographical information on each author, andattempted to explain why each book is relevant, placing it in alarger context. This is a wonderful way to find other books toread. [My review.]

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv EkerThere’s a little personal finance advice here (all of it solid), butmostly this book is about changing the way you think aboutmoney and about yourself. I found Secrets inspirational. It’s agood choice for somebody with big goals, or somebody tryingto overcome negative thinking. [My review.]

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale CarnegieOne of the classic success books. Carnegie uses anecdoteafter anecdote to illustrate the best way to make the most ofhuman relations. It all boils down to this: “To win others to yourway of thinking, put yourself in their shoes.” The devil is in thedetails, though, and Carnegie’s simple prose does a fine job ofpointing the way. You can find this book cheap at almost anyused book store. [My review.]

Getting Things Done by David AllenLittle needs to be said about this book — it’s a geek classic.Allen describes his formalized system for creating greater



Allen describes his formalized system for creating greaterefficiency. Though I’ve found it difficult to maintain the precisesystem for long, I use elements of it all the time. If you havetrouble procrastinating or staying organized, this book is foryou. [My review.]

Never Eat Alone by Keith FerrazziI’ve been meaning to review this book for weeks. I have alove/hate relationship with it. Parts of it are fantastic — you canlearn how to relate to people, how to establish contacts andmaintain connections, how to create a social network. Butparts of it are creepy — networking for the sake of networkingputs me off. The endless name-dropping gets old fast. Worthreading if you have contact with a wide group of people.

One book that’s not in my library is What Color is YourParachute? This is a classic on changing careers. I’m locked intoGet Rich Slowly and the family box factory, but if I were jobhunting, I would pick up a copy of this book without hesitation.

Kids and Money

Many parents are unprepared to teach their children about money.You needn’t be one of them. These books suggest methods forgetting kids to understand how money works.



What Color is Your Piggy Bank? by Adelia Cellini LineckerThis slim volume is a great choice for kids from 10-14 who arebeginning to show an interest in entrepreneurship. Lineckercovers the world of jobs, setting up shop, and how to managemoney. I hope to provide a complete review of the book in thenext few weeks.

You Call the Shots by Cameron JohnsonThis is a new book from a young entrepreneur. It’s in my “to-read” stack. I ordered it based on high praise from Flexo atConsumerism Commentary, who wrote: “This book should berequired reading for any young adult showing an interest inentrepreneurship.”

Living Simply with Children by Marie SherlockSherlock offers tips for how to raise children that aren’t part ofthe consumerist culture. She encourages strong family ties asa counter to the relentless purchase to acquire “stuff”. There’ssome great advice here.

Final Thoughts

Though I’ve linked to the Amazon pages for each of these books, Iencourage you to get them free from your public library. Iacquired most of the books in my personal finance library forcheap from garage sales and thrift stores.

Past articles related to this subject include:

How I choose personal finance booksSurvey: The best personal finance books



Building a cheap personal finance library

I’m sure I’ve left out a book or two. Please feel free to set mestraight!

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69 Responses to “Building a Personal FinanceLibrary: 25 of the Best Books About Money”

. 1 VinTek Says: March 7th, 2007 at 9:51 am

If you find “A Random Walk Down Wall Street” a bitintimidating, I highly recommend “The Random Walk Guide toInvesting: Ten Rules for Financial Success.” It’s sort of the CliffNotes version of the original Random Walk book.

. 2 Jonathan Cisco Says: March 7th, 2007 at 9:56 am

J.D., excellent list, sir! These are the kind of posts I drool over.Many of these I haven’t heard of… looks like another trip tothe library for me. 5+ stars!

