Everyone likes to learn differently these days, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to upskilling on all things personal finance. Luckily for us, there are a variety of avenues we can take to get the information we need in whichever format we enjoy the most. While you may love listening to podcasts and occasionally hitting up the latest YouTube videos, your best friend may be the complete opposite.
While we can’t predict everyone’s favorite ways to learn and get the news, sharing is caring, and we’re here to share with the Porte community what we’re reading, watching, and listening to in the world of personal finance.
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Introducing Porte’s Financial Freedom Series
Consider this series to be your dose of personal finance news and guidance recommendations from us. This is where we’ll recommend all the personal finance books, podcasts, YouTubers, Instagrammers, and TikTokers we’re loving right now, with details on what makes each one worth your valuable time.
We’re kicking off this series with our favorite personal finance books, but stay tuned for our next Financial Freedom post where we will cover a variety of platforms — podcasts, Instagram and Youtube accounts, and TikToks.
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Financial Freedom: Books to Read
We’re starting things off with a few books on personal finance that we think you will enjoy reading (no boring, preachy money books), and will learn a lot from no matter where you are in your personal finance journey.
1. I Will Teach You to Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi
Ramit Sethi’s book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, is the type of book we wish had been required reading back in our college days. While we typically prefer to pick up mysterious, gossipy beach reads in our free time and rarely would be interested in picking up a personal finance book to read “for fun,” this book is one we couldn’t put down.
Ramit’s book is a breath of fresh air in the world of personal finance literature. Ramit provides you with all the tools you need to understand how to take control of your personal finances in a way that’s relatable, friendly, easy to read, and even humorous. The book focuses on teaching you how to automate your finances so that you can “live outside the spreadsheet.” Who wouldn’t want to do that? Less time in the spreadsheet means more time to really live your life.
At the conclusion of each chapter, Ramit provides you with a checklist of takeaways and to-dos to consider implementing with your own personal finances. But, trust us, his to-do lists aren’t complex. Each task is actionable and achievable in less than 1-2 hours, and some are even shorter. With the completion of each recommended task, you will get one step closer to feeling as though you are finally in charge and in control of your personal finances. And, you will start to sound like you know what you’re talking about when it comes to money!
To sum it all up, if you aren’t someone who would typically pick a personal finance book off the shelf at your local bookstore, but you’re curious to start learning more about personal finance, start with this book. And, if you’re reading this thinking, “I’ve read plenty of personal finance books, I think I know all that there is to know about my finances,” this book still won’t disappoint you. I Will Teach You to Be Rich is at the top of our list for a reason. It’s a practical guide to personal finance that everyone can learn from.
Tip: Ramit provides helpful free resources on his website. After reading his book, check those out here.
2. Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together, by Erin Lowry
Erin Lowry’s book, Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping by and Get Your Financial Life Together, is exactly what the title says. It’s the book for the millennial who is ready to do more with their personal finances but doesn’t necessarily know where to start.
We’ve become accustomed to assuming all personal finance guidance should come from experts who are much older and wiser, with many more years of experience than ourselves. This book is just the opposite. It’s a fresh perspective on personal finance written by a millennial, for millennials.
Erin writes the book from her personal experiences as a millennial trying to manage her own money, and she includes various anecdotes from her friends, other millennials with different money questions and concerns. Erin’s book dives a bit deeper into some basic money concepts, providing information and tips on these typically boring topics in a way that is funny and relatable to the millennial.
If you’re at the point in your life where you’ve been thinking, “I really need to figure out this whole adulting thing,” then this book is a good starting point. Erin discusses a variety of money topics in her book, so if there’s something about personal finance you don’t understand, from your credit report to student loans, she’s got you covered.
Tip: This book is the first of the Broke Millennial series. Consider checking out the others here.
3. Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez
Your Money or Your Life, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, provides a unique and practical look at our relationships with money and how it impacts the way we live our lives. The original edition of the book was released over 25 years ago. In 2018 the authors released a fully revised edition. It is less of a strict “here’s how to manage your money and budget” book where money is talked about as if it exists independently from our lives, but rather a book that allows the reader to think deeply about why we do what we do when it comes to our money. The book also offers practical guidance and tips to achieving financial independence through actionable steps.
This book is a great read for all stages of your personal finance journey, whether you’re new to the world of personal finance or in the retirement phase of life. Everyone can find something to take away from the lessons in this book.
Your Money or Your Life has been well-regarded across the globe for decades because of its honest perspective on the human relationship with money and the advice it provides.
Tip: Consider checking out the Your Money or Your Life website for additional resources and advice from the author.
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That’s a wrap
We’re glad to be joining you on your personal finance journey and we hope these book suggestions help you kick off or expand on your personal finance learning.
Now that you’ve seen our recommendations, we want to hear from you! Tell us who and what you’re loving right now through social media: @PorteBanking.
This blog is not intended to provide any tax, legal, financial planning, insurance, accounting, investment, or any other kind of professional advice or services. To make sure that any information or suggestions in this blog fit your particular circumstances, you should consult with an appropriate tax or legal professional before taking action based on any suggestions or information that we provide.