I love to read, so it’s no surprise that when I was finally ready to tackle my finances, I turned to books to help me.
These days most of us have some serious personal finance goals that we’re trying to meet. More of us are graduating from college loaded with debt, and just the idea of homeownership seems out of reach, not to mention retiring someday.
No book can change your life – you have to do that. But you might find the right book that can give you the information and motivation to change your life for yourself. The books on this list did that for me!
In this post, I’m sharing the eight best personal finance books to read in 2023 if you’re ready to transform your finances.
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Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry
One of my biggest complaints about personal finance tips and books about money that I’ve read before is that they often aren’t written for a millennial audience. And thanks to student loans and the financial climate we’ve started our careers in, millennials really face different financial challenges than previous generations.
If you’ve run into the same problem, then this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
In this book, author Erin Lowry dives into real-life issues that millennials are facing when it comes to money. Some of the topics include student loans (obviously!) and addressing whether we millennials will ever be able to retire.
She also dives into some of the more personal issues surrounding money such, as young adults moving back in with their parents and the topic of money in friendships and romantic relationships.
Broke Millennial is the best beginner personal finance book I’ve come across, and it’s one I tend to gift people when they decide to start taking control of their finances.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi
This book by Ramit Sethi is one of the more big-picture books on saving money and budgeting. Like Broke Millennial, this book is super comprehensive and would be a great starting point for personal finance beginners.
In the book, Sethi covers four major pillars of personal finance: banking, budgeting, investing, and saving.
One of the things that makes this book stand out amongst others is that Ramit literally gives you a roadmap for turning your finances around. There’s no guesswork involved once you’ve read his six-week plan.
I love this book because so much of the advice he shares are tips that you can literally do today. As I was reading it, I found myself taking lots of notes and taking immediate action on some of the items.
It’s also very comprehensive, so you’ll be able to use this book for many areas of your life for years.
The Simple Path to Wealth by J.L. Collins
Investing is one of the most important parts of personal finance, and The Simple Path to Wealth is the best book I’ve come across on the topic.
The author of this book, J.L. Collins, is a personal finance blogger who reached financial independence and then started a blog to help others do the same.
He takes a simple approach to investing, and he shares that approach in this book. When you’re finished reading, you’ll have all the information you’ll need to set up the investment plan that will help you retirement comfortable (hopefully years before you reach the traditional retirement age).
While J.L. Collins is older than many of the other online content creators I go to for advice, he often speaks to a younger audience. In fact, the impetus for his blog and book was that he wanted to pass along his investing knowledge to his daughter. Because of that, it’s extremely useful for those in their twenties and thirties or anyone who may be early on in their investing journey.
You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero
I loved Jen Sincero’s book You Are a Badass, and this follow-up book on money mindset definitely doesn’t disappoint either.
In this book, Sincero shares her personal money journey. She talks about overcoming her bad money habits and her negative money mindset.
This pulled me in right away because so many of the negative thoughts about money that Sincero said had held her back are thoughts I have had about money too.
I love that she wrote the book from her own personal experience, and I genuinely think everyone can find something in this book that really hits home with them, from identifying the money beliefs that are holding you back to transforming your relationship with money.
Finally, I just love Sincero’s writing style and sense of humor, which made it really easy to read.
Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
I first discovered this book by David Bach when I listened to him being interviewed on a podcast. He was talking about the unique financial needs that women have as a result of the pay gap, our longer life expectancies, and the fact that men have traditionally controlled family finances.
It was so eye-opening for me, and I bought Smart Women Finish Rich right away.
In this book, the author all of the financial steps that women should take at various parts of life to prepare for the future. He walks you through advice for saving for short-term and long-term goals, as well as ensuring you’re able to retire someday.
Your Money Or Your Life by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez
Rather than giving you a step-by-step plan for your money, as some of the others on this list do, this book is primarily about figuring out your relationship with money and creating financial goals based on your personal values.
The big takeaway from the book is the question, “How much money are you willing to trade your life for?”.
The authors of the book really emphasize that making money is what you need to build a life that makes you happy. So why would you do something that makes you unhappy in order to earn more money?
And if you decide you’re willing to earn less money to achieve true happiness and earn back more of your time, then this book can help you create spending habits that align with your new budget.
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
The older I got, the more I realized just how much of a psychological component there is to money. The fact is that we don’t always make rational decisions with our money. Instead, we make decisions with our emotions. And our backgrounds are a major factor that help shape our emotions around money.
In The Psychology of Money, the author explores the different ways people think about money. He illustrates each of these topics with a real-life story of someone who either won or lost with money and what actions and emotions may have contributed.
Financial Feminist by Tori Dunlap
If you follow personal finance creators on social media, then you’ve probably heard of Tori Dunlap. She frequently goes viral on Instagram and TikTok for her personal finance content on her platform, Her First $100K.
Tori and her content are unique from others you’ll find online in that she starts her advice by acknowledging some of the obstacles that are standing in our way of financial freedom. As a financial feminist, she focuses on the societal and structural roadblocks that are in place that uniquely affect women and other communities often underserved in the personal finance community.
In the book Financial Feminist, the author shares a judgment-free approach to help you overcome the obstacles standing in your way and succeed with your finances. She addresses topics like paying off debt, spending mindfully, saving and investing, and more.
Tori’s book also includes journaling prompts and interviews with money experts.
Final Thoughts
There are so many more personal finance books I could recommend to you, but these eight are an amazing starting point. They cover the basics of personal finance, from mindset to practical steps you can take today.
If you have any personal finance books that you love, leave them in the comments so we can check them out!
Looking for additional personal finance content? Be sure to check out my post on the best personal finance blogs for women.