Books
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The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free Life
- JL Collins
I first heard about him when he was interviewed on a few podcasts I listen to and I was just hooked on his very simple message. The book is a recreation of his blog BUT is laid out in a more concise way. Not all is relevant to Kiwi's (he is American), but a lot of it is. Well worth a read.
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Pathfinders: Extraordinary Stories of People Like You on the Quest for Financial Independence - and How to Join Them!
- JL Collins
I thought it was excellent. Personally, continually hearing the stories of people working towards the same goals as me confirms that this “simple path” I’m on actually works. It’s a collection of stories from all over the world (one was from Christchurch) that highlight the path people take to financial independence, and JL Collins chips in throughout the book with his words of wisdom.
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The Richest Man In Babylon
- George S. Clason
This is probably one of the best books I’ve read on PF. The Richest Man In Babylon by George S. Clason. Written in 1926, based on parables from the 8000-year-old city of Babylon. It takes a little to get your head around the style of writing (“this day do I speak to thee…”) but it is just talking about the basics of money which are lessons we could all learn from:
Start thy purse to fattening (save 10% of all you earn first)
Control thy expenditures
Make thy gold multiply
Guard thy treasures from loss
Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment
Insure a future income
Increase thy ability to earn
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The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns
- John C. Bogle
This book reaffirms that I am on the right track. It’s a dry read, but it’s packed with wisdom and is now one of the few books that are good enough to earn a spot on my bookshelf.
Barefoot Kids: Your Epic Money Adventure!
- Scott Pape
Let’s cut to the chase; YES, this book is very much worth it. It is effective in teaching financial literacy in a fun and engaging way, with or without parental involvement (although involved parents are obviously better).
The Barefoot Investor for Families: The Only Kids’ Money Guide You’ll Ever Need
- Scott Pape
A follow up from his first book and an EXCELLENT resource for anyone who is wanting to teach toddlers to teens about money. This book will give you a teaching plan that I actually believe your kids will listen to and will mean that when they move out of home at 18 they won’t move back in at 25 because they have this money thing sorted!
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The Barefoot Investor: The Only Money Guide You'll Ever Need
- Scott Pape
I gave this book to two people and both of them turned their financial lives around, almost overnight! Scott is an Aussie guy and gives a complete guide to sort yourself out financially. Really really recommend!
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Die With Zero: Getting All You Can From Your Money And Your Life
- Bill Perkins
I have two bookshelves dedicated to my finance books. One shelf holds ‘meh’ books, and the other contains the books I’ll refer back to and recommend to others. This book is definitely on the read-again and share with other's shelf! Bill Perkins helps take away the fear of ‘will I have enough money’ and gives you permission to spend what you have earned. Only a handful of books have had a lasting impact on me, and this is one of them.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich (2nd Edition)
- Ramit Sethi
I enjoyed the straightforward and practical nature of this book, and when combined with listening to Ramit’s podcast (where he interviews people at length and helps set them back on the right financial track), it is a good resource for anyone looking to take control of their finances.
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Playing with FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early): How Far Would You Go for Financial Freedom?
- Scott Rieckens
By the bottom of page 16 I thought “anyone just starting out thinking there has to be more to life than just earning money and spending it” needs to read this book. This book follows a couples journey where they discover FIRE and start to radically change their lifestyle to pursue FIRE. This book will give you a roadmap to follow on your own journey to financial independence and includes all of their calculations and thinking behind the decisions they make.
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Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
- Dave Ramsey
An American book written by a debt-hating author who has helped millions of people get their financial houses in order. His plan is designed to help you pay off ALL debt in a systematic way and create a nest egg for emergencies and then sort out your retirement or anything else you might be planning for. And if you need to slash your spending and live on rice and beans while you do it, well, that’s what you need to do! Giving advice that your Grandma would give you, he manages to make complex financial messes pretty simple to sort out, on paper at least!
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Breaking Free From Broke: The Ultimate Guide to More Money and Less Stress
- George Kamel
George Kamel shares his story of going from a negative net worth to a millionaire in under 10 years by following Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. This book is American-focused, but many of the things he talks about are still relevant to Kiwis.
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EVERYDAY MILLIONAIRES: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth - and How You Can Too
- Chris Hogan
This is a great book and it cemented my financial journey even more and it’s let me know that I’m a weirdo and am doing things differently than a lot of Kiwis. In a good way! This book offers an inside view into the way “ordinary people built extraordinary wealth”. Chis Hogan works with Dave Ramsey and he lead “the largest study EVER conducted” where they surveyed 10,000 U.S. net worth millionaires and found that building wealth had nothing to do with having a huge salary, getting an inheritance, leveraging to buy property or where you came from.
