Here are some of my favorite books related to money, efficiency and general life improvement. While I do use affiliate links, I have personally read all of these and can attest to the quality of their content. Feel free to send me a message or leave a comment with any suggestions of resources you’ve found useful and I will gladly check them out!
Books on Finance
The Richest Man in Babylon- George S Clason
I’ve just recently read this absolute classic. This is the original finance help book encased in an interesting narrative about the ancient civilization of Babylon. A quick read that packs in a LOT of great information that has stood the test of time.
Smart Women Finish Rich- David Bach
This book is a great start for anyone just getting their personal finances in order. These would be the intermediate steps before trying to jump right into saving 50%+ like most of these books and blogs suggest. The ties made between money and values are crucial for a fulfilled life. See my full review here.
Your Money or Your Life- Vicki Robbins
Vicki is the OG FIRE guru. She and Joe Dominguez first wrote about this in the early 1990s and she’s updated the book to fit all of the changes that have taken place over the last 30 years. A must read for all!
How to Retire Early- Robert and Robin Charlton
This is the first book I every read that showed me early retirement was a real possibility. The simple way the Charlton’s lay their wealth building phase out is great for anyone to follow, even those that are not financially inclined.
You Need a Budget- Jesse Mecham
Jesse’s real life approach to budgeting is something that everyone just starting out should take the time to read. A quick, yet potentially life-changing read.
The Latte Factor- David Bach
This book is a fantastic introduction into the world of saving and investing told in the form of a fictional story about a young millennial name Zoey. She learns through conversations with an older mentor, Henry, about saving money for herself and creating a life based on her values. It’s a very quick read and perfect to help find your “why.” See my full review here!
The Simple Path to Wealth- Jim L Collins
Jim Collins’ stock series is one of the simplest, yet comprehensive, blog series. He starts with what is a stock, ends with retirement savings withdrawal strategies and covers everything in between. Here he’s converted that blog series into a compact book that lays out the very simple path to wealth.
Meet the Frugalwoods- Liz Thames
Liz and her husband went from living in Boston to living on a homestead in Vermont. Their lifestyle change has improved everything from their expenses to their day to day routine. Amazing read. Check out my take on this book here. *Warning: you will probably want to get a homestead after reading this book*
Work Optional- Tanja Hester
This book is fantastic. This book walks through the potential for retirement, and other options, e.g. semi-retirement and mini–retirement. She gets into the details of how to reach your retirement goals in a way that is accessible to all. One of my favorite takeaways was to calculate the cost of one day in retirement. It changed the way I invest from counting dollars to counting days of freedom.
Books for Life
The Happiness Project- Gretchen Rubin
Perfect book to inspire you to get off the couch and take those first steps towards your own personal happiness. See my full review here!
The Power of Habit- Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit is an in depth breakdown of habits, how we form them and how we can keep them. Highly recommend both the book and checking out my review here.
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think- Laura Vanderkam
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that they’re too busy to achieve their dreams. This book has inspired me to take back my time and come back to writing this blog.
Mom and Dad: We Need to Talk- Cameron Huddleston
No one wants to have the conversation with their parents about what they want when they can no longer make all of their decisions on their own, but it’s a conversation that NEEDS to happen. This book gives you all the right tools to start that conversation and make sure that all necessary documents: POA, living will, etc, are all in place. Making these decisions together when there is no emergency will help you do the right thing IN an emergency and there’s no substitute for that.