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 A study found that 56% of people have less than $1,000 in savings in the bank. It gets worse: Over half of those people don’t have enough money to cover a $1,000 expense at all. They’d have to borrow the money. That’s bad.

It’s not bad because “you should save money,” but because having no emergency fund puts you in a vulnerable position. What if someone crashes into your car? What if you break a few bones? Things outside of our control can force us to pay up. You don’t want to come up short when that happens.

That’s just the most pressing example of why you should learn to manage your finances. There are others: Retiring in peace without stressing about money, having enough to invest in a new venture, giving freely to friends, family, and charity — money does make our lives easier up to a certain degree.

Thankfully, there are a lot of good books to help us become financially smart. At Four Minute Books, we’ve reviewed and summarized over 1,000 books to date, and we think the best finance books come down to three things:

Practical advice. Money is a tangible thing, so whatever tips authors give should be easy to implement for you right away.

Relevant information. Depending on your situation and goals, you might need a beginner’s book or a more advanced one.

Inspiring stories. If a book is boring, it won’t motivate you to take action. The easiest way to change is to listen to a good story.

Based on these three criteria, we’ve selected the some of  best finance books for you to read. If you want to become savvy with your finances, be smarter in how you spend and save, and learn to invest your money to build freedom, consider these books.

Table of Contents [Hide]

Best Finance Books Overall

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

2. Money: Master The Game by Tony Robbins

Best Finance Books For Beginners

3. The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

4. The One-Page Financial Plan by Carl Richards

Best Finance Books For Investors

5. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

6. The Little Book That Beats The Market by Joel Greenblatt

Best Finance Books For Entrepreneurs

7. The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco

8. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Best Finance Books For Saving Money

9. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

10. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Best Finance Books For Retirement

11. The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

12. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley

Best Finance Books For Financial Freedom

13. Secrets Of The Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

14. The Richest Man In Babylon by George Clason

Conclusion

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

The Book in One Sentence

Rich Dad Poor Dad tells the story of a boy with two fathers, one rich, one poor, to help you develop the mindset and financial knowledge you need to build a life of wealth and freedom.

Why should you read it?

This book is controversial, but in getting you to actually do something, it just works. It’s based partially on Kiyosaki’s life, who learned two different ways of handling money from his dad and that of his best friend. The lessons are a mix of how to approach money as a concept, basic knowledge of accounting, budgeting, and investing, and how to manage your money so it works for you. By the time you’re done with the story, you’ll enjoy implementing the tips.

Key Takeaways

Use your money to acquire assets, not liabilities.

Manage risks instead of avoiding them.

Work to learn, not to earn.

If you want to learn more, you can read our free four-minute summary or get a copy for yourself.

2. Money: Master The Game by Tony Robbins

The Book in One Sentence

Money: Master The Game lays out seven simple steps to financial freedom, based on the advice of the world’s best billionaire investors, interviewed by Tony Robbins.

Why should you read it?

Tony Robbins dedicated ten years of research to this book. After the financial crisis of 2008, he decided to help average people secure a good future. After interviewing several billionaire financial legends, such as Ray Dalio, Warren Buffett, Jack Bogle, he put together their best strategies. The book contains everything from mindset changes to saving tips to asset allocation. The transcripts of the interviews are worth the price of the book alone.

Key Takeaways

• Never underestimate the exponential power of compounding interest.
• Pick one of three financial goals to show yourself that financial freedom is within reach: basic expenses, basic + fun, or financial independence.
• Diversify your investments by using a 3-bucket system: A security bucket, a growth bucket, and a dream bucket.

3. The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

The Book in One Sentence

The Barefoot Investor is an Australian farm boy’s no-BS guide to taking charge of your personal finances with a simple system to eliminate debt, live in the now, and still retire in peace.

Why should you read it?

Scott Pape is Australia’s most trusted personal finance expert. His book has sold over 1,000,000 copies. Despite growing up on a farm, Pape wanted to get rich by trading stocks. That didn’t work out. He went back to his farm and now uses the simple life as a metaphor for managing your money. The book helps you take control in three phases: plant, grow, then harvest your money. He balances easy tips with radical advice. A great book for beginners.

