1.
Rock Retirement by Roger
Whitney: Roger does a great job of explaining how retirement planning has
changed since our parent’s time due to the elimination of pensions. He also
shares how to plan for market volatility and to avoid getting so caught up in
the future that we fail to enjoy life today. An easy read that caused me to
adjust my financial belt some to create more memories today just in case I
don’t make it till tomorrow.
2.
Super Freakonomics by Steven
Levitt and Stephen Dubner: This
awesome duo once again shows how peeling back the layers of anything will show
you that rarely is anything what it might appear to be on the surface as they
take a look at global warming, prostitution, how monkeys can be trained to be
capitalists and how safety devices frequently result in more, not less,
injuries. Essentially, everything boils down to human incentives. I’m using
this newfound understanding to determine the best way to communicate with
college students about my nonprofit.
3.
Everyday Millionaires by
Chris Hogan: Chris and his team interview more than 10,000 American
millionaires and break down various myths to get at what successful
wealth-building looks like for most, along with how it’s possible for anyone
who puts their mind to it.
4.
The Simple Path to Wealth by J.L.
Collins: Mr. Collins has a very simple (and inexpensive) methodology for
becoming financially independent: 1. Avoid all debt, 2. Live on less than you
earn, and; 3. Invest the difference, mainly in the Vanguard Total Stock Market
Index (VSTAX) fund. He gives some great insight along the way, as well as
sharing some life lessons he learned the hard way
5.
University of Berkshire Hathaway: 30+ Years
of Lessons Learned from Warren Buffet & Charlie Munger at the Annual
Shareholders Meeting by Daniel Pecaut and Corey Wrenn: The intelligence
and wit shared by Warren and Charlie reflect that both have lived lives of
bountiful experiences and learned lessons that only seasoned learners could
communicate in such an easily understood manner. Their simple, yet incredibly
thought-provoking quotes echo men who understand the impact of their words, yet
never take themselves too seriously. And finally, the fearlessness of sharing
both success and failures show that the both fully understand how much
discipline and resolution is required to duplicate their feats, which very few
have.
6.
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by
Chris Guillebeau: A pretty clear outline for bringing a good idea to
fruition, but it didn’t really help me generate any money-maker thoughts for a
future side gig. I’ll hold this book for when I do get an idea I believe is
worth investing in….
7.
The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation by John
Hope Bryant: Great read about how the system works and how anyone can be
successful if they will focus more on the desired outcome and less on where
they are starting from. The author really brings forth the psychological aspect
of what is keep the ‘have nots’ from moving forward in today’s world.
8.
An Iron
Will by
Orison Swett Marden: Originally published in 1901, Marden was ahead of his
time in seeing the decline of masculinity, along with the recognition that will
power is the most important single ingredient for success. The poems,
short-stories and quotes included all tie together various formulas that
reflect upon what one can accomplish with intentionality and an unforgiving
focus on a desired outcome.
9.
48 Days to
The Work You Love by Dan
Miller: Solid book with regards to planning, creating a resume and,
especially, the interview process. However, it’s a little light in the way of
truly helping someone figure out the intersection between what one is
passionate about and what generates income, which is where I’m at currently.
However, despite not really getting what I wanted out of this book, I would
HIGHLY recommend it to someone just out of college or anyone looking for a job.
The author presents some excellent ideas as to how to get a job you really
want, including building a resume, communicating with potential employers, job
searches and interviewing.
10.
The
Killers by
Ernest Hemingway: Short story about two hired assassins sent to kill a
former boxer for not throwing a fight. Written in the very basic, easy to
follow prose Hemingway is known for.
11.
Love Does
by Bob Goff: The
author takes you on a ride from being shot as a child, to sailing across the
ocean with friends as a teenager, to pursuing his wife for 3 years before she
agreed to go out with him, to sitting on a bench outside the dean’s office for
7 days because his grades weren’t good enough to get him into law school to
taking his kids on a worldwide tour to eat ice cream, etc. with heads of state
after 9/11 to becoming counsel to Uganda after visiting there and starting a
school, all the while sharing metaphors of how each experience is tied to his
relationship with Jesus. What a great life and influence Bob Goff has had. We
should all aspire to see the world as he does.
