Top 5 Financial Summer Reads

Summer reading is a classic American pastime, whether you’re soaking up the sun poolside or enjoying quiet time on your patio. Here are some top financial reads to intersperse with some enjoyment reading to not only help bolster your financial IQ, but also your retirement nest egg.

The best way to improve your financial situation is to educate yourself. Financial learning comes from many sources, including professional advisors, money experts and financial books. Books are an especially excellent source of knowledge because you have financial experts’ best advice at your fingertips. Here are some top summer financial reading recommendations:

1. The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

Benjamin Graham is considered one of the greatest investment advisors of the twentieth century. His book taught and inspired people worldwide the philosophy of “value investing.” He guides investors from making substantial error and teaches them how to develop long-term strategies that will help reach financial goals. Over the decades, Graham’s teachings are relevant to the modern world of investing.

2. What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars (Columbia Business School Publishing) by Jim Paul and Brendan Moynihan

Investors lose money in the markets either because of errors in their analysis or because of psychological barriers preventing the application of analysis. Paul and Moynihan’s cautionary tale includes strategies for avoiding loss tied to a simple framework for understanding, accepting, and dodging the dangers of investing, trading, and speculating.

3. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

The bestselling book identifies seven common traits that show up again and again among those who have accumulated wealth. Most of the truly wealthy in this country don’t live in Beverly Hills or on Park Avenue, they live next door.

4. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns by John C. Bogle

The classic guide to getting smart about the market. The legendary mutual fund pioneer John C. Bogle reveals his key to getting more out of investing with low-cost index funds. Bogle describes the simplest and most effective investment strategy for building wealth over the long term.

5. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

This personal development and self-improvement book was published in 1937. Hill draws on stories of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and millionaires of his generation to illustrate principles to increase income and succeed. Hill studied the habits of these great ment and outlined 16 habits that contributed to their success.