Thanks,

Jonathan Ciscohttp://www.dreamingnz.com



http://www.dreamingnz.com

. 3 Gaming the Credit System Says: March 7th, 2007 at 10:13 am

I can’t recommend “A Random Walk Down Wall Street” highlyenough. It is is easy to flip through it and be intimidated by allthe charts and graphs. Don’t be. The book is written for theaverage person to understand. Admittedly, I majored in math,but I really didn’t see anything in there that used any esotericformulas. If you are comfortable with ratios (one numberdivided by another) then you have all the mathematicalacumen necessary to read RWDWS.

. 4 Mike Witt Says: March 7th, 2007 at 10:56 am

For investing, I agree with the Boglehead’s guide and theAndrew Tobias book. I didn’t find the Tobias book verypractical (except for obvious things NOT to do) but it was veryentertaining.

Also would suggest:

Beat the Street - Peter Lynch. Very funny, much like Tobias’book.

The Five Rules for successful stock investing: Morningstar’sguide. Goes into detail about valuation of individual companystocks.

The following three books all discuss various aspects of assetallocation (growth vs. value, sm-cap vs. large, diversification



allocation (growth vs. value, sm-cap vs. large, diversificationetc)

What Works on Wall Street - James O’Shaughnesssy.

Stocks for the Long Run - Jeremy Siegel (or anything byJeremy Siegel)

The Intelligent Asset Allocator - William Bernstein

I would also highly recommend going to www.morningstar.comand look for their Education section. They have fantastic set of“courses” on stocks, funds, bonds and portfolios. Each hasmaybe 50 short topics with a quiz. Will take days or weeks toget through it, but it covers every aspect of investing.

. 5 Amelia Says: March 7th, 2007 at 11:13 am

I have been looking for a list like this. Thank you, thank you,thank you!

. 6 Trent Says: March 7th, 2007 at 12:57 pm

Three of these books are in my “Ten Books That Changed MyLife” series. If you read one book on personal finance, ever,read “Your Money or Your Life.”

. 7 J.D. Says: March 7th, 2007 at 1:03 pm

If you read one book on personal finance, ever, read “YourMoney or Your Life.”



Money or Your Life.”

I concur. In fact, I should have marked that book with twohappy stars.

. 8 HC Says: March 7th, 2007 at 1:57 pm

Elizabeth Warren’s “All Your Worth” is hands-down the bestpersonal finance book I’ve ever read. It exhorts responsibilitywithout being judgmental, it offers a simple, reliable guidelineto managing one’s finances, and is flat-out indispensible forpeople considering living in a high-cost area.

. 9 Bobby Says: March 7th, 2007 at 4:08 pm

Thanks bunches JD.

I read The Millionaire Next Door and The Wealthy Barber.Found both interesting and insightful, but wish The WealthyBarber was more current. It is a book that could be updatedevery couple of years and be even more effective atcommunicating it’s message.

Haven’t read TMMO but have read most of Ramsey’s otherbooks.

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this post.

Thanks again.

. 10 Jon Sagara Says: March 7th, 2007 at 4:46 pm



March 7th, 2007 at 4:46 pm

Great list. Thanks!

. 11 Dan Says: March 7th, 2007 at 4:55 pm

Excellent list. The only book I thought was missing was “RichDad, Poor Dad”

I also would have liked to have seen a book about real estateinvesting. Can anyone recommend one?

. 12 traineeinvestor Says: March 7th, 2007 at 5:28 pm

A great list (and one that includes a few books I have yet toread).

A couple of comments:

1. you have listed some great books on investing and othershave suggested a few more. However none of these focus onreal estate and I would suggest adding a few books on thissubject. I can recommedn a few but as these are often counrtyspecific and I do not live in the US, my recommendations maynot be that relevant to most of you;

2. some books on historical events (such as “The Great Crash”J K Galbraith, “Anatomy of the Bear” Russell Napier are goodalthough a bit dry). If nothing else they will remind people thatmarkets do not always go up and that the best time to invest iswhen there is “blood on the street”.



Sorry, but I disagree very strongly with the suggestion ofadding “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” to the list. Like the writings ofmany self proclaimed gurus it may be motivational to theinexperienced and naive, but there is nothing else that ispositive about that book.

