The 14 Best Finance Books of All

Time

In 2018, a study found that 58% of Americans have less than $1,000
in savings in the bank. It gets worse: Over half of those people don’t
just have less than $1,000 but $0! That’s bad.

It’s not bad because “you should save money,” but because having
no emergency fund puts you in a vulnerable position. What if
someone crashes into your car? What if you break a few bones?
Things outside of our control can force us to pay up. You don’t want
to come up short when that happens.

That’s just the most pressing example of why you should learn to
manage your finances. There are others: Retiring in peace without
stressing about money, having enough to invest in a new venture,
giving freely to friends, family, and charity—money does make our
lives easier up to a certain degree.

Thankfully, there are a lot of good books to help us become

financially smart. At Four Minute Books, we’ve reviewed and
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 summarized over 1,000 books to date, and we think the best finance
books come down to three things:

1. Practical advice. Money is a tangible thing, so whatever tips

authors give should be easy to implement for you right away.
2. Relevant information. Depending on your situation and goals,
you might need a beginner’s book or a more advanced one.
3. Inspiring stories. If a book is boring, it won’t motivate you to
take action. The easiest way to change is to listen to a good
story.

Based on these three criteria, we’ve selected the 14 best finance

books for you to read. If you want to become savvy with your
finances, be smarter in how you spend and save, and learn to invest
your money to build freedom, consider these books.

Our list includes our favorite quote, a short summary, three key
lessons, and few arguments for why you may want to read each book
in question. Each of them is available on Four Minute Books, so you
can read our free four-minute summary or get a copy for yourself.

To make navigating this page easier for you, we broke the list down
into different categories and created a table of contents. You can
also jump back up here with the little arrow in the bottom right corner
of the page.

Whether you’ve been unlucky, have bad financial habits, or just

aren’t good at math, these books may finally change your financial
life for the better. Here are the best finance books!

Best Finance Books Overall

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
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 Favorite Quote

“The main reason that over 90 percent of the American public

struggles financially is because they play not to lose. They don’t
play to win.” — Robert T. Kiyosaki

The Book in One Sentence

Rich Dad Poor Dad tells the story of a boy with two fathers, one rich,
one poor, to help you develop the mindset and financial knowledge
you need to build a life of wealth and freedom.

Why should you read it?

This book is controversial, but in getting you to actually do

something, it just works. It’s based partially on Kiyosaki’s life, who
learned two different ways of handling money from his dad and that
of his best friend. The lessons are a mix of how to approach money
as a concept, basic knowledge of accounting, budgeting, and
investing, and how to manage your money so it works for you. By the
time you’re done with the story, you’ll enjoy implementing the tips.
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 Key Takeaways

1. Use your money to acquire assets, not liabilities.

2. Manage risks instead of avoiding them.
3. Work to learn, not to earn.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

2. Money: Master The Game by Tony Robbins

Favorite Quote

“You either master money, or, on some level, money masters

you!” — Tony Robbins
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 The Book in One Sentence

Money: Master The Game lays out seven simple steps to financial
freedom, based on the advice of the world’s best billionaire
investors, interviewed by Tony Robbins.

Why should you read it?

Tony Robbins dedicated ten years of research to this book. After the
financial crisis of 2008, he decided to help average people secure a
good future. After interviewing several billionaire financial legends,
such as Ray Dalio, Warren Buffett, Jack Bogle, he put together their
best strategies. The book contains everything from mindset changes
to saving tips to asset allocation. The transcripts of the interviews
are worth the price of the book alone.

Key Takeaways

1. Never underestimate the exponential power of compounding

interest.
2. Pick one of three financial goals to show yourself that financial
freedom is within reach: basic expenses, basic + fun, or financial
independence.
3. Diversify your investments by using a 3-bucket system: A
security bucket, a growth bucket, and a dream bucket.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon
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 Best Finance Books For Beginners
3. The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Favorite Quote

“You can continue living in the past, beating yourself up about

the money mistakes you made when you were younger, telling
yourself you’ve left it too late…or you can rise up and make
yourself proud.” — Scott Pape

The Book in One Sentence

The Barefoot Investor is an Australian farm boy’s no-BS guide to

taking charge of your personal finances with a simple system to
eliminate debt, live in the now, and still retire in peace.

