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 rising wedge. 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 summarized over 1,000 books to date, and we think the best finance books come down to three things:
- Practical advice. Money is a tangible thing, so whatever tips authors give should be easy to implement for you right away.
- Relevant information. Depending on your situation and goals, you might need a beginner’s book or a more advanced one.
- 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.