. 13 donny Says: March 7th, 2007 at 6:11 pm

Second on the thumbs down on “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Sorry,it’s pure snake oil.

Plus would love to see a follow up post on real estate books. IfI was to add one would be “Rental Houses for the SuccessfulSmall Investor”. One of the best buy and hold books I haveever read.

. 14 li Says: March 7th, 2007 at 6:31 pm

Well you definitely missed two others: “The CoffeehouseInvestor” and “The Informed Investor”

Coffeehouse provides a clear, easy to read and understanddiscussion of modern portfolio theory, asset allocation, riskmanagement, index investing, and general market psychology.It’s actually a fun, hip read.

I view Informed as the technical companion to Coffeehouse.It’s denser, and clearly illustrates how / why modern portfoliotheory works, and how risk is mitigated with the various assetallocation while maximizing gains.



allocation while maximizing gains.

I’ve read many of the books cited and they are good. But whenyou’re ready to invest, make sure you read these two, startingwith Coffeehouse.

. 15 Alex Says: March 7th, 2007 at 8:22 pm

I personally have the Intelligent investor, i would say it’s notthat technical after all.

If you could find that to understand some of the term on thebook. This is a must read for all of those who want to invest onstock market. A classic i would say.

. 16 Michael Flessas Says: March 8th, 2007 at 1:58 am

Add the following books to the list: Security Analysis by Dr.Benjamin Graham, The Essays of Warren Buffett by LawrenceA. Cunningham, Buffettology by Mary Buffett, Common Stocksand Uncommon Profits by Philip A. Fisher, Damodaran onValuation by Dr. Aswath Damodaran, and Theory ofInvestment Value by John Burr Williams. Intelligent Investor, asnoted by others, is a must read as well.

. 17 Carter Adler Says: March 8th, 2007 at 3:44 am

I agree with Alex; The Intelligent Investor is not really thattechnical, though it is a bit massive. If you have trouble with it,try reading the stock articles in Morningstar’s free Investor



try reading the stock articles in Morningstar’s free InvestorUniversity — they do a nice job of cutting through the (now-historical) numbers to the basic concepts, which are not thatdifficult to understand.

For traineeinvestor and others looking for a historicalperspective, I highly recommend “Devil Take the Hindmost: AHistory of Financial Speculation” by Edward Chancellor. Whilemany historical books focus on the last 70 to 100 years of USmarkets, Chancellor covers bubble markets beginning withspeculation in ancient Rome. He covers Holland’s tulipomaniain the 1630s, London stockjobbers in the 1700s, the South Seabubble in the 1720s (which lead Isaac Newton to comment “…Ican predict the motion of planets and stars but not themadness of men…”), the British railway bubble in the 1840s,junk bonds and the Japanese bubble in the 1980s, and LongTerm Capital Management and the internet in the 1990s, andmany more periods of speculative frenzy.

. 18 The Simple Dollar » The Simple Dollar Morning Roundup:Sleepless In Iowa Edition Says: March 8th, 2007 at 5:31 am

[…] Building A Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best BooksAbout Money This is a pretty strong list of good personalfinance books. Eventually my 52 Books series will have aconclusion something like this. (@ get rich slowly) […]

. 19 Marc Says: March 8th, 2007 at 6:22 am

“What is the first book that I should read that tells me how toinvest?” These are easy to answer.



invest?” These are easy to answer.

So, uh, what’s the first book that I should read that tells mehow to invest?

. 20 Glenn Says: March 8th, 2007 at 6:50 am

JD Great list! I have read about a quarter of the books andplan to start on the rest. One book I would add that I recentlyread is The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein. Thisis a very good book on the basics of investing and assetallocation.

. 21 KMC Says: March 8th, 2007 at 7:00 am

To the Basic Personal Finance section I’d add Jane BryantQuinn’s “Making the Most of Your Money.” It’s the one thatstarted me on the path of better personal finance.