12.
The
Bucket Plan by
Jason L. Smith: Great book to help someone close to retirement protect
their assets in a way to ensure they have great experiences while not running
out of money. His Now, Soon and Later bucket approach
really got me thinking about the optimal strategy for my early withdrawal from
traditional employment.
13.
Stop
Doing That $#!% by Gary
John Bishop: Gary John is part author/part psychiatrist in this excellent
read that takes you back to the root of the suppressive voices from our past
that usually prevent us from being all we were meant to be in life. He also
offers some solid advice as to how to overcome those voices. The book contains
some awesome quotes as well.
14.Mind Hacking by Sir John Hargrave: Excellent read.
The author helps us to view our brains like a computer, as well as
understanding the importance of developing successful habits, decluttering our
mind, celebrating small wins and using meditation and visualization to rewire
positive mental loops to rewire our thinking. I’m looking forward to the 21-day
exercise at the end of the book.
15.
Set for Life by Scott Trench:
Written primarily for a younger person just starting out, this book shares a
tried and true (by the author) approach to becoming financially independent
quickly. The path he describes is simple: live frugally and save half of what
you make, use that money to buy a property that you can house hack (have others
pay the note while you continue to maintain a high savings rate), invest
wisely, look for every opportunity to increase income while continuously
self-educating and putting one’s self in position to get lucky. Well written
and full of examples, I recommend to someone just starting a career. This is
the first time someone has been able to explain to me why a house isn’t an
asset, as well as clarifying why it’s just as important to build wealth inside
non-retirement accounts as it is your 401k, IRA, etc.
16. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:
The mythical story of Almustafa, sage of Orphalese and his
parting conversations with the locals on all things life. Great series of poems
on all aspects of living with advice obviously drawn from the major world
religions. Excellent addition to your library with numerous easy to remember
quotes on almost every subject.
17.
The Cash
Flow Quadrant by Robert
Kiyosaki: This book, written by Rich Dad, Poor Dad author, explains
the 4 quadrants of cashflow generation: Employee, Self-Employed, Business Owner
and Investor, explaining how each make/spend money and which ones leads to
wealth generation the quickest (spoiler-alert: it’s not the employee or
self-employed). Excellent read for understanding how the system works, as well
as how to use self-knowledge to migrate to a quadrant more to your liking.
18.
The
Business School for People Who Like Helping People by Robert Kiyosaki: I’ll admit that I
bought this book together with the last one by the same author because they
were next to each other at the used bookstore I shop at in Powder Springs. And,
wrongly, I thought it had something to do with nonprofits based on the title.
Turns out this is a book on multi-level marketing, which I have no interest in.
19. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey:
Great tried and true lessons on how to start and create a successful business
with integrity from someone with a proven track record. And like his personal
finance books, these are just as good LIFE lessons as they are business
lessons.
20.
Strangers
to Ourselves by Timothy
D. Wilson: Nice read which explains the importance of telling the right
stories to yourself, along with ‘Faking it till you make it…’. Also, a good
reminder that our nonconscious thoughts frequently result in decisions that
befuddle our conscious ones and why it’s important to try to match our
nonconscious to our conscious selves through training and focusing less on
ourselves and more on the needs of others.
21.
Thinking
Smarter by Shlomo
Benartzi: Thought-provoking read on how to about identify goals, discover
blind spots and create realistic retirement goals. This is less a numbers book
and more a psychological approach to understand how our minds work, and more
importantly – how they do NOT work, when it comes to goal-setting and planning
our futures.
22.
The
Little Things by Andy
Andrews: Great read about the importance of the ‘’small things,’ like
perspective, attention to detail, discipline, introspection, common sense and
other principles that enable anyone to be successful.
1 comment:
Hi, I'm the editor of University of Berkshire Hathaway. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed our book. Would you mind writing a short, honest Amazon review? The authors and I would really appreciate it.
Best,
Austin Pierce
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