Key Takeaways

• Simplify your money management by using different bank accounts.
• Shred your credit cards first, then start paying off your debt.
• Automate some of your retirement planning with index funds.

4. The One-Page Financial Plan by Carl Richards

The Book in One Sentence

The One-Page Financial Plan makes financial planning stop feeling like a burden for the less disciplined by helping you plan your entire financial future on a single page.

Why should you read it?

Carl Richards has spent more than 40,000 hours over the last 20 years as a financial advisor, working at Wells Fargo, Merrill Lynch and others. Some of his sketches he shares on Instagram went viral. They illustrate the ideas that helped him and his wife plan their finances on just one piece of paper. His book shows you how to do the same.

Key Takeaways

Set some goals but stay flexible and fine-tune along the way.

Turn budgeting into a game to make saving fun.

View paying off debt as an investment in your future.

Poetry Books

Have you ever wanted to approach poetry but weren’t sure where to start? Here at Epic Reads, we totally understand—there are so many poets and writers to choose from! There’s the classic poetry we read in school like Lord Byron and Keats and Shakespeare’s sonnets, but it doesn’t stop there. There is modern poetry that addresses ideas like feminism, illness, and immigration. Then you also have what you might think of as poetry books but are actually novels-in-verse, those beautifully written books that are so cleverly put together, you often need to read them two or three times just to catch every detail.

These poetry books and novels in verse are filled with history, love, music, and more. So select a poetry book or a novel in verse today, because you may be surprised by how much you enjoy it!

Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo

They tell me to “fix” my hair.

And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten;

but how do you fix this shipwrecked

history of hair?

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

 The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

A fascinating historical novel about Hilde, an orphan who experiences Berlin on the cusp of World War II as she discovers her own voice and sexuality, ultimately finding a family when she gets a job at a gay cabaret, by award-winning author Kip Wilson.

On her eighteenth birthday, Hilde leaves her orphanage in 1930s Berlin, and heads out into the world to discover her place in it. But finding a job is hard, at least until she stumbles into Café Lila, a vibrant cabaret full of expressive customers. Rosa, one of the club’s waitresses and performers, immediately takes Hilde under her wing. As the café denizens slowly embrace Hilde, and she embraces them in turn, she discovers her voice and her own blossoming feelings for Rosa.

But Berlin is in turmoil. Between the elections, protests in the streets, worsening antisemitism and anti-homosexual sentiment, and the beginning seeds of unrest in Café Lila itself, Hilde will have to decide what’s best for her future . . . and what it means to love a place on the cusp of war.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.

If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur

Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur, this heartrending story told in prose, poetry, and illustration weaves together the stories of a mother and daughter’s lives.

Kiran flees her home in Punjab for a fresh start in Canada after a sexual assault leaves her pregnant. But overstaying her visa and living undocumented brings its own perils for both her and her daughter, Sahaara.

Sahaara would do anything to protect her mother. When she learns the truth about Kiran’s past, she feels compelled to seek justice—even if it means challenging a powerful and dangerous man.

if i tell you the truth
that i’ve dug
from the hardened depths
of this shrapnel-filled dirt
with these aching, bloody hands
would you believe me?
would you still love me?

 The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

A fierce coming-of-age verse novel about identity and the power of drag, from acclaimed poet and performer Dean Atta. Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Jason Reynolds, and Kacen Callender.

Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London. All his life, he’s navigated what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican—but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough.

As he gets older, Michael’s coming out is only the start of learning who he is and where he fits in. When he discovers the Drag Society, he finally finds where he belongs—and the Black Flamingo is born.

Told with raw honesty, insight, and lyricism, this debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are—and allow us to shine.

Roses

I’ve always admired roses

But not for their color

There’s something about them

That I haven’t yet discovered

Yet everyone tells me

That I’m looking into deep

That it is just a flower 

Just a little prize you can keep

But yet there is something special

About the roses that you see

And It’s not about the petals

It’s about the thorns to me

It puzzles me how something

So beautiful and rare

Can cut you so deep

And you wouldn’t even care

THE SMILE

There is smile of love,

and there is smile of deceit,

And there is a smile of smiles

in which these two smiles meet.