. 22 J.D. Says: March 8th, 2007 at 7:31 am

Thanks, everyone, for your additional suggestions. It soundsas if I need to give Random Walk and Intelligent Investorcloser examination. I’ll put them in my to-read queue (which isquite long, by the way).

@MarcThe first book that you should read that tells you how to investdepends on you and your situation. When somebody asks methat question, I try to learn a little more about them. I generally



that question, I try to learn a little more about them. I generallyrecommend Andrew Tobias as a good introduction, thoughanyone who’s serious about investing will want to findadditional reading. But if a person’s more technically-minded, Isteer them to Bogleheads.

re: Rich Dad, Poor DadI’m not a fan of this book. I recognize that it’s motivational(and, in fact, it was one of the books responsible for getting meto think about money), but I don’t think it has many actionableitems in it. That is, there’s not a lot of stuff in RDPD that aperson can use in their lives. I think of it and LoralLagnemeier’s books as being less useful for specifics, butmore useful for changing attitudes about money. But in thatregard, I think the Eker book is superior. He’s more directlymotivational, and when he does mention personal finance, hisadvice is sound.

Keep the suggestions coming!

. 23 GG Says: March 8th, 2007 at 7:55 am

I have read most of the books on this list and think it is a verygood starting point.

I agree with previous posts that Your Money or Your Life byDominguez and Robbins should be marked with two stars.

Probably the next best finance book (and surprisingly omitted),is The Intelligent Asset Allocator - William Bernstein.



I view Rich Dad Poor Dad as entertaining but not as essentialor even useful reading.

I think Intelligent Investor is a great book and definitely aclassic. But, I think it is overly intimidating to people until theyalready have a substantial finance background.

. 24 Tom Says: March 8th, 2007 at 10:02 am

I completely disagree with having the “how to live without acar” book in this list. I looked it over last weekend and it iscompletely devoid of content. I can summarize the entire book:“don’t buy a car? take public transportation, or bike, or buy amotorcycle. If it works for you, it works for you. If it doesn’t, itdoesn’t. Oh, and here’s some poorly drawn pictures of peopleriding bikes on nice paths outside of polluted cities and we’ll upthe font size to 17 so you can read it and now it’s 20 pageslonger.”

. 25 David K. Says: March 8th, 2007 at 10:14 am

I would have to comment on “The Millionaire Next Door”. Ifound it to be excessively pro-frugal as a method ofaccumulating wealth. I found his second book “The MillionaireMind” to be much more enjoyable as it emphasizes overalllifestyle and the possibility of accumulating wealth andsimultaneously enjoying it.

I also began with “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” but would now echothe thumbs-down. I enjoyed John T. Reed’s critique of RDPD.



Good list. Many I haven’t read. Another brief read for ideaswas “Why Smart People make Big Money Mistakes” - quickand easy, but applicable.

. 26 WillSchwarz.com » Investing - 25 best books Says: March 8th, 2007 at 10:35 am

[…] http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/03/07/building-a-personal-finance-library-25-of-the-best-book… […]

. 27 kathaclysm Says: March 8th, 2007 at 10:45 am

Great list, thank you! (And good point getting the books fromthe library instead of buying my own.)

I’d like to add I’ve found money Savvy Generation a reallygood place for resources on managing money for kids andfamilies. http://www.msgen.com

. 28 Anonymous Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:04 am

Two recommendations:

“Buckets of Money: How to Retire in Comfort and Safety,” byRay Lucia. Lucia’s planning system allows individuals to usethe safety of fixed-income investments while also utilizing thetime that stocks need to grow.

“Yes, You Can Get A Financial Life! Your Lifetime Guide toFinancial Planning,” by Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth. Excellentprimer on how to get your career, life, and finances in order -



primer on how to get your career, life, and finances in order -perfect advice for people from their 20s to their 70s.

