Book list (Finance or any other books you have read)

[mrpaseo]

Sorry, I tried to do a search to see what books you all recommend. In pursuit of financial education, investments and just wanting to read more to exercise my brain my wife got me a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I am interested in any recommendations for any sort of books that any of you have read.

Thanks,
Ray

[kork13]

Financial?
"The Millionnaire Next Door", talks about how wealthy people use (and don't use) their money and the lifestyles that made them wealthy. Basically, visible signs of wealth (cars, jewelry, mc-mansions, etc) only hurt your ability to amass wealth. Very good book, I've actually read it 2 or 3 times since I got it in '07.

"Exercise your brain"?
Classics. Classics, classics, classics. The years filter out the chaff, and what's left are books with incredible quality of writing. They serve as the basis for so much in society that you don't even realize it until you come across it in daily life and start to see literary references in everything around you.

Intermix your "educational" type reading with stuff that is purely for fun as well. Find a few authors that you enjoy, and anytime you're bored with something, tear through one of your favorites. Personally, Tom Clancy, David Eddings, and John Grisham are my go-to authors.

Particularly with the advent of e-readers, it's really easy to become an avid reader... have fun with it!

[disneysteve]

The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton

Almost anything by Jean Chatzky

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Start Late, Finish Rich by David Bach

The Road to Wealth by Suze Orman

You will find conflicting information and advice as you read through these things, but that's part of the learning process. I don't agree or follow everything any one author says but I've learned from all of them.

[MonkeyMama]

If you aren't easily offended, I'll throw out Game of Thrones.

Or maybe not. I think it has ruined most fiction for me. The series is told from several points of view, and is extremely in-depth. I was just reading another light fiction series and was extremely frustrated by the *one character point of view.*

Financially, I like:

All Your Worth, Elizabeth Warren
The Only Investment Guide You WIll Ever Need, Tobias.

I am not really a fan of personal finance books, in general. IT's funny because I love the subject, but am probably used to getting tons of ideas and different points of view on the internet. So the books = *yawn*

I got an e-reader about one year ago and haven't read this much since I Was a kid. Apparently I am too lazy to actually go to the library, but have no problem downloading books when the whim hits me.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by kork13

"The Millionnaire Next Door"

How did I forget to name that one. Definitely!

Originally Posted by MonkeyMama

All Your Worth, Elizabeth Warren

Also on my recommended reading list. I also really enjoyed another of her books "The Two Income Trap."

"Trading Up" by Michael Silverstein is a very interesting read about consumer marketing.

[Mr Nice Guy]

If you like action/adventure books, I am currently reading:
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose (kickass book)
Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy (rereading it for the second time cause its so good)

I just got done reading a book about Goldman Sachs called The Partnership by charles ellis. It was very interesting, but kind of complicated in that it talked a lot about banking and finance principals I didn't know about. But it was a cool look into a company that doesn't get talked about a lot. Did you guys know that to be hired at Goldman Sachs, one must go through like 15 different interviews?!

I just picked up a book called The Quants which is about how people on Wall st makes money by being smart about math (it seems like they into some super technical analysis.) The book is cool cause its about finance, but its also written like a novel sort of. First ten pages or so down and I am already hooked.

I am also reading the Intelligent Investor but it is taking forever because I have all these other books going plus textbooks, and I am reading it on my computer in .pdf form so it is not comfortable to "snuggle" up with my netbook lol. Plus, the book is dry.....so dry...plain and simple (sorry Mr. Graham!)

[snafu]

What Color is My Parachute [job search] books on writing resumes and interview skills best from library to judge what fits you best. Not yet mentioned were books by John Bogle. I really like The Truth About Money and ordinary People, Extraordinary Wealth by Ric Edelman after reading the books mentioned by DS. His is a different take and viewpoint than the traditional guys.

[Nobulladvisor]

The Truth about Money - Ric Edelman

Automatic Millionaire - David Bach

#1 - Phil Town

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

[elessar78]

I like some of the books already recommended.

Unconventional Success by David Swensen

The bestselling author of Pioneering Portfolio Management, the definitive template for institutional fund management, returns with a book that shows individual investors how to manage their financial assets.

