A plethora of books on financial education are published every year around the world, so much so that it becomes difficult to sort them out ! So which ones will give you the essential advice to manage your money and your personal finances?
Here are the 9 best books to succeed in your financial education:
- Rich dad poor dad – Robert Kiyosaki
- Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
- The 4-hour week – Tim Ferriss
- $100M offers – Alex Hormozi
- I Will Teach You to Be Rich – Ramith Sethi
- Do you really need it? – Pierre Yves McSween
- The miracle morning – Hal Elrod
- Unbreakable – Tony Robbins
- The millionaire next door – Thomas J. Stanley
Rich dad poor dad - Robert Kiyosaki
It is probably the best known book on financial education in the world.
Who hasn’t heard of Rich Dad Poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki ? It is quite simply the best-selling personal finance book in the world.
Why is this book so well known and why is it a reference in its field?
Rich dad, poor dad stands out above all for the uniqueness of the author and the lessons he has learned from his personal history.
Because yes, this book is first and foremost the story of its author, Robert Kiyosaki, who tells us about every financial education he received from his two fathers :
- Poor dad : his real father, always in need of money and struggling to make ends meet.
- Rich dad : a friend of his father, one of the richest men in Hawaii.
Through this testimony and this apposition of the 2 ways of life, Robert Kiyosaki highlights the different ways of managing money and the special relationship we must have with it.
For Kiyosaki, wealth is not just a matter of luck or hard work : it is actually closely related to how you understand money and how you use it.
"Rich Dad Poor Dad shatters the myth that you have to make a lot of money to get rich.""Everything you need to know to become financially free."
Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill
This is one of the first books written on financial education and personal finance management.
Published in 1967, Think and Grow Rich is literally the work of a lifetime: its author, Napoleon Hill, spent more than 50 years rubbing shoulders with and studying the most talented entrepreneurs of his time. Among them, John D. Rockefeller, Dale Carnegie, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt…
The aim of the book is to condense all the practices, habits, working methods and thinking of these successful people and to offer them in a synthesized form to anyone wishing to undertake a business.
Read our article : How to get rich with no money ?
For Napoleon Hill, financial success is correlated to your money management but also to your way of being, which is why the book divulges many tips on personal development.
In Think and Grow Rich, the author invites us to follow a 13-step guide to achieving personal and financial goals.
These steps were written after many years of interaction with Dale Carnegie, his historical mentor and the wealthiest man of his time.
"Learn what you were never taught: make your fortune and achieve your goals.""13 universal principles to boost your confidence and drive for success"
The 4-hour work week - Tim Ferriss
With the 4-hour work week, Tim Ferris introduces you to an alternative way of life to working for a living.
According to the author, thanks to the internet and the democratization of its use, it is quite possible, by working only 4 hours per week, to manage to make a sum of money equivalent to your monthly salary.
In reality, the notion of 4 hours is a marketing concept. It is there to illustrate the fact that a little time each week (instead of the 35 hours per week required by salaried employment) is enough to support oneself financially.
The promise of the book is that by applying the tips and methods taught throughout the book, geographic and financial freedom will hold no secrets for you.
Tim Ferriss is a precursor of the digital nomad phenomenon, which refers to all entrepreneurs who manage to work whenever they want and, above all, wherever they want.
The 4-Hour Workweek is a detailed guide to building a muse: a small, near-automated business, requiring only a few hours of work per week from you.
"More time, money and freedom! This book is a true manifesto for freedom.""Delegate most of your tasks and re-invent your life"
$100M offers - Alex Hormozi
Alex Hormozi is a 32 year old American entrepreneur.
After several years spent at the head of his company specialized in the launch and management of gym, Alex Hormozi shares since 2021 all his expertise in entrepreneurship.
With $100M offers, the author tells us how to create a product or service so good that your prospects would feel foolish to refuse it.
Of course, building such a quality offering requires a lot of work and Alex Hormozi does not hide from it. However, he explains throughout the book that it is not that difficult to select a niche, build a product and above all address it to the market.
The importance of price, cost management, delivering unbeatable value… All these concepts are developed in this book to help you build an irresistible offer.
$100M offers is the most practical book on this list, it does not give advice on money management and focuses on the method you will need to put in place to grow your business quickly.
"This book helps you define what you want to build in life and turn your failures into opportunities."