. 29 JenK Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:19 am

I agree that Andy Tobias and Millionaire Next Door areentertaining - but Eric Tyson’s Personal Finances for Dummiesand Investing for Dummies are MUCH more practical.

. 30 Jon Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:24 am

I would recommend “Do what you love and the money willfollow” by Marsha Sinetar, especially for teens/collegestudents. It is similar to “What Color is Your Parachute” but anarrower focus on finding right livelihood. It made a realdifference for me and has been an inspiration along my careerpath.

. 31 Pat Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:33 am

I’d suggest “The Truth About Money” as well.

Very informative book!

. 32 PaulSpoerry.com » Building a Personal Finance Library: 25 ofthe Best Books About Money Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:53 am

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. 33 Jon Says: March 8th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

I’m surprised so many of you have been anti Rich Dad PoorDad. I have been self-employed for over 10 years and wasfeeling pretty proud of myself until I realised via this book that Iwas still on the wrong side of the cash flow quadrant. I was stilljust working for money - all that had cjanged was now I wasthe boss!. This book gave me the motivation to start my ownbusiness - a business that runs whether or not I am there. Theother book that hugely influenced me in setting this businessup was E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

. 34 Business Solutions Group » Blog Archive » Personal FinanceLibrary Says: March 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm

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. 35 WomensWallStreet Blog » Blog Archive » Building a PersonalFinance Library: 25 of the Best Books About Money Says: March 8th, 2007 at 2:02 pm

[…] popular post at Get Rich Slowly answers the question, “What is the first book that I should read that tells me how to[…]

. 36 Jeff Says: March 8th, 2007 at 4:11 pm



March 8th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

Great list… I have some suggestions, but they are in the (howto invest) category.1. One Up On Wall Street2. The Interpretation of Financial Statements3. The Only Three Questions That Count

. 37 bluntmoney Says: March 8th, 2007 at 9:05 pm

I’m glad to see Your Money or Your Life on your list; that bookis by far my favorite money book.

. 38 Debt Blitzkrieg » Blog Archive » Building a Personal FinanceLibrary: 25 of the Best Books About Money Says: March 8th, 2007 at 11:14 pm

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. 39 Don’t just read the books… - Blunt Money Says: March 9th, 2007 at 4:52 am

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. 42 New Finance Deals » Blog Archive » The Simple DollarMorning Roundup: Sleepless In Iowa Edition Says: March 9th, 2007 at 12:22 pm

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. 44 Money Smart Life » Personal Finance Week in Review Says: March 10th, 2007 at 6:53 am

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. 45 Best Comments on My Personal Finance Library ? Get RichSlowly Says:



Slowly Says: March 10th, 2007 at 11:58 am

[…] list of 25 great personal finance books I have on my ownbookshelves made it to the front page of Digg on Thursday.Because two other […]

. 46 RonenV Says: March 10th, 2007 at 4:08 pm

I suggest:

1. Get a Financial Life - a starter guide for people in their 20’s.

2. Smart Couples Finish Rich - for its emphasis on personalfinance for couples.

. 47 Rachel Says: March 10th, 2007 at 6:18 pm

I would add to your excellent list Joanne Yaccamoto’s book “Balancing Act.” It’s a financial planning guide for women, andfor all the people who scoff at the idea that financial writingneeds gender consideration, consider this:

1. Women live significantly longer than men - up to 20% longer- and need to plan thusly.2. Women move in and out of the workforce as a result ofcommitments to child- and parent-care, which are shoulderedmore often by men than women.3. Divorce leaves most women with a reduced standard ofliving, and 1 in 3 marriages now end in divorce.



Joanne addresses all these things with aplomb, and offers allkinds of other sage advice about tending and protecting yourmoney and your life. Also, she’s funny and ballsy, both ofwhich I appreciated.

David Bach’s “Smart Women Finish Rich” is great, too, eventhough all the TM’d phrases are a little annoying.