Why should you read it?

Scott Pape is Australia’s most trusted personal finance expert. His

book has sold over 1,000,000 copies. Despite growing up on a farm,
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 Pape wanted to get rich by trading stocks. That didn’t work out. He
went back to his farm and now uses the simple life as a metaphor for
managing your money. The book helps you take control in three
phases: plant, grow, then harvest your money. He balances easy tips
with radical advice. A great book for beginners.

Key Takeaways

1. Simplify your money management by using different bank

accounts.
2. Shred your credit cards first, then start paying off your debt.
3. Automate some of your retirement planning with index funds.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

4. The One-Page Financial Plan by Carl

Richards
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 Favorite Quote

“People who understand interest earn it. People who don’t pay
it.” — Carl Richards

The Book in One Sentence

The One-Page Financial Plan makes financial planning stop feeling

like a burden for the less disciplined by helping you plan your entire
financial future on a single page.

Why should you read it?

Carl Richards has spent more than 40,000 hours over the last 20
years as a financial advisor, working at Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch and
others. Some of his sketches he shares on Instagram went viral.
They illustrate the ideas that helped him and his wife plan their
finances on just one piece of paper. His book shows you how to do
the same.

Key Takeaways
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 1. Set some goals but stay flexible and fine-tune along the way.
2. Turn budgeting into a game to make saving fun.
3. View paying off debt as an investment in your future.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

Best Finance Books For Investors

5. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin
Graham

Favorite Quote

“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat

it.” — Benjamin Graham
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 The Book in One Sentence

The Intelligent Investor explains value investing, which is focused on

generating steady, long-term profits by ignoring the current market
and picking companies with high intrinsic value.

Why should you read it?

Warren Buffett says this is the single greatest book on investing ever
written. It’s based on Benjamin Graham’s classes, which Warren
Buffett took as a young student. Value investors find companies with
great fundamentals and buy their shares at a discounted price. After
that, all they have to do is wait. Eventually, their real value will unlock.
A true, timeless classic.

Key Takeaways

1. There are 3 principles to intelligent investing: analyze for the

long term, protect yourself from losses, and don’t go for crazy
profits.
2. Never trust Mr. Market, he can be very irrational in the short and
medium term.
3. Stick to a strict formula by which you make all your investments,
and you’ll do fine.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon
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 6. The Little Book That Beats The Market by
Joel Greenblatt

Favorite Quote

“Choosing individual stocks without any idea of what you’re

looking for is like running through a dynamite factory with a
burning match. You may live, but you’re still an idiot.” — Joel
Greenblatt

The Book in One Sentence

The Little Book That (Still) Beats The Market is a step-by-step

tutorial to implement a simple, mathematical formula when buying
stocks which guarantees long-term profits.

Why should you read it?

Joel Greenblatt is an investing legend. His investment company

Gotham Funds had an annual return of over 40% for 20 years, from
1986 to 2006. With his simple formula, Joel has managed to turn
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 Benjamin Graham’s value investing approach into a system that only
needs to be updated once a year. In 2005, he wrote it down to pass it
on to his children. If you’re looking for a specific, low-hassle
investment approach, this is your best bet.

Key Takeaways

1. Look at earnings yield and return on capital to evaluate stocks.

2. Rank and combine these two factors to find winning companies.
3. Be patient, it’s what makes this formula unpopular, but effective.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

Best Finance Books For Entrepreneurs

7. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
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 Favorite Quote

“Many people want to change their life, but they are not willing to
change their choices, and ultimately this changes nothing.” —
MJ DeMarco

The Book in One Sentence

The Millionaire Fastlane points out what’s wrong with the old “get a
degree, get a job, work hard, retire rich” model, defines wealth in a
new way, and shows you the path to retiring young.