In Unconventional Success, investment legend David F. Swensen offers incontrovertible evidence that the for-profit mutual-fund industry consistently fails the average investor. From excessive management fees to the frequent "churning" of portfolios, the relentless pursuit of profits by mutual-fund management companies harms individual clients. Perhaps most destructive of all are the hidden schemes that limit investor choice and reduce returns, including "pay-to-play" product-placement fees, stale-price trading scams, soft-dollar kickbacks, and 12b-1 distribution charges.

The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham

The Warren Buffet Way by Hagstrom

[DRILLINDK]

mark.

[Kooshiball]

My recommended book lists:

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki)
2. Cash Flow Quadrant (Robert Kiyosaki)
3. The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class (Keith Cameron Smith)
4. Secret of Millionaire Mind (T. Harv Eker)
5. Rich Dad Guide to Investing in Gold and silver (Michael Maloney)
6. Rich Dad Conspiracy of the Rich (Robert Kiyosaki)
7. 4 hour work week (Timothy Ferriss)

My recommended podcast list
1. Creating Wealth by Jason Hartman
2. Real Estate Guy Radio Show by Robert Helm

I can keep going on and on but these should be enough for now.

Good luck!

[orenwach]

I loved "the help" book even more than the movie.

[JustBill]

The Richest Man In Babylon by Clason is a nice quick read that can provide very fundamental guidelines, particularly if you have young people you would like to have involved in the subject of money management.

[mrpaseo]

Excellent, thank you all very much. Since starting this thread I picked up "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko (Both Ph.D.) Currently I am 34% thru the book and all sorts of questions have sparked

Thanks and keep them coming,
Ray

[sandrark]

I agree with the suggestions for the Total Money Makeover, and books by Bach and Chatzky.

An old-timer that has not yet been mentioned - Jane Bryant Quinn. Her book, Making the Most of Your Money, was a real eye-opener for me at 30, and I've purchased it (and the new editions) for friends who were graduating from college.

It's well-written and well-organized, and I highly recommend it as a basic book for various life stages. She deals with savings, retirement planning, college savings, house purchasing, life insurance, annuities (don't!) and other life cycle challenges.

Sandi

[artwest]

After reading this thread a couple of weeks ago, I picked up The Wealthy Barber.

Thanks for the suggestion disneysteve. I really enjoyed the book.

[fe2o3ez]

For those of you that love numbers, money and Economics, check out Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. It's an easy read and VERY entertaining. Looks at things from a completely different perspective!

Enjoy and Happy New Year!

[EarlyRetirementJoy]

I tend to focus on books that emphasize lifestyle choices as a way to build wealth vs. those that focus on investment strategies.

My financial lifestyle "aha" began almost 20 years ago with that frugal classic "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Dominquez and Vicki Robin. I saw them interviewed on the Oprah show, was completely taken by their "unique" approach to life, and the rest is history as they say. My attitude toward spending and the need to maintain appearances took a drastic turnaround as a result of this book.

More recently I've read, chuckled and enjoyed "The Ultimate Cheapskate" by Jeff Yeager. Jeff asserts that many of our urges to buy, buy, buy is simply to relieve boredom. The book challenges readers to go one week without buying anything, asserting that there is enough uneaten food in the average house to last several weeks, and enough underutilized entertainment options to last a month or more. I took Jeff's challenge and caught myself again and again wanting to go out and buy something "just because" when I had the exact item (i.e., coffee, bagels, sandwich fixings) already in my pantry. And because spending money to do something wasn't an option either, my husband and I actually used our HOA pool and spa, something we are assessed maintenance fees for monthly, for the first time in years. Very eyeopening, and proof there is always room for improvement. I thought I'd been doing pretty well till I read Jeff's book.

[vips]

Usually I read magazines to get financial updates. But many of my friends had suggested me to read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" By Robert Kiyosaki to increase my financial knowledge. I have never tried it yet. Is there anyone who read this? I want to know what kind of book it is?

[auron]

Originally Posted by vips

Usually I read magazines to get financial updates. But many of my friends had suggested me to read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" By Robert Kiyosaki to increase my financial knowledge. I have never tried it yet. Is there anyone who read this? I want to know what kind of book it is?

Rich Dad, Poor Dad isn't so much about "financial knowledge" but more about life outlook towards money.

I would characterize what I took away from it as:
-Money is a tool. Nothing more, nothing less.
-Pay yourself first; live below your means
-Becoming truely wealthy requires you to "play your hand" and take a risk