Good day everyone!
Over the years, I’ve received tons of requests from the Girl$ on The Money community about books I would recommend.
I’ve decided to share my favorite books within my favorite categories which include: Personal Finance, Investing, and Personal Development (the order varies depending on my mood :).
We’ll kick off this series with my favorite books within the personal finance realm!
All of the books that I will share are books I’ve personally read and some of my all-time favorites.
….and here we go:
The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach (Personal Finance)
“Remember, inspiration unused is merely entertainment. To get new results, you need to take new actions.”
-David Bach
I read this book over 10 years ago shortly after I graduated from college and was working at my first corporate job. I can honestly say this book completely opened my eyes to the attainability of wealth and how it is possible for everyone – not just for people that are already wealthy or come from “well-off” families.
The book taught me how by creating simple daily habits and making my finances automatic – I can set myself up for a healthy financial future.
You may or may not know that this book had a lot of “haters” throughout the years. Some people made fun of the author for suggesting things such as “get rid of your daily $5 coffee habit and you can be rich”. I think that the people that mocked this book completely missed the point. I found the practical tips in the book to be priceless and I was able to ‘modify’ them so they could fit my personal lifestyle.
On a personal level, it created a HUGE mind-shift in terms of how I managed my money from a very young age (early 20s!). I can only speak for myself and can honestly say that applying the concepts of this book, made a huge difference in my financial life.
NOTE: As mentioned, I read this book over a decade ago. I read the first edition but I have noticed there is a new version out. I am assuming it is the same great information with updated content.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley (Personal Finance)
“Many people who live in expensive homes and drive luxury cars do not actually have much wealth. Then, we discovered something even odder: Many people who have a great deal of wealth do not even live in upscale neighborhoods.”
-Thomas Stanley
This is another gem. I believe I also read this book shortly after college graduation and clearly remember that I found out about it while browsing the Facebook page of one of my college classmates.
Using real-life, practical stories, this book emphasizes the power of a frugal lifestyle and shows that anyone can create wealth and comfortable life by simply being mindful and strategic about expenses. It shows (with multiple examples) that, despite popular belief, the riches people in the country (and probably the world) are not out there mindlessly spending money on luxuries. They are actually frugal and smart about how they allocate their money and towards what.
A lot of what I just said may sound like common sense but you have to read the book in order to check out all the stories and see for yourself the real truth about how the rich get richer.
One up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch (Stock Investing)
“Understand the nature of the companies you own and the specific reasons for holding the stock. (“It is really going up!” doesn’t count.)”
-Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch is one of my all-time favorite investors (right next to Warren Buffett). For those who may not know – Mr. Lynch became one of the best and most well-known fund managers of our time. He managed the Fidelity “Magellan Fund” for about 20 years generating returns that constantly outperformed the market including over 29% annualized returns over a 10-year period. The fund eventually became the largest mutual fund in the world.
Now that you know a little bit about Mr. Lynch – the reason why I absolutely loved ‘One Up on Wall Street’ is because he is a strong believer (like myself) that no one needs a Harvard education, a wealthy family, or a Ph.D. in Finance to be a successful investor. In his book, he shows (with examples) how the average person can have a significant advantage over so-called ‘professionals’ when it comes to finding companies that can turn out to be phenomenal investments over time.
His theory is that the average person is the consumer and has a front-row seat when it comes to companies and how they ultimately perform. The average person knows what’s “hot” and what is not and can use that ‘insider’ perspective to make great investment decisions.
What I also love about the book is that it is written in simple and straight to the point terms and avoids any crazy or over-complicated Wall Street lingo. Highly recommended.
Money-Saving Tip – This is something I mention a lot on Instagram whenever I share book recommendations but what I tell everyone to do is to check their local library first for any book you may be interested in. If you absolutely love the book after you read it, buy it for your personal library! (that’s something I personally do). However, the library is an amazing place to find amazing books (I’m sure you know this). Remember that’s one way you can take advantage of your tax dollars ;).
And this is all for now! Stay tuned for Part II of the series.
Have an amazing weekend. Cheers to profits!
Love <3,
Mabelle
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