The importance of investing and investing early enough cannot be overemphasized. It is very important that you start investing as soon as you start earning a paycheck. Be it starting a retirement savings plan or earning a little extra income passively, you can never invest too much.
However, when you are just starting out in investing, it’s important that you understand the basics of investing and the different options that are open to you. So you have to choose the smartest path for your financial future. Once your income grows, your investment portfolio can also expand.
It does not really matter if you are fresh out of college or a teenager who’s realized how significant investing is. As such we have selected 10 of the best books for young investors which will help you succeed.
The Intelligent Investor – Best Overall
First published in 1949 by Benjamin Graham “The Intelligent Investor” investment book original wisdom still holds true. The book stresses the importance of value investing and loss minimization to resisting emotional decision-making when navigating the financial markets. However, the newest edition has been updated. It has data on modern markets and commentary and footnotes by financial journalist Jason Zweig. This book has sold more than a million copies globally and has been endorsed by various industry experts and publications, including Barron’s.
How to Make Money in Stocks – Best for Learning the Basics
“How to Make Money in Stocks” is William J. O’Neil’s bestseller. This book demystifies how to make money while investing. Ranging from choosing stocks that will jump up in price, to picking the best bonds, stocks, or ETFs for your portfolio. This book even covers how to pick up on the market’s current trends and profit from them. O’Neil is the founder as well as the chairman of Investor’s Business Daily. This is a daily newspaper covering finance, economics, as well as the stock market.
How to Invest in Real Estate – Best on Real Estate Investing
You can also invest in Real estate, which is another way of diversifying your investment portfolio and making returns. This is where you find the book “How to Invest in Real Estate” by Joshua Dorkin and Brandon Turner helpful. This book includes over 40 personal stories of how real estate investors made it big. It offers advice on how to invest in real estate when working a full-time job as well as strategies of building wealth via real estate investing. This book also covers the steps of how to fund your real estate deals, as well as how to get your spouse on board. The authors of this book, are co-hosts of the real estate podcast, “BiggerPockets Podcast”.
The Little Book That Still Beats the Market – Best on Stocks
“The Little Book That Still Beats the Market” is a name that well suits the updated version of Joel Greenblatt’s “The Little Book that Beats the Market”. This book was first published in 2005 and sold over 300,000 copies. It is a book that aptly explains to aspiring investors how they can consistently beat market averages by using the author’s rather simple formula of buying stocks when they hit rock-bottom prices. Greenblatt is quite detailed in explaining the concepts in simple terms and without jargon. This version includes data on the financial crisis as well as how the formula performed during that time.
The Simple Path to Wealth – Best for Inspiration
The JL Collins book “The Simple Path to Wealth” teaches you more about money, the financial markets as well as how they work. This book by JL Collins, started out as a collection of letters to the author’s daughter. It however grew into a comprehensive financial guide. It covers topics like debt, how the stock market works, how to invest in both a bull and a bear market. This book also navigates the many retirement funds out there, and even the importance of having f-you money.
Common Sense on Mutual Funds – Best on Mutual Funds
Want to invest? If yes, then you may need to familiarize yourself with mutual funds at some point. This is where John C. Bogle’s “Common Sense on Mutual Funds”, comes in. This book was originally published in 1999. However, you have to know that a mutual fund is an investment vehicle via which investors pool their money to invest in securities. This is also an easy medium to diversify your portfolio for a low price. The book’s updated version includes topics from the basics of mutual fund investing to regulatory changes to how to build an investment portfolio with staying power. Bogle also is the author of the “The Little Book of Common Sense Investing” and “Enough”.
Broke Millennial Takes on Investing – Best for Young Adults
The book “Broke Millennial Takes On Investing” by Erin Lowry is one of the best investing books for beginners. It uses the approach to several questions which is geared towards millennial investors, like “Should I invest while paying down student loans?” or “Should I use a Robo-advisor or an investing app? “. Now, this is the second installment of Lowry’s “Broke Millennial” series. Lowry has also appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and on CBS Sunday Morning. This book has been published in USA Today Cosmopolitan, and Refinery 29.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street – Best on Strategies
The book “A Random Walk Down Wall Street” by Burton G. Malkiel which is now in its 12th edition has sold more than a million copies globally. This book provides an explainer of all major investment vehicles, from stocks and bonds to real estate investment trusts and tangible assets. The updated edition of this book includes a new chapter that focuses on behavioral finance, or how our emotions affect our financial behavior and investment strategies. Malkiel is also the author of “From Wall Street to the Great Wall” and “The Random Walk Guide to Investing”.
Live Richer Challenge – Best for Debt Holder
“Live Richer Challenge” by Tiffany Aliche is a book that has gained mass popularity in recent years, and with a good reason. This book helps those with debt get their finances in order so they can start investing and building wealth. It tackles everything from money mindset to budgeting and saving to investing. Aliche is a personal educator and also the author of “The One Week Budget”. She’s been featured in “Good Morning America”, the “Today” show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and more.
The Book on Rental Property – Best on Real Estate Investing
Thinking of investing in the real estate world? If yes then this is the book for you. Investing in real estate is an excellent way of building wealth. This is where the book “The Book on Rental Property Investing” by Brandon Turner comes in. It is an essential investing book, full of advice on how to build your own rental property income streams. Ranging from common mistakes of real estate investors (and how to avoid them) to tips for finding deals on rental properties to how to finance rentals. Turner is a real estate investor and is also the co-host of the “BiggerPockets Podcast”.