Despite the abundance of information online in the form of articles, blogs, YouTube, and now even niche bloggers, there are some topics for which we always turn to books. Finance books are the ones which help you to understand crucial concepts and keep the mistakes and oops moments to the minimum.
When we talk about finances, it’s essentially fundamental, in addition to further being experiential. While it’s vital to keep up with the trends to walk with the changes of times, it is equally, if not more, requisite to have a strong hold over the fundamentals and basics. And sorry to break this to you, but your bestie might not be the most reliable source to turn to.
Considering the depth of the matter, it is only in ’em good old (or new) books where the treasure of such a broad spectrum of knowledge hides. Either you are an amateur just setting sails to familiarise yourself with finances or at the beginner stage of working towards financial self-development, or stuck in some situation plenty of years into the game, nothing tops reaching out to authors and individuals that are pioneers in the field and their books that hold the essence of their enormous array of experiences, learnings and words of wisdom from over the years.
Now that we have hopefully convinced you to have a book as the weapon of choice to further save you from the dilemma of “where to start at” or “which one”, here’s a list curated just for you. Scroll through to find the best and the most relevant of the recs and decide which one’s the best fit for you.
7 Best Personal Finance Books for 2023:
- You’re So Money: Live Rich, Even When You’re Not by Farnoosh Torabi
- You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham
- The Motley Fool’s You Have More Than You Think: The Foolish Guide to Personal Finance by David Gardner and Tom Gardner
- The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman
- STACKED: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management by Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy-Birken
- Get Good with Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche
- Fin(anci)ally Free: 11 Conversations to Have with Yourself about Life, Money and Worth by Ande Frazier
You’re So Money: Live Rich, Even When You’re Not by Farnoosh Torabi
To the young ones in need of financial advice but with a twist of fun & humour, this might be just the right pick for you. For the ease of understanding, Farnoosh wrapped the secrets to financial bliss & guilt-free splurging, and kept it out for the world to learn, back in 2008 with this read. The heart-warming message of ‘living the life to the fullest’ is delivered to the audience in a perfectly practical kind of way. The book is a breath of fresh (fun!) air in the world full of good ‘ol big finance books and is a finance-must.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Author: A personal finance pro, Farnoosh Torabi is a woman of many titles. Born in Worcester, starting her journey as a young 22 years old under a $300+ debt in States, Torabi cracked the code for finances and success, and is now amongst America’s leading personal finance authorities, a multi-bestselling author, speaker & journalist – former host at CNBC. Her words of financial wisdom have seen & been on the corners of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Time, Marie Claire and more. Other titles by Farnoosh include When She Makes More, Make Your Money Count, & Psych Yourself Rich.
You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham
Dissecting the perfect budget and a life of dreams, Jesse introduces the readers to money and budget plans in a brand new light. Post his share of trials and tests, he alters the perception of managing money, and boils it down to four simple steps –Give every dollar a job; Embrace your true expenses; Roll with punches and Age your money. The book discusses wayouts out of debt and ways to break free from the stress-free routine cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Author: Brain behind the unique four-rule method, Jesse started by selling spreadsheet Excel files, which later led him to become a software entrepreneur with the app YNAB (You Need a Budget) going live in 2004. A certified public accountant (CPA), the author is in attempts to transform money for the ordinary people.
Motley Fool’s You Have More Than You Think: The Foolish Guide to Personal Finance by David Gardner and Tom Gardner
A light-hearted guide for the overwhelmingly heavy finance topics, the book is for everyone, budget and stage of life. It centres around financial aspirations and realities, and mastering the art of balancing between them. Packing the fundamentals of investing in a cheerful and enjoyable way, the authors will have you excelling and loving investing. Further they share the recipes for buying a house, bagging the best car deal, saving for children’s education and all that’s in between more.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Authors: The brother duo behind The Motley Fool, a multimedia finance mentor of sorts, are onto changing the game of investing for everyone and how. Offering money mantras and guidance, the two have built an ever-growing community of millions of investors and financial assistance seeking individuals. Both believe that the most effective path to wealth is ‘investing in great businesses for the long term’ and have made it their purpose to help people with the same.