. 48 Anissa Says: March 10th, 2007 at 8:04 pm

I suggest:

The Money Camp - a financial literacy at home program forkids. Teach your kids about money and learn along with thembecause we know we were never taught how to be financiallyfree from our parents or school.

But who can blame them, no one ever taught them!

You can either order the book for $69.00 or download it for$29.00. Worth the investment!

. 49 Scott Stevens Says: March 11th, 2007 at 4:48 pm

http://www.dont-marry.com/

Rachel, let’s not forget that 70% to 93% of these divorces areinitiated by women.

Guys, want to be rich? Don’t marry an American Woman!



. 50 sahie.com Says: March 12th, 2007 at 9:16 am

Building a Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best BooksAbout Money ? Get Rich Slowly…

hey guys here’s a collection of some of the best books onMoney. check it out……

. 51 Link Karma - 13 March 2007 at Personal Development withThe Positivity Blog Says: March 12th, 2007 at 2:26 pm

[…] 25 of the Best Books about Money – This useful article atGet Rich Slowly added a few more books to my to-read list.Have a look and find out what books J.D and his readersconsider to be the finest when it comes to personal finance. I´ve already started reading 50 Success Classics by TomButler-Bowden and even though it just contains a few pieces ofadvice from each author – Butler-Bowden has read 50 highlyregarded books on success and provides quick summaries - ithas given me an excellent overview of a lot of great books,people and common trains of thought throughout the centuries.[…]

. 52 Blake Says: March 13th, 2007 at 4:37 am

A great cheap way to get these books (and many others) iswww.paperbackswap.com

I used the site to get some simplicity books on this list!



. 53 New Diehards Forum, Home Biz Tips, Books, and Carnivals »My Money Blog Says: March 13th, 2007 at 8:29 pm

[…] of GetRichSlowly shares his list of 25 best books aboutmoney. His list has a greater focus on high-level overviews ofsaving money and getting out of debt than […]

. 54 More ??? ?????? » ?????? » ????? ??????? ?? ??? ??????? Says: March 14th, 2007 at 1:53 am

[…] (????? “????? ????” ?????? ?? ??? ???????).http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/03/07/building-a-personal-finance-library-25-of-the-best-book… . ?? ?????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ????? […]

. 55 Rachel Says: March 14th, 2007 at 6:35 am

Hi — I made a mistake with my previous post. “Balancing Act”is by Joanne Yaccato. Not sure why, when I commented, Iaccidentally added an extra ‘mo,” but I wanted to make sureanyone looking for it wasn’t confused.

Cheers!

. 56 Home Biz Blogger » Blog Archive » Building a PersonalFinance Library: 25 of the Best Books About Money Says: March 14th, 2007 at 12:40 pm

[…] of these, some of the others I will be checking out thisweekend. You can never have enough books!read more | diggstory Tags :Uncategorized Share : These icons link to social



story Tags :Uncategorized Share : These icons link to socialbookmarking sites where […]

. 57 links for 2007-03-10 at DeStructUred Blog Says: March 18th, 2007 at 7:53 am

[…] Building a Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best BooksAbout Money ? Get Rich Slowly (tags: Finance Books) […]

. 58 Matisse Enzer Says: March 24th, 2007 at 9:35 am

I recommend “The Seven Laws of Money” as a good set ofmodels (not “the” models,, but “a” set of model) for thinkingabout money:

1. Do it. Money will come when you are doing the right thing.

2. Money has its own rules: Records, Budgets, Saving,Borrowing.

3. Money is a dream - a fantasy as alluring as the Pied Piper.

4. Money is a Nightmare - in jail, robbery, and fear of poverty.

5. You can never really give money away.

6. You can never really receive money as a gift.

7. There are worlds without money.

. 59 pligg.com Says: March 24th, 2007 at 10:12 am



Sensible Personal FInance Advice…

With so much nonsense out there, it is refreshing to read asensible website on personal investing. Written up in the NewYork Times, this site dispenses some top-of-the-line advice. Inparticular, look at its list of recommended books….

