Today is world book day. To celebrate, I thought I’d share with you a few of the finance books that I have read and enjoyed recently, in case you want to add them to your own reading list.

 

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The Total Money Makeover, By Dave Ramsey

For people who are struggling with debt or don’t know a lot about personal finance, it doesn’t get much better than Dave Ramsey. He uses proven principles and simple steps to not only convey knowledge but help bring people to action. The “Baby Steps” that he teaches have changed thousands of lives through this book and his course that teaches the same, Financial Peace University. This isn’t advanced financial planning, but it will get you pretty far on the right track.

 

I Will Teach You To Be Rich, By Ramit Sethi

While many people aren’t big fans of the book’s title, most people say that this is the top personal finance book for Millennials. (Sethi named the book after his blog, which is really smart for marketing purposes.) As one himself, Sethi understands what it is like to be a 20-something in today’s world, with their struggles and opportunities. While I don’t agree 100% with everything he teaches, I do think it is a great, relatable book for young adults to get started out on the right foot with their finances.

 

The Richest Man In Babylon, By George S. Clason

If you are comfortable reading the King James Version of the Bible, then you will love The Richest Man In Babylon. Written in 1926, Clason imitated the language of the Bible to lend credibility to his writings. Despite being chock-full of “thee” and “thy,” anyone with a solid grasp of the English language should have no problem reading and understanding this book. Clason uses stories from ancient Babylon to teach 7 principles that lead to financial success. The principles are solid, timeless, and beneficial to anyone, regardless of their position or stage of life.

 

Thou Shall Prosper, By Rabbi Daniel Lapin

While the subtitle of Lapin’s book is Ten Commandments for Making Money, I really enjoyed it as a leadership book and not just a finance book. His ten commandments are most applicable to business leaders but can be applied to church leaders as well. Whether or not you are trying to make a lot of money, you will be a better leader and better person overall by following his principles.

 

Another aspect of Lapin’s book I enjoyed was learning about Jewish tradition. He is a Jewish rabbi and bases the book’s principles on traditional Jewish wisdom. As a Bible scholar, I have a good understanding of pre-Jesus Judaism but don’t know a lot about it since then. The insights this book gives into how Jews understand and interpret familiar scriptures were fascinating to me.

 

Podcasts: Shorter Sound Bites

I know I probably shouldn’t be pushing the book’s number one competitor on World Book Day, but I don’t believe books and podcasts have to be mutually exclusive. They each have their place and their benefits. So, if you want something shorter than a book that can be consumed on the go, here are two of my favorite financial podcasts:

 

The Dave Ramsey Show, By Dave Ramsey

Like his book, Dave Ramsey’s podcast is great for beginners and those without extensive financial knowledge. It features everyday people calling in to ask him their finance-related questions. You can learn a lot about personal finance from the show, but you can also learn a lot about the American people, as well.

 

Radical Personal Finance, By Joshua Sheats

Once, you can predict Dave Ramsey’s advice for each caller on his show, it’s time to graduate to Radical Personal Finance. This is the next level, with more in-depth and nuanced information. About one-third of the shows have live callers seeking advice, one-third are Joshua expounding on a topic, and one-third are non-Joshua, like an old sermon from Martin Luther King, Jr. or an essay from Benjamin Franklin. Joshua Sheats talks a lot more than Dave Ramsey, but he’s so full of knowledge that it isn’t boring. He offers a lot of the history and reasoning behind things, as well as things to consider during the decision-making process.

 

 

What are your favorite financial books or podcasts? Is there a book you’d like to read that hasn’t been written yet? Let us know in the comments!