Looking for some reading material to help get your finances shaped up? You’re in luck because we’re back with Part 2 of the personal finance books you need to read. (PS here’s Part 1 if you missed it!)
I have been reading every personal finance book I can get my hands on over the past 2 years. And I haven’t loved all of them, so I’m saving you the trouble I went through reading the duds and am only recommending the ones I feel are absolute must-reads on your personal finance & money mindset journey.
Full disclosure: I am now an affiliate of Bookshop.org (!!!!!) where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through any of the links below and make a purchase. (In 2021, 81% of their gross profit margin went directly to independent bookstores, which I think is pretty darn great.)
Let’s get into it!
YOU ARE A BADASS AT MAKING MONEY
This is one of my favorite money mindset books. It’s half-journal, half-book, and I really loved how actionable it felt. And y’all….after I read and worked through this book, I manifested the job I had been envisioning and working towards for months.
I will say, this book does not acknowledge how privilege plays into the mindset of wealth, and I did find myself wishing that had been addressed. But, I also think this book is fucking great and I love coming back to it and using exercises from it with my clients. It challenged me to look at money in a new way and reframe how I thought about it, spoke about it, interacted with it; everything. Jen has a direct and easy-to-read style; I really enjoyed reading a chapter and doing the corresponding journal prompts as part of my morning routine for a few weeks. I started my day focused on shifting my money mindset, and that was powerful.
THE FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER
The First Time Homebuyer was the 2nd shortest personal finance book I read in the past few years, and one of the most jam-packed with applicable information. As someone looking to buy a home in the next 5-10 years, I was really glad I read this book first because I realized I knew next to nothing about the home buying process and what that extensive process entails. The book was filled with insider tips, and one of the things I appreciated the most was that I didn’t feel like I wanted to immediately go and buy a house after reading it. I felt like the reality of home buying and home ownership was laid out in a clear, direct, and honest way, and in a way that made me as a reader really think about how a decision like this would or could fit into my life.
The writing style was fun and easy to read, and if you don’t know much about the home buying process/home ownership, this is a great one to start with and keep on your shelf.
PS: unfortunately this book isn’t on bookshop.org, so here it is at an online used bookstore I love.
THE COLOR OF MONEY
Every white person interested in or working in finance should read this book. I know that is a huge statement, and I mean it. There is systemic racism built into our economy and financial systems, and this book was a deep dive into how that came to be and how it continues to affect the racial wealth gap today. We need to know this information if we want to fix the problem and work to close the wealth gap.
The book traces the history of Black banking from slavery as the foundation for capitalism in our country, all the way through the 2016 election. It is dense. There is a lot of history. It’s very thorough and expertly researched and it did take me a few weeks to read, and also, 100% worth it. I highly recommend you check this one out.
Alright, there we go! Three more personal finance books to add to your list. I’ll be back with Part 3 soon; stay tuned!
