If you haven’t started investing for your future or retirement, it can be daunting to know where to start, how and what to invest in, and if you’re “doing it right” or not.
Luckily, there are so many resources out there, including books, that can teach you everything you need to know to get started on your journey. Here are the best books for investors that I’ve found, whether you’re new and starting from scratch, or need some help in up-leveling your funds.
The Best Books For Investors
Before diving into the best books for investors, it’s important to note that there are a few things to keep in mind. Not everyone’s investment journey will be the same, so you need to find a strategy or strategies that work for you. Feel free to read these books and take what resonates and helps you, and leave what doesn’t. Okay, let’s dive in!
1. The Automatic Millionaire
Written by David Bach, The Automatic Millionaire is one of the best books for investors, because it focuses on having an automated system that will help you invest and be smarter with your money. This book is a bit different than some of the others on this list. First, the author states you don’t need discipline or a lot of money. He also talks about what’s called “The Latte Factor”.
According to the Latte Factor, if you stopped spending even a small amount of money each day, such as what you would spend on a latte, you could invest that money instead. And compound interest’s “magic” allows regular small investments to build into huge sums of money over time.
Where Bach’s contributions truly shine is in the later sections of his book. He demonstrates how to automatically pay off your house, utilizing a biweekly payment schedule. The author also teaches you how to automatically pay off debt, and save an emergency fund.
In essence, he shows you how to automatically create and use your budget, including investing, to keep things simple.
2. The Intelligent Investor
The Intelligent Investor was written by Benjamin Graham and focused on value investing. This term is centered on creating consistent, long-term gains by disregarding the current market and choosing businesses with high underlying value.
According to Warren Buffett, this was the best investing book ever published. Granted, Warren Buffett learned from Graham as a young student, but clearly, the advice worked for him. Simply put, the book discusses how value investors seek out businesses with strong fundamentals and purchase their stock at a bargain.
The book offers three main guidelines for wise investing: consider the long term, guard against losses, and avoid chasing unrealistic rewards. That keeps investing pretty simple, especially if you plan to do it for 20 years or more.
It’s important to remember that this book was written decades ago. However, it has been updated a few times to reflect a more modern take on investing. But the principles are still there and relevant.
3. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
For many newbie investors, index funds are a simple and low-cost way to start saving for retirement or FIRE.
John C. Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, wrote The Little Book of Common Sense Investing which focuses on index funds and how to use them in your retirement strategy. The book provides a thorough explanation of Bogle’s low-cost index fund investment technique. It also shares pointers on how to make index fund investing beneficial to your portfolio and you.
The book is a bit older. But it does have a 10th-anniversary version that has been revised to reflect more recent developments in the market. For those who are interested in investing, it’s what we would consider essential reading.
4. The Simple Path to Wealth
Beginning as a series of letters to the author’s daughter, The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins quickly expanded into a comprehensive manual on all things money.
Collins’ book details debt, the stock market and how it operates, investing in both bull and downturn markets, asset allocation, and many other subjects. The book even discusses several different retirement plans. This includes 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, the 4% rule, and the crucial f-you money fund.
If you’re looking for an all-around book about investing, this is a great read. You can learn about all different types of investing, and figure out which option(s) is best for you and your future needs. The book is also well-written but not too “smart” — in other words, you won’t feel like you’re being lectured and it makes things simple to understand.
5. The Money Manual
For millennials who want to invest but are unsure where to begin—or for those who are unsure what to do with their money in general—Tonya Rapley’s The Money Manual is a great place to start.
First, the book offers simple money management strategies, defines financial objectives, and talks about enhancing and developing credit, and even how to deal with student loan debt. It also goes into investing for newbies.
The best part of this book? It’s newer, which means it’s made for people in today’s current climate, and written by someone who understands. If that’s not enough of a credential, Rapley also founded My Fab Finance, which is featured on Forbes, U.S. News, the New York Daily News, and many other publications.
6. Get Good With Money
If you’re currently struggling with or trying to pay off debt, you may be wondering if investing is even important and if you’ll really be able to do it. And the answer to both of those questions is yes. But you may have to take a different approach.
Luckily, the Get Good With Money book by Tiffany Aliche has become immensely popular in recent years. The book tackles budgeting, saving, and investing. The main purpose of the book is to help those with debt get their finances in line. That way, they can start investing and accumulating wealth. So this is a great read if you’re starting a personal finance journey.
7. The One-Page Financial Plan
The One-Page Financial Plan by is an easy and quick read. And, it helps you map out your complete financial future on one page. Pretty simple right? It’s supposed to help eliminate the strain that comes with financial planning. And it’s also a great option for those who tend to lack discipline with their money.
The author has worked at Wells Fargo and other financial institutions for more than 20+ years as a financial counselor. So his knowledge is immense. But, he keeps concepts simple. And, he makes it easy to understand different money and investing plans.
Some key takeaways from his book include setting objectives but remaining adaptable, making saving enjoyable, and building your finances to feel like a game to stay motivated.
8. The Millionaire Next Door
The Millionaire Next Door helps you avoid costly errors on the road to financial freedom by demonstrating a straightforward spending and saving plan that results in more money in your account.
Before writing The Millionaire Next Door, the authors spent decades researching people with average salaries and high net worths. And they learned quite a bit.
The book first explains how most people could save half of their income. It also teaches you how to budget your savings and determine how much you need to save using a straightforward net worth formula.
9. Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away
The married couple behind Cashing Out are founders of the blog RICH & REGULAR. The best part about these authors is that they’re just normal people. Before they joined the F.I.R.E. movement, they had to pay off six-figure debt. Then, they started investing in real estate.
Cashing Out was written for those looking to retire early or who needed a how-to manual for managing finances. The Saunders also discuss how “traditional” wealth-building advice doesn’t often apply to Black people as it does White people. So this book is also particularly helpful for BIPOC readers. And it shows how intersectionality affects finances too.
10. Broke Millenial Takes on Investing
This book is another one of the best books for investors, and is the second installment in Erin Lowry’s “Broke Millennial” series. The Broke Millenial Takes on Investing book dispels many misconceptions about investing, like being debt-free to begin investing. Even if you don’t think you have enough money, Lowry shows you how to start investing.
You’ll also learn how to invest while paying off debt, pick a platform for investing, and stay away from con artists. The author teaches you how to invest based on your morals and/or religious principles.
11. Napkin Finance: Build Your Wealth in 30 Seconds or Less
Tina Hay wrote Napkin Finance: Build Your Wealth in 30 Seconds or Less to make finances simple. That way you can easily understand the descriptions of finances, assets, and retirement plans. The book also demystifies the subject’s concepts with ease.
For some people, finances are hard to keep up with. And many people are too busy or overworked to plan day in and day out. This book makes finances easier to work on, especially investing, so you’re not overwhelmed.
12. One Up On Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market
One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch was written a while ago but continues to be relevant today. The book’s practical advice teaches you how mundane products can make for great stock, choose “the perfect stock” and more.
The book also includes how to completely understand the company’s mission, potential for expansion, and other important details before investing in a stock. Simply put, this book is all for people who want to buy stocks or have stocks as a big part of their portfolio. So if you don’t plan on using stocks in your portfolio, it may not be the book for you.
The Best Books For Investors Wrap Up
These 12 books are the best books for investors, no matter your age or knowledge of investing. They’re great for beginners and those looking to manage their money better. They also cover so much more than just investing, helping you be smart with your money overall.
What’s your favorite investing book and why? Share it in the comments below!
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