Personal finances is something you learn along the way and practice. Yet some useful books can make that journey a bit easier. Personal finance books help you manage your money better. You can learn personal finance basics-like how to manage and pay off debt so you can become smarter and become more confident with handling your money. And this kind of guidance doesn’t stop there. They also teach you how to invest, create a nest, save for retirement, and overall help you overcome common money pitfalls to ensure you foster a healthy relationship with your money.
How Can I Acquire Knowledge On Personal Finance?
A wealth of educational resources are available to anyone who wants to learn about finance. Bookstores, libraries, and online sites can provide leads to thousands of books on every financial topic imaginable. From financial history to day-trading strategies there’s a book for every topic. Universities also offer free online courses on a wide range of financial topics. Additionally, a subscription to a publication like The Wall Street Journal can further your education.
What Are 10 Personal Finance Strategies?
1. Use Google and other search engines.
This will let you hone in on specific topics, and many financial services firms offer a wealth of free information. A visit to their websites can offer general education on economic forecasts and economic insights. With a little bit of effort, you can also identify comments from your favorite economists, investment strategists and other experts.
- Take a Finance Course.
Online Courses are available to help educate you about finance and investing. You can also take these at any time in your life.
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Talk to Financial Services Professionals.
Spend some time talking to the experts who make a living with their expertise. You can pick up a thing or two just by having an informal conversation.
- Establish a budget.
Use a free budgeting program like Mint. Or categorize each expense with a spreadsheet and discover easy ways to save money each month.
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Create an emergency fund.
Set aside money specifically to pay for unexpected expenses you might have. £500- £1000 is a good goal. This can cover greater financial difficulties such as unemployment.
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Pay off credit cards
This could be done first as the interest is so costly, it can make achieving any other financial goal difficult.
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Pay off student loans.
Lowering or getting rid of those payments can free up cash that will make it easier to save for retirement and meet your other goals.
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Live Within Your Means.
Keep the standard of living below what your earnings can accommodate.
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Become financially literate.
Become knowledgeable in areas of personal finance. This will pay off throughout your life.
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Save what you can for retirement.
Building a retirement nest egg becomes more difficult the longer you wait.
What Personal Finance Book Should I Read?
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason is many people’s all-time favorite personal finance book. Instead of taking a purely instructional approach as many books, The Richest Man in Babylon uses parables to demonstrate fictional concepts like frugality, financial planning, and building your net worth. Also, this book is a super simple read making it a great starting point to teach your kids about money.
A Couple More Of The Best Personal Finance Books Worth Reading!
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This book offers a comprehensive guide to taking control of your money by changing your relationship with it. You will start to learn how to develop more mindful money habits to help you get out of debt and begin to save more money. It also builds on the concept of figuring out how much time you have to give up by working in order to buy the things you want.
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A fascinating look at just what makes up the bulk of millionaires in the United States and reveals the 7 common traits they all share. This book is great for reassessing your assumptions and resetting your expectations.
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Dave Ramsey is an icon in the personal finance space and he is famous for his 7-Baby Steps. The Money Makeover book walks you through those 7 steps, offering a no-nonsense approach to slashing your spending, getting out of debt, and building your own wealth. Also if you’re struggling with credit-card debt this is a step-by-step guide to getting your money issues sorted.
Is There A Number One Personal Finance Book Of All-Time?
You’ve perhaps already heard of Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad Poor Dad. There is a reason it has stuck around for more than two decades and is one of the most popular personal finance books of all time. Kiyosaki shares what he learned growing up from his father and his friend’s father. Those lessons include you don’t need a lot of money to get rich, assets, and liabilities.
However, for a basic introduction to sound financial concepts, you can’t do much better than The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason.
A tiny little book, it is written in an uncomplicated style and captures the wisdom of the ages in an easy-to-follow manner.
In conclusion
While personal finance can be a dry subject, there’s no better way to improve your relationship with money than by reading personal finance books. By digging into the world of personal finance you’ll give yourself the basic knowledge necessary to start managing your money in a more controlled and deliberate way. If you’re interested in taking control of your finances, add these mentioned books to your reading list this year!