Why should you read it?

This book must have the world’s most misleading title. It’s not a get-
rich-quick-scheme at all. Instead, it’s a story of persistence,
boldness, risk-taking, and unconventional thinking. After seeing a
man in a Lamborghini when he was a teenager, MJ DeMarco knew he
wanted to be rich, but he didn’t want to slave away for 40 years to
get there. After launching, selling, and re-buying his own company,
he retired at age 33 as a multi-millionaire. An inspiring read!
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 Key Takeaways

1. Wealth stands for 3 things—and money isn’t one of them:

health, relationships, and freedom are what truly matters.
2. At some point, you must make your income independent of your
time.
3. Think like a producer, not like a consumer.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

8. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Favorite Quote

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this

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 constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a
small fire makes a small amount of heat.” — Napoleon Hill

The Book in One Sentence

Think and Grow Rich is a curation of the 13 most common habits of

wealthy and successful people, distilled from studying over 500
individuals over the course of 20 years.

Why should you read it?

This might be the most popular book about success in the world.
After steel magnate Andrew Carnegie himself put him on to the task,
Napoleon Hill interviewed successful individuals for 20 years. The
result, was published in 1937 and has sold 70 million copies. It’s a
book about thinking, vision, and doing what it takes to succeed. If
you’re a young entrepreneur, this is for you.

Key Takeaways

1. Use autosuggestion to build an unshakeable belief in yourself.

2. Be stubborn and always stick to your decisions.
3. Join a Mastermind group to cut your learning curve.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

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Buy on Amazon

Best Finance Books For Saving Money

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 9. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Favorite Quote

“Getting started is more important than becoming an expert.” —

Ramit Sethi

The Book in One Sentence

I Will Teach You To Be Rich helps you save money on autopilot while
allowing yourself to spend guilt-free on the things you enjoy.

Why should you read it?

Ramit Sethi’s blog started in his dorm room in 2004. After selling an
ebook for a few dollars and seeing the magic of earning online, he
doubled down. 15 years later, GrowthLab makes millions in annual
revenue with online courses. His New York Times bestseller will help
you cut costs in every area of life, splurge on the things you enjoy,
and automate your retirement planning. A down-to-earth
perspective from someone who’s done it.
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 Key Takeaways

1. You’re the only one responsible for your financial problems.

2. Know how much money you have coming in and then
automatically direct it where you want it to end up.
3. Start investing today, even if it’s just $1.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

10. The Total Money Makeover by Dave

Ramsey

Favorite Quote

“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to

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 impress people we don’t like.” — Dave Ramsey

The Book in One Sentence

The Total Money Makeover shows you how to stop accepting debt
as normal, eliminate it forever in small increments, and build the
financial future you deserve in seven steps.

Why should you read it?

The Dave Ramsey Show is one of USA’s most popular radio shows
ever. Ramsey helps people become debt-free, at which point they go
on his show to talk about the experience. He also helps them with
the emotional issues of tackling money and goes beyond mere
mathematical tips. Ramsey encourages you to tackle your debts
from small to large, then slowly start saving, and only invest after
you’ve covered the basics. A rock-solid approach to finance.

Key Takeaways

1. Before you do anything else, put away $1,000 in an emergency

fund.
2. Start paying down your debts, beginning with the smallest.
3. Grow your emergency fund until you have at least a three-
month buffer.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon
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 Best Finance Books For Retirement
11. The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

Favorite Quote

“The fact is, none of us really has a choice: We are all playing the
money game whether we want to or not. The only question is: Are
we winning?” — David Bach

The Book in One Sentence

The Automatic Millionaire is an actionable, step-by-step plan for

building wealth without being disciplined by relying on fixed
percentages, small payments, and automated transactions.

Why should you read it?