. 60 The Return of the Forums, and One-Year Blogiversary ? GetRich Slowly Says: April 15th, 2007 at 10:21 am

[…] active member, chosen at random, will win their choice offive books from the my list of favorite personal finance books.Ten active members, chosen at random, will win their choice ofone book from the list. The list […]

. 61 Finance and stuff » Blog Archive » Rich Dad, Poor Dad Says: May 1st, 2007 at 1:35 pm

[…] book recommendations (most of which I haven’t read) fromplaces like freemoneyfinance and Get Rich Slowly. Tags:asset, book, eternity, finance, greed, house, investment,liability, money, mortgage, […]

. 62 Phil Says: July 1st, 2007 at 12:35 pm

Like the earlier poster said, I would recommend Rich Dad,Poor Dad - not necessarily for inspiration to get rich but mostlyabout smart money management. The easy-to-understandpictorial representations of debit and credit is a necessity tothose who has a hard time understanding financial jargons.



. 63 George Seldes Says: July 1st, 2007 at 7:41 pm

One of the books that should definitely be here (although I dolike some of your selections) is Ralph Warner’s “You don’tneed a $1 million to retire well.” Warner founded Nolo Pressand did a lot of good research into what really provided peoplewith a satisfying retirement. Surprisingly to some, it’s wasn’tmoney.

In fact, if I had to pick the top five books for anyone hoping tomaster job/finance matters, it would be that one + RandomWalk (Malkiel), + Money or Life (Dominguez/Robin), LivingWell Without a Car (Balish), + What Color Parachute (Bolles).

. 64 Justin Golds Says: July 10th, 2007 at 10:14 am

I love that you included The Richest Man in Babylon on thislist. This was the book that changed my financial attitude andactually led me to search and find this site.

. 65 Getting To Enough Says: July 19th, 2007 at 10:11 am

I’ll second (or third, or …) the recommendation re: Your Moneyor Your Life. At first glance it seems like it might only be fittingfor those willing to make a radical lifestyle change andembrace the simplicity movement. However, even withoutgoing to those extremes, the book is still really valuable in thatit gets to really think about how we’re trading off time formoney.



I’ll also submit an additional book in the investing category:The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein. It givesreally good examples of the benefits of diversification and howproper asset allocation can improve your expected returns.

. 66 Top 10 list of personal finance lists | Moolanomy Says: July 24th, 2007 at 9:08 am

[…] Building a Personal Finance Library: 25 of the Best BooksAbout Money by JD at Get Rich Slowly. This listcontains excellent personal finance books. I haven’t read allthe books listed here and I am looking forward to read them. Ithink The Millionaire Next Door will be my next book. […]

. 67 telly Says: July 30th, 2007 at 10:27 am

Great list! Thanks!

“Your Money or Your Life” is my personal favourite.

I would also add “Four Pillars of Investing”.

. 68 JDWired » Stop Sabotaging Your Retirement Says: September 17th, 2007 at 7:19 pm

[…] many great blogs that you can refer to for retirementadvice. Get Rich Slowly, which features 25 of the Best BooksAbout Money, and The Simple Dollar are both very popular. Ifyou are an Xer, you should check out Generation […]

. 69 J Says: October 9th, 2007 at 7:40 pm



October 9th, 2007 at 7:40 pm

“A Random Walk Down Wall Street” is a great book. I don’tunderstand why all these people saying it’s technical or a hardread. It’s very BASIC investing. It’s investing 101 and frankly,it’s a good start.

Burn all these “Get Rich Quick” Feel good touchy-feel books.Money is math. To make money you have to Understand it, onthe technical level. you can’t “feel out” money, you can’t sitdown and talk about your feels with it. It’s money, it currency;learn how it works.

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