In alphabetical order, the books I have read that have had an impact on my journey and thought process
Early Retirement Extreme
Jacob Lund Fisker
As the name implies this is an extreme book. This is a great book for the FIRE community in that it sets the bar. The procedures and solutions employed by the author may not be for most but at least you can see that it can be done on very, very little!
Everyday Millionaires
Chris Hogan
A good pep talk from the Dave Ramsey crowd. Chris is a great motivator that outlines as many cases of everyday millionaires that the reader could possibly want. Not heavy on actionable items but a great motivational book.
How to Engineer Your Layoff
FinancialSamurai
An interesting look at controlling your own layoff. The key here is that the author doesn’t recommend anything shady or unethical. It is merely a playbook on how to help your employer understand why they should let you go and pay you to leave. Very interesting insights. A very expensive book but worth the valuable insights!
Happy Money
Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton
Review coming soon!
How to Retire Early
Robert & Robin Charlton
Review coming soon!
I Was Broke, Now I’m Not
Joseph Sangl
This book and Total Money Makeover (TMM) by Dave Ramsey are very similar. This is just another take on getting out of debt and being intentional about your money. This book and TMM are great starting points to get your financial life on track. This book does have a bit more insight into investing when compared to TMM. Not too in depth but at least it is there.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Ramit Sethi
A very good basic structure for getting out of debt and to set yourself up for wealth. A different take on how to get out of debt compared to the Baby Steps from the Ramsey crew. Ramit’s writing style is very blunt and infused with humor. A good read and achievable path.
Love Your Life Not Thiers
Rachel Cruze
An examination of the fallacy of keeping up with the Jones’s. A recent book that looks into why we act the way we do with money and our external motivations. I especially appreciated her insights on social media and the dangers it can present.
Outwitting the Devil
Napoleon Hill
An interesting read that revolves around a conversation that the author has with the devil. The devil shows how he controls the weak minded by introducing “drift”, essentially the absence of independent thought. A good read for anyone one the path but having difficulty staying focused experiencing “drift”.
Raising Your Money Savvy Family for Next Generation Financial Independence
Carol Pittner and Doug Nordman
Very good book that breaks down money lessons at each age. I like reading specific chapters in this book as my kids get to that age. Really good ideas and cool stuff.
Set for Life
Scott Trench
Review coming soon!
Smart Money Smart Kids
Dave Ramsey, Rachel Cruze
A great book for the second generation and how to instill great financial values in your children. Lots of actionable tips and tricks that I am using today.
Stop Acting Rich…..and starting living like a real millionaire
Thomas Stanley
A more in-depth review of the minds of Millionaires. Another great read. A really great way to recenter your thoughts on what is really important vs what marketing has convinced us is important.
The Bogleheads Guide to Investing
John Bogle
A very easy read that outlines the positives of passive index investing. A good read that is a great compliment to JL Collins’ book.
The Millionaire Next Door
Thomas Stanley
RO GOLD! This is one of the first books I read on my journey and it changed my life. Read this book. Millionaires are everywhere and they didn’t get there by chance. Deliberate and steady progress will win out every time.
The Next Millionaire Next Door
Stanley and Fallaw
An updated version of The Millionaire Next Door. I read this book because the original was so transformative. A great read that provided more recent examples. Still the same great message.
The Richest Man in Babylon
George S. Clason
Sage advice provided to the reader in a very short and interesting read. This should be required reading in our education system. So simple, yet so powerful!
The Simple Path to Wealth
JL Colins
RO Required Reading! It can’t get any better than this! I was about to pay for an investing class as I was embarrassed about the lack of knowledge I had when it came to investing in the stock market. Then I found this book and I saw the light! The author outlines a strategy for his young daughter to follow, a daughter who doesn’t want to put a lot of effort into investing. Very powerful and short read.
The 4-Hour Workweek
Timothy Ferris
Review coming soon!
Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill
A great motivational book that challenges the reader to change their thought process. Over and over again the author sees that Rich people almost always believed in themselves and didnt seek outside approval to go after an opportunity. Have a goal and get it done, 100% focus.
Total Money Makeover
Dave Ramsey
This is the starting point for anyone in debt that is ready to change their situation. Dave doesn’t sugar coat anything and if you aren’t ready to commit to changing your habits don’t bother with this book. His strategies aren’t complicated, and they work. He is very light on the investing side but that really isn’t the point of his books, he focuses on eliminating debt and he is good at it.
Truth About Money
Ric Edelman
Review Coming Soon
Why does the Stock Market Go Up?
Brian Feroldi
Good short book on the stock market. Starts at a basic level and goes deep at the end. A very good book to read to understand that the market can and will crash. If you invest like I do this is your go to book to get you to a “safe place” when the market takes a nose dive.
What the Happiest Retirees Know
Wes Moss
A good book to consider when you get to the “what’s next phase”. If you are successful in saving money now what? How do you stay happy? A survey of happy and unhappy retirees and what they are doing that makes them that way. This should be required reading for all who are thinking about taking the leap to “retirement”.
RO’s Sales Reading List
In alphabetical order, the books I have read as a part of my professional sales career
Getting to Yes
Roger Fisher and William Ury
A step by step outline of getting to an agreement. A very useful strategy that works when the circumstances are correct. These strategies are useful in daily life as well.
High Impact Selling
William Brooks
A sales process outline with specific steps and stages. This was required reading when I first started selling and was/is utilized throughout my career/life.
How to Sell at Margins Higher than Your Competitors
William Brooks
Brilliant insight into why some products sell at full margin and why others are deeply discounted. Why don’t you negotiate on groceries……..expectations!
Negotiate This
Herb Cohen
More great stuff by Herb Cohen. Great insights into his personal negotiations and why he was able to get what he did. Entertaining and informative.
Service That Sells!
Jim Sullivan
A must read for anyone in the food service industry and especially restaurant owners. A few aspects applied to what I did in the sales world but a really insightful look into making good money as a waiter/waitress vs struggling to stay afloat.
The Speed of Trust
Stephen Covey
A very impactful book that explains that with establishing trust the sale isn’t going to happen. A game plan to get to Trust.
Value Added Selling
Tom Reilly
A sales technique book that focuses on selling value. What not to focus on and why selling value will result in outstanding margins and success. Easy to do when you have a great product, hard to do when your product is considered bottom tier.
What it Takes to be #1
Vince Lombardi, JR.
Insight into what it takes to be consistently #1 in what ever it is that you do. It isn’t easy and there are sacrifices that must be made. A great portrait of Mr. Lombardi and how he handled himself as a true leader.
You Can Negotiate Anything
Herb Cohen
I just enjoy Herb’s writing style. Basic negotiating tactics that focus on the needs of each party involved.