The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman
Touching upon the phrase “Generation Debt”, the book is the new age bible for, as it says, the young and the broke. While the other ‘money books’ on the racks revolve around the typical instances, goals and set priorities of the previous generation, that may or may not seem relevant, neither achievable to a freshly turned 20/30-something, this read on the other hand takes a more fit-for-the-modern-day approach. It’s as real and understanding as it can get and hand holds the young gen readers out of broke and to a secure “fabulous” spot.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Author: An American television personality, author and advisor, Orman is the finance guru this generation needs. Having developed an interest in finance out of a financial hiccup herself, Suze founded her own consulting firm, Suze Orman Financial Group. Lessons on her unique style and approach towards money can be gained through her various best-selling titles ‘The Courage to be Rich’, ‘Women and Money’, ‘The Road to Wealth’ and more.
STACKED: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management by Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy-Birken
With a clickbait title, the book is the most fun any ‘super serious’ topic such as money can get. A brainchild of a award-winning podcaster (Stacking Benjamins), and a best-selling author, basically two money nerds, the book presents to you all the guidance you need on personal financial with a (more than a*) pinch of humour, minus the stress and the seriousness. Unlike the other, with their own spin to subject, the authors casually deliver effective actionable anecdotes in an entertaining fashion. The book might (guaranteed) even have you cracking up a few times, overall making the read and the learning a smooth ride.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Authors: Two author duo of Stacked is quite an impressive one, as its two renowned and ‘super’ experts coming together. Emily Guy-Berkin, a Plutus award holder, is a maestro in the personal finance arena, with expertise in scientific research behind irrational money behaviours and a decade wide experience. On the other hand, Joe Saul-Sehy, one of the hosts of the award-bagging and amongst the most listened to podcast ‘Stacking Benjamins’, is one with his own set of dynamic experiences with money. He through his podcast makes financial learning fun and is well loved by the masses.
Get Good with Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole by Tiffany Aliche
Treasuring her 10-steps formula in this read, Tiffany spills the beans to achieving financial security and peace in this read. Accompanied with a bunch of effective powerful tools such as worksheets, checklists, resources, the book births the concept of financial wholeness and gets you ready to conquer your finances, slash ‘em debts, budget better and more. The read carries her own story and lessons, and words her can-do attitude, leaving the readers inspired, able and ready to pull their own financial lives together.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Author: An award-winning personal financial educator, Tiffany Aliche is the founder of a professional and education services firm ‘The Budgetnista’ or what she instead calls a financial movement. Through her career she has been disseminating financial wisdom and money tales, backed by her experience, through a plethora of platforms and mediums such as blogs, podcasts, online & offline classes, seminars and more.
F(anci)ally Free: 11 Conversations to Have with Yourself about Life, Money and Worth by Ande Frazier
Designed to empower and equip everyone, especially women, the book throws the old ideas out of the windows and births a brand new philosophy, one where women’s sense of self-worth determines their finances instead of the other way around. It imparts the tools to understand finances in a whole new light, while also discussing values, emotions, fears, feelings and more. It addresses the bigger topic of how women view themselves and brings to the fore some must have conversations that have the power to mould the financial well-being of one.
Wanna know more?: Read Reviews at GoodReads.
About the Author: Making it her own mission to financially empower women and smashing the conventional wisdom about women and money, Ande Frazier is a voice of revolution in the male-dominated world of money. A financial planner, a coach, holder of various notable certifications, and a debut author, she has been titled as one of The Top People in Finance, 2019 and The Top 50 Women in 2019. She is redefining women, their money and worth, and is crafting a whole new future for them.
Conclusion
The list is never-ending, and so is the topic of finance. While it can be intimidating to look at the pool of all that’s there to learn, these picks sure make for a great head-start and foundation. Happy reading!