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The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy
- Thomas J. Stanley + William D. Danko
Many come across this book at some time or other. If you think that a millionaire is the woman who just drove past you in the latest BMW, think again. It was probably the woman in the 15 year old Toyota Corolla who was driving right behind her! This book details habits of actual millionaires and is an interesting read.
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Quit Like a Millionaire: No Gimmicks, Luck or Trust Fund Required
- Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung
These two Canadian’s retired at the age of just 31! Using both hard work and math they devised a plan to have enough money invested to produce an income for life. Three years in, it’s working! And you don’t need as much money as you would think. I loved hearing about the personal insights Kristy shared about her upbringing and how they affected her path to retirement. It does not all relate to Kiwi readers, but enough of it did to keep me interested!
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Why Does The Stock Market Go Up?
- Brian Feroldi
Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I fall asleep? No. Thanks in part to its concise chapters. Will it remain on my shelf of ‘useful personal finance books’? Yes. The stock market once confused me until I learned enough about it to realise that, at its heart, it is just a way for me to take a tiny piece of ownership of a company and share in its success. In this book, Brian uses his fictional business called ‘Best Coffee Company’ to explain all the most important financial concepts and terms that anyone looking to invest in the share market needs to know.
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Cracking Open the Nest Egg: How to make your retirement savings last the distance
- Martin Hawes
I’d go so far as to say that this book should be “required reading” for future retirees. It covers so much ground that you will pull out some nuggets of wisdom to apply to your situation, making it valuable and relevant to all retiring Kiwis.
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A Richer You: How to Make the Most of Your Money
- Mary Holm
I’ll cut to the chase: I loved it. Mary has taken the best letters from her newspaper column and worked them into a book. In each letter, the writer asks a short question about an issue they are having that involves personal finances. Mary then gives a concise and well-rounded reply. This makes it a book you can pick up and put down, just taking in a bit at a time.
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Rich Enough? A Laid-Back Guide for Every Kiwi
- Mary Holm
Mary Holm was possibly the first woman I heard speak with authority on how to handle money and has continued to be a great role model. If you have an interest in money and want to skill yourself up on a wide variety of ways to be better with it, then this book will be an excellent money guide. This is an excellent reference book and that is what I’m using it for, to find specific advice. For example, if you are wondering what the best way to invest a lump sum is, you can flick to that section and get a really good understanding of the pros and cons, but it’s not going to tell you who to invest that lump sum with.
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Tales from a Financial Hot Mess
- Frances Cook
My copy of this book has ended up a right hot mess. I read it in fits and starts over a month and each time something took my interest I placed a sticky note to mark the page and as it turned out, quite a bit took my interest. I have a carefully selected library of personal finance books and I’m happy to keep this one on my shelf, sticky notes and all.
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Growing Money: A Complete Investing Guide for Kids
- Gail Karlitz
I found my copy at the dump shop! Many of us don't know the basics and this book has helped me over the years to learn them. Because it is aimed at children it keeps things nice and simple, and sometimes that is just what I'm looking for.
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Upside, Downside: A Guide to Risk for Savers and Investors
- Mary Holm
This is a FREE book that you can download as a PDF or send an email and they will send you a copy. Written all about New Zealand and the ways you can save and invest here, what you need to be aware of etc.
Twenty Good Summers: Work Less, Live More and Make the Most of Your Money
- Martin Hawes
The first money book I ever read cover to cover and I thought “crikey, when I measure my life out by the summers I have remaining, I had better get cracking”! This New Zealand authorised financial advisor revised his original book to teach you how to free up your lifestyle and organise your money to get the income you need so you can get on with the rest of your life.
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Your Money or Your Life
- Vicki Robin
This book is a revised classic in the world of personal finance and will help you regain control of the money in your life by looking at your earning, spending and saving. In it she talks about trading the hours of your life for the money in your wallet and how to get that balance right and she has a process to walk you through this. I found this to be quite a holistic book and it will help you move from “more is better” to “how much is enough” and will help you remove the clutter from your life and find out if what you are doing is making you happy? Whether just starting out or close to retirement her sage advice helps you move into what she refers to as a financially independent thinking space.
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