Personal Finance Books That Could Change Your Life

Sep 28 | Money Saving Tips, Budgeting

A new school year can often feel like the start of a brand new calendar year. Perhaps a time when many people resolve or set goals to improve their financial situations.  I thought I would compile a list of some of the personal finance books that I think could help inspire you along with your goals!  Let me know if there are any books you could recommend and I'll add them to the list for others to enjoy!

Debt-Free Forever - I just had to put the book written by one of our favourite Canadian financial writers at the top!  Debt-Free Forever by Gail Vaz-Oxlade "will help readers take responsibility for, and control of, their money. Gail's rules are simple: you can't spend money you don't have, you must save something, and if you're in debt, you must get the albatross off your back.  But Gail knows following the rules can be tough. That's why Debt-Free Forever gives you a road map to getting out of the red in 36 months or less."

Money Making Mom - I love pretty much anything Crystal Paine of MoneySavingMom.com does. And this book is no exception. "The nuts and bolts of how to make more money from home are revealed in clear steps that can be immediately and easily put into practice. But more than just a how-to book for earning extra income, Money-Making Mom is a challenge to dream big and create a pathway for life. Paine offers examples and insights about what "finding your purpose" can look like in family, career, and service to others."

The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsay has become very popular, especially in the US, with his strategies that have enabled countless families to change their financial situations.  Dave has written The Total Money Makeover in "7 organized, easy-to-follow steps that will lead you out of debt and into a Total Money Makeover. Plus, you’ll read over 50 real-life stories from people just like you who have followed these principles and are now winning with their money. It is a plan designed for everyone, regardless of income or age."

Your Money: The Missing Manual - Written by Get Rich Slowly blogger JD Roth, you'll find his book written in easy to understand language, with concise and clear whys and why nots to all the different aspect of personal finance.  You'll get the info you need to make sensible decisions on saving, spending, and investing, learn the best ways to set and achieve financial goals, set up a realistic budget framework and learn how to track expenses and much more!

The Wealthy Barber - "David Chilton offers Canadians a common sense guide to successful financial planning with his charming story about a small-town barber with financial genius. Roy is the wealthy barber who offers Dave, Sue, Tom and Cathy great financial advice by giving them simple -- and realistic -- guidelines to follow."  With more than 1.5 million copies sold to date, The Wealthy Barber is the best-selling book ever of any kind in Canada!

Your Money Or Your Life - This is an essential read for those wanting to get out of debt and develop savings, reorder material priorities and live well for less, resolve inner conflicts between values and lifestyle, save the planet while saving money, and much more!  In Your Money or Your Life, Vicki Robin shows readers how to gain control of their money and finally begin to make a life, rather than just make a living.

Smart Cookies: Making More Dough - "Inspired by an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show on personal finance, the Smart Cookies, five dynamic young women who weren't always so savvy about money, formed a "money club," and together developed strategies for turning their financial lives around - without surrendering their sanity or their social lives.  In this guide, the Cookies demonstrate how women of all ages can achieve financial security. They share their own stories, offer easy-to-follow steps, and lay out simple plans for meeting any goal, whether it's eliminating debt, making good investments, becoming a smart spender or saving up for a big-ticket purchase."

Smart Couples Finish Rich - David Bach provides couples with easy-to-use tools that cover everything from credit-card management to investment advice to long-term care. From this updated, newly revised Canadian edition, couples will learn how to work together as a team to identify their core values and dreams, and to create a financial plan that will allow them to achieve security, provide for their family's future financial needs, and increase their income.

What are your favourite personal finance books?