And there is a frown of hate,

and there is a frown of disdain,

And there is frown of frowns

which you strive to forget in vain,

For it sticks in the heart’s deep core

and it sticks in the deep backbone-

and no smile that ever was smil’d,

But only one smile alone,

That betwixt the cradle and grave

it only once smil’d can be;

and, when it once is smil’d,

There’s an end to all misery

LONELY

 I have been lonely for a while now. I used to say it’s because I loved my solitude and independence.

I’m Thirty-one now and I don’t think loneliness is cutting it anymore.

Curious cat. I wonder if I live like this because my days may be numbered? Or do I live this because I’m fucked up in the head?

I’m better alone. I’m better alone. I’m better alone. I’m better alone. I’m better alone.

BUT if you keep telling yourself you’re bird, one day you’ll think you can fly.

Fighting the urge to disappear, fighting the emotions when I get involved with someone. Reminding myself it’s okay to like someone, yet still screaming in my head ” None of this means anything, they’re just nice and even if they did, you don’t deserve it!”

Stop being happy. stop being happy. Stop being happy. Stop being happy. Stop being happy. Stop being happy.

I become this dragon people are afraid of, protecting what little faith I have left in me. It’s crazy for some to see how this vulnerability IS me. My skin itches because I will never admit it.

I will flood your life with my chaotic way of thinking though.

I will drown you in love.

And I may leave.

I might disappear into the night.

It’s completely selfish, I agree.

It’s the only way I know how to love. Either completely or not at all. I cling onto the hope that one day, 

someone will have patience.

ANXIETY HOLDS ME, TIGHTLY

Anxiety hold me, tightly.

It creeps in , ever so slightly,

Sometimes whispers,

Sometimes yells,

But it will be heard.

I believe I am strong,

But oh, how I am wrong,

Self-doubt, negativity and hurt,

To name a few,

The list goes on,

It’s easy for anxiety to do.

Punch to the gut.

Head constructs,

Terrible thoughts.

Stare at the mirror

And see my flaws,

Disgusted and ashamed

of my reflection.

Anxiety through my eyes,

And out of my mouth.

Boss me around.

Toss words without care,

Watch them unravel.

I listen, unable, to take control.

Anxiety holds power.

Insecurity runs deep,

Permanent scars, no one can see.

Anxiety presses upon my chest,

I sometimes wonder , am I possessed?

But then I remember,

I am depressed and stressed.

It waits, it creeps in,

Ever so slightly,

Anxiety holds me, tightly.

A Bird Came Down The Walk

A bird came down the walk

He did not know I saw

He bit an angle-worm in halves

And ate the fellow , raw,

And then he drank a Dew

From a convenient Grass,

And then hopped sidewise to the wall

To let a Beetle pass

He glanced with rapid eyes

That hurried all around

They look like frightened Beads , I thought

He stirred his Velvet Head

Like one in danger, Cautious

I offered him a Crumb,

And he unrolled his feathers

And rowed him softer home

Than Oars divide the Ocean,

Too silver for a seam

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,

Leap, splash less as they swim.

12 major things to do at the beginning of every month — Rameshwaram Marble

I used to love new years. It made me feel that I have a full 365 days ahead to set and achieve any goal. But then just a couple of weeks down and this enthusiasm would always wane down and I would go back to square one. Being on track and off-track a thousand times, […]

12 major things to do at the beginning of every month — Rameshwaram Marble

WHEN

When every dream

   has turned to dust,

   and your highest hopes

   no longer soar.

When places you

    once yearned to see,

    grow further away

    on distant shores.

When every night

     you close your eyes,

     and long inside

     for something more.

Remember this

     and only this,

     if nothing else

     you can recall

There was a life

     a girl once led,

     where you were loved 

     the most of all.

Your Voice

 I heard your voice in the wind today

and I turned to see your face;

The warmth of the wind caressed me

as I stood silently in place.

I felt your touch in the sun today

as its warmth filled the sky;

I closed my eyes for your embrace

and my spirit soared high.

I saw your eyes in the window pane

as i watched the falling rain;

it seemed as each raindrop fell

it quietly said your name.

I held you close in my heart today

it made me feel complete;

You my have died…but you are not gone

you will always be a part of me.

As long as the sun shines..

the wind blows..

the rain falls…

You will live on inside of me forever

for that is all my heart knows.