16 best finance books
If you (like us) are forever on the lookout for your next favourite book, you've come to the right place. Here's our list of the best finance books.
Credit: Dean Drobot, focus_bell – Shutterstock
There are many, many books about money to choose from. But finding ones that suit you, your tastes and your financial situation can be tricky.
Worry not, though. We've done the hard work for you by putting together a list of some of the most helpful and interesting finance books to read right now.
Whether you're searching for books about personal finance, investing money, banking, spending habits or anything in between, we've found the top 16 ones for you.
Top books about money
Here are the best personal finance books:
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The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Price (RRP): £9.85.The Big Short easily tops our list of the best books about money.
This non-fiction book covers the story of four outsiders in the high-finance industry who predicted that the American housing market would crash in the 2000s. To the disbelief of many in the banking world, they bet against it.
After becoming a huge hit and staying on The New York Times best-sellers list for 28 weeks, it was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale, to name a few. The film went on to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Whether you read the book or watch the film (or both), this is a story you need to hear.
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Money: A User's Guide by Laura Whateley
Price (RRP): £9.99.Looking for an introduction to personal finance? This is a great place to start.
The book is engaging, relatable and easy to follow. It starts with Laura Whateley recalling arriving in London at the age of 23 to start her first full-time job – at a time when the economy crashed. Now, more than ever, this strikes a chord.
There's advice on loads of areas of personal finance, including how to budget, dealing with debt and managing rent. This is a great book to help you get to grips with your money as a young person.
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Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam
Price (RRP): £16.49.Interested in investment but not sure where to start? Written by a high school English teacher who became a millionaire, this book explains how you can take a long-term approach to investing money.
While the approach that Andrew Hallam explains in the book is lower-risk than some other forms of investment, we'd still urge you to never invest any money you can't afford to lose.
The book has an interesting premise, centring around "the nine rules of wealth", which helped Hallam become a millionaire.
Curious? Millionaire Teacher explains all.
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You're Not Broke You're Pre-Rich by Emilie Bellet
Price (RRP): £7.39.At 25, Emilie Bellet was working at a bank called Lehman Brothers. It was a job she'd assumed to be stable. That is, until the 2008 financial crash hit and the bank collapsed, famously filing for the biggest bankruptcy in history.
In her book 'You're Not Broke You're Pre-Rich', she uses her experiences and inside knowledge of banking to highlight that it's no longer enough for people to trust wholeheartedly in their banks. Instead, she explains how they should be taking control of their own financial situation.
This is one of the best personal finance books for beginners. With it, you can gain a better understanding of how to manage your finances, make more money, invest wisely and budget effectively.
So, if you're ready to see yourself as less 'broke' and more 'pre-rich', this book is for you.
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Bear Markets and Beyond by Dhruti Shah and Dominic Bailey
Price (RRP): £9.65.For a super accessible intro to business and financial terms, Bear Markets and Beyond is ideal.
Dhruti Shah and Dominic Bailey are BBC journalists. Their book is an A-Z of banking jargon, with a slight twist – each term is related to an animal of some sort.
With a bold illustration alongside each term, it's an engaging overview of what the book refers to as the "financial jungle".
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The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
Price (RRP): £10.15.Ever feel like life would be better if you started shopping less? Hear us out on this one.
During her late twenties, Cait Flanders set out to only buy essentials (i.e. food, bills and car fuel) for a whole year. As well as this, she gradually got rid of about 70% of her belongings, created a television ban for herself and looked into how to reduce waste.
The changes to Flanders' shopping habits had a big impact on her, and not just in terms of her bank balance.
This book will make you think a lot about what you spend your money on, how these purchases affect you and the benefits you could discover from living a year of less.
Did you know it's actually possible to make money from reading books? -
The Money Machine by Philip Coggan
Price (RRP): £9.65.If you're interested in getting a job in banking, this book will give you a great overview of how the City (London's financial district) actually works.
It's particularly handy if you haven't yet studied much about economics, as it explains a lot of key financial terms with a beginner audience in mind.
Now in its seventh edition, this book is kept pretty well updated. It's worth keeping an eye out to see if any more editions are due to be released soon.
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Money: Know More, Make More, Give More by Rob Moore
Price (RRP): £10.99.This book by Rob Moore is fast-paced and unapologetic as it challenges the ways in which people think and talk about money.
It won't be for everyone. This book is less about guiding you through how to manage your personal finances on a day-to-day basis, and more about encouraging you to change the way you think about money. The ultimate goal being (as the title suggests) to know more, make more and give more. A money mindset book, if you like.