I will teach you to be rich - Ramith Sethi
Successful entrepreneur, financial advisor and publisher of the eponymous blog, Ramith Sethi delivers in this book the keys to learn how to become rich in just 6 weeks.
I will teach you to be rich is to allow you in 1 month and a half, to find your business project and put in place all the financial habits that will allow you to become free.
To do so, Ramith Sethi mentions several essential conditions :
- Pay yourself first. Whether it’s your salary or other income, you should always save a percentage of it every month. Otherwise, you will never be able to make that capital work for you.
- Automate repetitive tasks. Most of the tasks involved in managing your savings and investments should be automated. This way, you can free yourself from this mental burden and focus on the activities that make you money.
- Beware of experts. Every expert tries to impose his personal success on you as a revealed truth. However, what worked for one person may not work for another. That’s why Ramith Sethi warns against experts and advises to stay away from financial gurus as much as possible
- Finding the right investments. Not all investments are created equal. According to Ramith Sethi, the market is unpredictable and it is much easier to smooth out your investment risk by moving into index funds that simply track the performance of the most profitable companies.
"A book that makes it possible to optimize a huge number of aspects of your life: managing personal finances, avoiding debt, saving more easily..."
Do you really need it? - Pierre-Yves McSween
Pierre-Yves McSween is an accountant who became a writer after many years in the profession.
He makes a rather surprising observation : all his clients who have problems with their personal finances spend their money on products or services that are difficult to justify.
Somehow, they wouldn’t be very comfortable answering the title of the book, “Do you really need it ?”.
It is from this premise that the author wanted to show us that some of our daily purchases are not indispensable. They are more of a short-term desire or a craving provoked by marketing techniques.
Pierre-Yves McSween sifts through all the reasons that drive you to consume, explains why they are not rational and sheds light on the marketing traps set by brands.
Do you really need it is a real incentive to become free again and free from all consumerist temptations. If you have trouble managing your budget, this book is for you !
"A book that gives us back the freedom we really need"
Find out about the 50 30 20 rule.
The miracle morning - Hal Elrod
You have probably already heard of the famous Miracle Morning, so much so that the concept has gone beyond the book and its author.
In this book, Hal Elrod explains why the morning, specifically what you do before 8 a.m., is the most important part of your day.
According to the author, all of your energy, motivation and attention can be developed to their maximum potential before 8am. If you want to be successful, you need to make this time of day as productive as possible.
International speaker and successful entrepreneur, the author is cited by another personality on this list as a reference: the famous Robert Kiyosaki, who praises Hal and his work.
"Every once in a while we come across a book that changes the way we look at life, but never a book like this that changes the way we live our lives."
Unbreakable - Tony Robbins
International speaker and very active personality on social networks, Tony Robbins is not at his first book with Unshakeable.
After interviewing and hanging out with the world’s 50 greatest financial minds, from economics to the stock market to real estate, Tony Robbins delivers a true guide to mastering money in its entirety.
Based on the premise that anyone can achieve financial freedom, Tony Robbins gives you the step-by-step secrets to transforming your financial life, regardless of your current income.
For the author, financial freedom lies in the principles and methods that you will apply to your daily savings, investments and personal finances. These keys to success are available to anyone who wants to change their life and put in the necessary effort.
The millionaire next door - Thomas J. Stanley
Originally published in the late 1990s, Thomas J. Stanley proposed an updated version of his book in the early 2000s.
In The Millionaire Next Door, the author tells us not about his neighbor but about the common traits shared by most American millionaires.
The author has identified 7 traits common to these successful people.
The most amazing thing about these 7 elements is how simple they are : anyone has them and can use them to make money as long as they know how to do it.
That’s what this book is all about! Thomas J. Stanley explains how to awaken the millionaire in you by activating those traits that will lead you inexorably to wealth and financial freedom.
Bonus! We could also have mentioned :
- Marc Fiorentino: the best investments for dummies
- David Chilton: The wealthy barber
- Josh Kaufman: The Personal MBA
- Chris Guillebeau : Side hustle
Here you go ! We hope that you will find your happiness and the promised success thanks to this selection of books. However, be clear: the methods put forward by these books are all real, but they require a lot of work, time and determination on your part. Enjoy your reading !
Check out our other articles on saving and investing:
- How to save : the complete guide
- Multiply your sources of income simply
- The kakeibo, a Japanese method to save better
- Earning money as a student