When he was seven years old, his grandma took David Bach to
McDonald’s. Over lunch, she told him there are three types of people
in the world: those who eat at McDonald’s, those who work at
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 McDonald’s, and those who invest in McDonald’s. Wow! Later, Bach
became a vice president at Morgan Stanley. Today, he runs a
consultancy and publishes books. 7 of 12 are New York Times
bestsellers, and this one is his most practical template for building
wealth.

Key Takeaways

1. Saving a little every day will go a long way.

2. Pay yourself first to take care of your financial future.
3. Automatic payments allow you to invest in a disciplined manner
without being disciplined yourself.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

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12. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J.

Stanley
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 Favorite Quote

“Whatever your income, always live below your means.” —

Thomas J. Stanley

The Book in One Sentence

The Millionaire Next Door shows you the simple spending and saving
habits that lead to more cash in the bank than most people earn in
their life while helping you avoid critical mistakes on your way to
financial independence.

Why should you read it?

Stanley and his co-author William Danko studied people with normal
incomes and high net worths for decades. The book helps you avoid
becoming a UAW—an under-accumulator of wealth. Most people
could save half their income. This book shows you why that’s worth
the effort in the long run.

Key Takeaways
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 1. Save responsibly from the moment you first start earning more
than you need to live.
2. Use a simple net worth formula to calculate if you’re falling short
of your financial potential.
3. Avoid economic outpatient care—spending too much money
supporting others—to reach your goal.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

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Buy on Amazon

Best Finance Books For Financial Freedom

13. Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv
Eker

Favorite Quote
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 “If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the
roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the
invisible.” — T. Harv Eker

The Book in One Sentence

Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind suggests our financial success is not

determined from birth and shows us what to do to break through
mental barriers and acquire the habits and thinking of the rich.

Why should you read it?

After an absolute rollercoaster of building, selling, losing, and failing

at over a dozen businesses, T. Harv Eker analyzed his own
relationship with money. He found he’d just emulated his parents’
financial strategies, and so do most of us. This book will help you
undo the damaging aspects of that wiring and replace it with solid
financial thinking and habits.

Key Takeaways

1. You naturally tend to replicate your parents’ income strategies.

2. If you want to control your finances, you first have to realize
you’re the one at the wheel.
3. Don’t despise rich people or you’ll never become rich yourself.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

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 14. The Richest Man In Babylon by George
Clason

Favorite Quote

“Advice is one thing that is freely given away, but watch that you
only take what is worth having.” — George S. Clason

The Book in One Sentence

The Richest Man In Babylon gives common-sense financial advice

which you can apply today, told through tales and parables from the
times of ancient Babylon.

Why should you read it?

George S. Clason, a soldier, businessman, and writer, was smart

when he published this book in 1926. Instead of giving boring advice
without any credibility, he wrapped his lessons into stories from the
Babylonians. Generally believed to be an astonishing people, they
lent George the power to transfer these lessons to us. The advice is
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 as sound today as it was back then.

Key Takeaways

1. Live below your means.

2. Learn how to be lucky.
3. Never take on debt.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute
summary or get a copy for yourself.

Read on Four Minute Books

_____

Buy on Amazon

Conclusion
We’ve summarized over 1,000 books to date, many of them about
money. In our opinion, these are the best finance books of all time to
start mastering money in your life.

Whether you’re recovering from an unlucky turn of events, suffering

from bad financial habits picked up in childhood, or just not good at
math, after diving into these books, you’ll soon create more financial
breathing room in your life.

Improve your financial knowledge, reduce your spending, start

saving and investing, and you’ll be well on your way to financial
independence.

When it comes to taking control of your finances, the most important

part is to start today.
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 “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin
Franklin

Other Book Lists

Looking for more of the best books on various topics? Here are all
the book lists we’ve made for you so far:

The 14 Best Finance Books of All Time

The 21 Best Habit Books
The 33 Best Happiness Books
The 7 Best Inspirational Books That Will Light Your Inner Fire
The 31 Best Motivational Books Ever Written
The 34 Best Psychology Books That Will Make You Smarter and
Happier
The 33 Best Self-Help Books of All Time to Read at Any Age

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