Best Books – Recommended Reading Lists
Books Are Your Absolute Best Value In Financial Education (besides my free blog and podcast, of course)
You don't need a trust fund, a prestigious college degree, or luck to turn your financial dreams into reality.
All you need is a plan based on proven principles and the courage and knowledge to take enough persistent action to realize your goals.
The plan is here, the courage is inside of you, and all the knowledge required is freely available in this recommended reading list.
In short, you have no excuse for not achieving your dreams.
These books give you access to expert advice organized in a succinct format, consumed from the convenience of your home, on your own schedule, and all for free with a library card or just a few dollars through Amazon.
You can't beat it.
Every time I pursue a new adventure books are the first place I turn to shorten my learning curve and minimize obvious mistakes. The result is I've read more than a thousand books.
The problem is not all books are great, but a few have changed my thinking permanently. The lessons taught stick with me and add value to my life every day.
To help you sort the best from the rest I've assembled a list of my favorite books in each category.
Best Books – Todd's Recommended Reading Lists
Wealth Building Books – Foundation & Creation
These are the best books for wealth building and will lead you to develop the habits and attitudes that are necessary for automatic wealth. Don't be fooled – habitudes play a critical factor in your ability to build wealth. These books offer a variety of perspectives so you're sure to find one that appeals to you.
Beginner Investing Books – Foundation & Asset Allocation
These beginner investing books provide the essential foundation you need to be a successful and knowledgeable investor. You'll learn about conventional, low cost passive index asset allocation, value investing, growth investing, and risk management.
Advanced Investing Books – Quantitative Investment Strategy
After you've read through the beginner investment books, you might be ready to graduate onto more advanced reading material that covers scientific, actuarial investment strategy: quantitative investing. You'll discover how to gain great results with your portfolio regardless of market conditions.
Market History & Bubbles
Why is it worth studying the history of the market? So you don't repeat the mistakes of the past. You'll learn what signs to look out for by studying the patterns that came before. While no one can predict the future, being aware of market indicators makes you a better investor.
Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.-Socrates
Productivity Books
These productivity books reveal all of the hacks that successful people use to get more done so they can spend their time living a fulfilling life. If you want to double or triple your output in less time, you need these tips and systems.
Business & Entrepreneur Books
The business path to wealth is a rewarding one, but it's not without challenges. Discover the tools and the mindset you need to succeed in starting a business. Whether you're selling a product or a service, whether you're a beginner or a few years into it, or whether you're a solo operation or have employees, you'll learn something valuable in these books.
Copywriting & Marketing Books
Maybe you have a great business idea, but you don't know how to sell it. These copywriting and marketing books reveal the secrets of advertising geniuses so you can sell more effectively. It doesn't matter what industry you're in – you need to know how to sell to succeed in any business.
Early Retirement Books
If you've perused all of the early retirement material on my site and are looking to learn more, these books can provide you with knowledge on creating a life so fulfilling you'll never want to retire from it – and get there in record time.
No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.-Confucius
Personal Finance Books
Just starting out? This list of personal finance books will help you get out of debt, create a budget, overcome spending issues, and shift your mindset toward freedom. From here, you can easily advance into investment books because you'll understand the basics.
Real Estate Books
The real estate path to wealth is one of the most stable, and it's also one of the most intuitive. This list of real estate investing books will have you on your way to buying the right properties that will provide you with enough cash flow to retire.
Writing Books
Writing is an essential skill that can be mastered by anyone willing to learn the art. So if writing doesn't come naturally to you, don't worry. These writing books will teach you proven techniques to improve your craft, whether you're looking to write a novel or a blog article.
A capacity and taste for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.-Abraham Lincoln
The only thing that stands between you and all the knowledge required to achieve anything is taking the time to learn what's in the books and take action on that knowledge.
I've given you a royal road to the information required, but only you can set aside the time to read these books. It's a commitment you must make to yourself, to your family, and to your future.
These books have provided the foundation for everything I've built, and they can do the same for you.
I have said that in my whole life, I've known no wise person over a broad subject matter area who didn't read all the time – none, zero. Now I know all kinds of shrewd people who by staying within a narrow area can do very well without reading. But investment is a broad area. So if you think you're going to be good at it and not read all the time, you have a different idea than I do… You'd be amazed at how much Warren [Buffett] reads. You'd be amazed at how much I read.”-Charlie Munger in Poor Charlie's Almanac
If it's good enough for Charlie then who am I to argue. I hope you enjoy the reading!