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How To Start A Business Without Any Money by Rachel Bridge
Price (RRP): £12.09.For anyone who's ever looked into starting a business, you'll know that finding funding can often be the trickiest bit.
But, Rachel Bridge argues in her book that you really can start a business with no money. You just have to know how to approach it.
Every start-up business is a risk, but How To Start A Business Without Any Money aims to help you work out how to get your business up and running, even without much (or any) cash.
And, if you need inspiration, we've got plenty of business ideas to get you started.
Access to library books is one of the many free things you can get from university. It's worth checking if they have any of the financial books on your list! -
Swimming with Sharks: Inside the World of the Bankers by Joris Luyendijk
Price (RRP): £9.55.Intrigued what the world of banking is really like?
After being commissioned by The Guardian to write a banking blog, Joris Luyendijk interviewed numerous people working in London's financial sector in an attempt to learn more about the industry.
As he learned about banking, the paper's readers learned too. And in turn, through reading this book which documents his "learning curve" (as he refers to it), you can also gain an insight into an industry which may otherwise seem pretty... mysterious, to say the least.
From the book's title, you might guess Luyendijk's general presentation of banking.
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I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
Price (RRP): £14.95.Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich offers clear, detailed advice on changes you could make to your personal finances to live a richer life. If only we knew earlier that reading books can make you rich...
If you're interested in getting this money book, make sure you get the UK version so the advice is as relevant to you as possible. Remember, though, that it was originally written for an American audience so there are still parts that feel a little less applicable.
For example, there are some references to Student Loans that feel more focused on the US system.
But, having said that, he does also make a direct reference to UK Student Loans with advice on why it might not be worth paying your Student Loan off early.
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Manage Your Money Like A F*cking Grown-Up by Sam Beckbessinger
Price (RRP): £12.05.This personal finance guide by Sam Beckbessinger could be ideal for you if you're hoping to become a "Badass Grown-up with your money" (and yes, that is a direct quote from the book).
It's super accessible, with a casual tone and clear advice about improving your personal finances during your twenties.
The advice ranges from day-to-day spending habits to investing for your retirement, as well as how to stay motivated with your money management along the way.
Want to buy these books but worried about your carbon footprint? On AwesomeBooks, you can buy lots of cheap second-hand books. -
How To Own The World by Andrew Craig
Price (RRP): £11.45.You won't be alone in feeling a bit daunted by the idea of investing. It can seem super confusing at first – particularly when you start thinking about stocks and shares.
How To Own The World simplifies the topic of investing money. It explains how investing works and the best ways to approach it as clearly as possible. It's one of the best financial literacy books out there for a UK audience.
It's a great place to start if you're thinking about investing money. Just remember to never invest any money you can't afford to lose.
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A Life Less Throwaway by Tara Button
Price (RRP): £12.49.We've all been guilty of buying something and then using it a grand total of once. But, this throwaway approach to shopping has a massive impact across the board.
As well as the effect on our own bank balances, throwaway culture harms the environment, and it contributes to many people working in unfair circumstances to keep up with the demand for mass-produced items.
In A Life Less Throwaway, Tara Button discusses ways that we can change the way we shop, to focus more on buying high-quality, long-lasting products rather than lots of low-quality things that we only use a handful of times.
While it's very difficult (if not impossible) for students to buy high-quality versions of everything, this book could make you think twice about some of the impulse purchases that you might want, but don't necessarily need...
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The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
Price (RRP): £14.99.What traits do millionaires have in common? That's exactly what Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko wanted to find out when writing this book. Their findings are pretty interesting.
It was first published in 1996, looking at the behaviours and lifestyles of millionaires in America.
Over a quarter of a century later, the book continues to have influence, providing an interesting insight into the choices that people make that can lead them to accumulate huge wealth.
Prefer to listen to books instead? Check out our guide on how to get free audiobooks. -
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
Price (RRP): £13.35.Your Money or Your Life is another classic when it comes to books about money. While the choice between your money or your life seems like a pretty obvious one, things may be different in reality.
This book shows how you may be choosing money over your life, even if you're unaware of it. And with the nine steps inside, you can learn how to take control of your finances and live more deliberately.
While the original version was first published over 25 years ago, this fully revised and updated version includes a lot of extra advice tailored to a modern audience. It covers anything from investing in index funds and making money with side hustles/freelancing to tracking your finances online and saving the planet while saving money.
If only there were ways to become a millionaire by thirty... Oh wait, there are!
