Okay, first let’s deal with the pink elephant in the metaphorical room. Any blog post with the words “personal finance books” and “read again and again” in the title belongs screams personal finance nerd (!). Because only a guy who geeks out on personal finance concepts would ever read personal finance books (yes, as in plural!) one time, let alone “again and again!”
Guilty as charged, Your Honor. Here I stand, personal finance geek.
On with our show…
I have read a lot of personal finance books by now. Yet there are five personal finance books that I seem to gravitate to again and again. As in, I have read them not one time, but two or more times…. so far! These are they:
1. “MONEY: MASTER THE GAME,” BY TONY ROBBINS
Total reads to date:
Four, not counting times like last week when I opened it up and skimmed through sections that interest me.
What I love about this book:
At least in terms of its personal significance, this is the heavy-weight champion of personal finance books. At a moment when I was ready to listen, it emphasized the importance of saving and compounding your savings by investing it in low-cost index funds. I credit it for introducing me to Vanguard and Jack Bogle–the gentleman who popularized the index fund–as well as Burton Malkiel’s “Random Walk Down Wall Street” (see below).
Blog posts about:
Day 67: Tony Robbins, I Appreciate You
Day 57: Your Personal Mount Everest
Day 54: Tony Robbins’ Fabulous “Money: Master the Game”
The Most Important Financial Decision You Will Ever Make… (Life Changing Video)
2. “A RANDOM WALK DOWN WALL STREET,” BY BURTON MALKIEL
Number of times read to date:
Three.
What I love about this book:
If “Money: Master the Game” invited me into the world of investing, “Random Walk” was an early guide to help me on the trail. It solidified the idea of investing in index funds, and explained the world of investing in a cogent and engaging way that makes sense.
Blog posts about:
Day 188: Malkiel’s Introduction to Treacherous Derivatives
Day 181: Back to Investing Basics
Day 179: Re-Reading “Random Walk Down Wall Street”
This is Why We Invest in Stocks
3. “YOUR MONEY & YOUR BRAIN,” BY JASON ZWEIG
Number of times read to date:
Two.
What I love about this book:
Zweig’s comprehensive tour through behavior finance is packed with research and studies of human behavior regarding money. It provides superlative insight into why we should be skeptical of our own brains when it comes to money decisions, and gives us many useful ways for investors to protect themselves from themselves.
Blog posts about:
Counterfactual Thinking, That Sneaky Mechanism of the Mind
The Only Thing We Have to Fear…
Day 304: Don’t Just Do Something… Sit There!
4. “THE FOUR PILLARS OF INVESTING,” WILLIAM BERNSTEIN
Number of times read to date:
Two.
What I love about this book:
This erudite, well-written book is an excellent companion to “A Random Walk Down Wall Street” and other investing mainstays. Bernstein’s intelligence on the subject of investing shines through. He has a knack for explaining investing in ways that seem almost preternaturally brilliant. Note: I first encountered Bernstein when I read “If You Can,” a short, free e-book he wrote to help young people become successful investors. That book also introduced me to “Your Money & Your Brain” and other stellar reads.
Blog posts about:
“The Four Pillars of Investing:” An Uncannily Well-Timed Read
5. “THE SIMPLE PATH TO WEALTH,” BY JL COLLINS
Number of times read to date:
Two.
What I love about this book:
Collins’ book makes an excellent case for the elegant power of buying one fund–the US Total Stock Market (he recommends Vanguard’s)–and holding it through thick and thin. In other words, put all your eggs in the right basket, and guard that basket! Collins is also an advocate of savings 50% of your income, something I find amazing and hope someday to do.
Blog posts about these titles:
None so far. Maybe the next time I read it!