Share this post:
This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure.
We’re wrapping up another year, and if you still haven’t taken control of your finances, it’s okay. But this is your wakeup call. I’ve compiled 9 of the best personal finance books you need to read in 2020.
Before I discovered the magic of audiobooks, I hated reading. I would rather be doing just about anything else!
But when I started listening to books about finance and business, my income increased significantly.
I remember when we counted down the new Millenium. We all feared computers would crash and the world would stop. Of course, it didn’t.
No, the world isn’t going to stop if you don’t read all of these books about money, but personal development is vital to growth. Just ask millionaires like Warren Buffet, Grant Cardone, and John Maxwell.
These three men know the value of personal growth and development. Cardone recommends reading a book a week.
He recommends that if you don’t particularly enjoy reading, you should opt for an audiobook instead. I have adopted audiobooks as my preferred method of listening to the best personal finance books because I don’t have time to sit and read.
It’s pretty easy to turn on an audiobook and listen while I’m getting ready for the day or while I’m driving into town to run the kids to and from ball practices and vocal lessons.
I know life is busy. It’s busy for me, too, but you’ve got to take the time to listen (or read) books that will make you smarter.
My current favorite audiobook actually isn’t about money at all. It’s called Stillness is the Key, and it offers the Buddhist principles and the key to staying focused on your goals while avoiding distraction.
You can get 3 FREE audiobooks with an Audible trial here.
Best Personal Finance Books You Should Read Before the End of 2020
1. Best Overall: The Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey
I first learned about Dave Ramsey when I was working as a teller about 15 years ago. At the time, I knew very little about personal finance, and this book helped me perform my job better and grow my banking career.
I went from thinking a CD was something you listened to in a walkman to being promoted to a banker and offering CD loans to college kids to build their credit.
Before you yell at me for teaching college kids about credit because Dave says all loans are bad, please note that as part of my job, I was to sell loans and I preferred CD-secured loans over credit cards any day of the week.
This book is a must-have whether you’re new to finance or someone who invests a good amount but also has quite a bit of debt weighing you down.
[amazon box=”1595555277″ template=”horizontal”]
2. Runner Up: Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
Robert Kiyosaki is incredible. In arguably one of the best personal finance books of all time, he shares what he learned from his poor Dad (his biological father) and his rich Dad (his best friend’s father who was a businessman).
He shares all he learned through his personal experience and how he achieved FIRE (financial independence early retirement) at the age of 47.
[amazon box=”1612680194″ template=”horizontal”]
3. Best Book on Frugality: The No-Spend Challenge Guide – Jen Smith
No-Spend challenges are just what they sound like. They’re a way for you to challenge yourself to stop spending money. Sometimes people go weeks or even months without spending any money. This book teaches you how to have a successful no-spend challenge.
[amazon box=”B0779FP2M9″ template=”horizontal”]
4. I Will Teach You to be Rich – Ramit Sethi
I Will Teach You to Be Richwill show you:
• How to crush your debt and student loans faster than you thought possible
• How to set up no-fee, high-interest bank accounts that won’t charge you out the wazoo
• How Ramit automates his finances so his money goes exactly where he wants it to—and how you can do it too
• How to talk your way out of late fees (with word-for-word scripts)
• How to save hundreds or even thousands per month (and still buy the things you love)
• A set-it-and-forget-it investment strategy that’s dead simple and beats financial advisors at their own game
• How to handle buying a car or a house, paying for a wedding, having kids, and other big expenses—without the stress of those big events
• How to negotiate a big raise at work
[amazon box=”1523505745″ template=”horizontal”]
5. Secrets of Six-Figure Women – Barbara Stanny
[amazon box=”0060933461″ template=”horizontal”]
6. 127 Home-Based Job & Business Ideas – Gundy Gabrielle
[amazon box=”B07X2QVVTT” template=”horizontal”]
7. Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
[amazon box=”193787950X” template=”horizontal”]
8. You are a Badass at Making Money – Jen Sincero
I love love love this book! Jen was a total loser, crashing on friends’ couches and took a massive leap of faith and invested in a personal coach. She’s now a multi-millionaire. Have I mentioned I love this book?
[amazon box=”0735223130″ template=”horizontal”]
9. The Prosperity Bible – Napoleon Hill
Anything written by Napoleon Hill is timeless and golden. This is the only single volume where you can read success advice from Napoleon Hill, P. T. Barnum, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Fillmore, Wallace D. Wattles, Florence Scovel Shinn, and Ernest Holmes, along with tons of million-copy-selling writers who have one key element in common: a commitment to understanding and promulgating the laws of winning.
[amazon box=”B07TLYNHYF” template=”horizontal”]
Wrapping it Up
The smartest decision I’ve ever made professionally was to invest in myself. If I learned one thing from my disastrous multi-level marketing flop, I learned that personal development is key to changing your mindset and improving your finances and your future.
Related Content:
- It’s Not Personal, Karen. I just HATE Multi-Level Marketing (MLMs)
- 17 Things Frugal People Usually Don’t Do
- How to Stop Overspending {Actionable Tips to Take Control of your Money}
