Ready to Take Charge of Your Money? Here Are The Only 4 Books You Need.
Here’s the thing. I am not a millionaire. By many standards, I’m just your average girl, financially speaking. I grew up in a middle-income family. Both of my parents worked. I completely paid my own way through college. I worked minimum wage jobs in high school. (Note: I realize that saying this is “average” or “normal” comes from a place of privilege in its own right—I started out with sooooo much more than many people do.) But my point here is that I was raised to be financially independent and support myself. I don’t have a big fancy inheritance or anything of the sort. I’m just a girl with a normal job who seems to have figured out a few financial things in her mid-twenties. My husband and I have tens of thousands of dollars in savings, we bought a house at ages 23 and 25, we contribute a large percentage of our incomes to retirement, we travel often…and still have some money leftover.
But it wasn’t always like this. I used to spend money as soon as it hit my account, felt like I was “guessing” whenever I swiped my debit card, and had ZERO clue about investing, saving, and building wealth. Until i read these books.
Without further ado, here are the 4 financial books every woman needs to read. Like, yesterday.
Okayyyyy SO. Why am I writing about money on a self-care blog? Welp. I was browsing what my most popular blog posts ever were, and I was SHOCKED to see that the “Millennial’s Guide to Saving for a Down Payment (….or a wedding… or travel… orrrrr)” was my 2nd most viewed blog post. Ever. Out of alllll the health topics and recipes and natural skincare, I was surprised to see a financial topic towards the top. Now, don’t get me wrong—I personally looooove talking about money and abundance, but I just didn’t know that you guys did! Not to mention, I really really really consider taking responsibility for your finances as one of the ultimate forms of self-care. You can’t fully take care of yourself if you don’t fully have a grip on yo’ dollahs. Sooooo all of that to say, I wanted to give you guys some more money resources!
I’m by no means an accountant or a New York Stock Exchange expert—which is why I think you’ll like this money advice. I’m just a normal gal with a normal paycheck—trying to use my money to LIVE my life and and invest in the things that matter. And I have used pretty much only books to teach me everything I know about money (truly). I hope this post inspires you to assess your finances, prioritize your spending, and START SAVING. Your dream financial life can be a reality—it just requires you taking the first step. You’ve got this, girlfriend!
#1: i will teach you to be rich
This. book. WOW. This is “money 101,” but also soooo elevated. How to save, how to invest, which credit cards to get, what to look for in a bank. It somehow manages to cover the basics but give you “aha!” moments throughout the whole thing. Practical, hands-on, and reads sooooo easily. There are LOL moments in here and it is written in a very straightforward and “oh! I actually understand this” kind of way. It is a 6-week program that *actually* works towards building wealth. If you couldn’t tell, I highly highly highly recommend this one.
#2: you are a badass at making money
Okay, while the other 3 books on this list are REALLY tangible, this one is more about your money mindset— shifting your money attitude from one of scarcity to one of abundance and joy. If you have more interest in manifesting wealth or cultivating an abundance mindset with money, you have to read the book You Are a Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero. It is hilarious, powerful, and truuuuuly transformed my money mindset. This book is also laugh out loud funny (actually), but with TANGIBLE skills to manifesting wealth and spending intentionally with JOY. Sooooo much of money is working on your mindset, and this book is the how-to guide of how to attract money and uplevel your relationship with it. While this is technically less concrete and action-focused than the other books, I still find it very important. Because who cares if you are saving 75% of your income if you are still constant stressed and unhappy with your finances???? If you are wanting to view money from a place of joy and abundance instead of stress and worry, this is for you. Worth every bit of hype—pinky promise.
#3: smart women finish rich
Written by financial advisor David Bach, this book is a financial how-to written FOR. WOMEN. *praise hands* I have listened to soooo many podcasts with this guy, and finally got his book. And it DELIVERED. This book shows allllll women how how to take control of their financial future and finish rich. Bach’s nine-step program gives you tools for spending wisely, establishing security, and aligning money with your values. (SEE ALSO: “Smart Couples Finish Rich.” I’ve read both of these and they are both amazing! Similar principles, but different viewpoints.) This is a simple, straightforward, get-your-crap-together, inspiration kind of book.
#4: dave ramsey’s complete guide to money
Okay, okay—the other three books are all kind of unique, but I had to throw in a classic. You may roll your eyes, but Dave Ramsey can be a phenom place to start with your finances. While I think some of his methods are a bit outdated and too rigid, I personally found SO much value in some of his foundational approaches (his baby step roadmap, emergency fund, etc.). While we don’t necessarily agree with everything that he says, Adam and I just pick and choose and modify what works for us—and I truly do this Dave Ramsey’s teachings did help us get our foundation of money in check. Adam and I took his financial course when we first got married (Adam’s parents bought for us as a gift! Suuuuch an amazing thing to receive!) and this book came with it. Personally, I liked the book A LOT. I didn’t really see it as a companion to the course, but almost a replacement. It is super in-depth and concrete and gives you all the Dave Ramsey basics! Again, Dave isn’t for everyone— personally, I strongly agree with some of his teachings and strongly disagree with others, but I can’t deny that there are some solid BASIC finance foundational principles in this book that have truly impacted our financial life.
#5: bonus! not a book, but…
This is my best-kept financial secret. Okay, so the books are phenomenal to tell you WHAT to do with your money, but if you’re wondering HOW you actually save money…this is for you. I found this savings app over 3 years ago and it was GAME CHANGING for my finances—let’s just say we used it to save all the money for our wedding, our down payment, my grad school, our travels… Yup. Everything.
Qapital is an app that allows you to set personalized, specific money goals and the app automatically starts saving your money for you. SAY WHAAA? Chances are you’ve heard me ramble about this app before but it’s just that good. I went from having quite literally $0 in savings to thousands in just a few months…without even really thinking about it.
HOW IT WORKS: Once you download the app, it links to your traditional bank (I use Wells Fargo), and then the app automatically saves for you! My favorite part is that you don’t just have a generic savings account—you customize what you’re saving for (ex: Hawaii plane tickets, student loans, North Face winter coat, wedding dress, etc.), set the amount of money you want to save for that goal, and customize how you would like to save towards it.
Thennnn (DRUMROLL), the app will automatically start saving from your bank account and you just sit back and watch your money pile growwww. :)
That’s it! It’s sooo simple and you can pause the savings at any time if money is tight for you. There is a low cost per month (like $3) to use the app, but alllll the money you effortlessly save pays for itself in a second. I am three years into using this app (do I sound hipster???) but it truly is WILD how quickly the money adds up—if I could only have one app on my phone, this would be it. Seriously I can’t wait for you to try it!
The best part? If you set up your account now with this link you get anywhere from $5 to $20 fo’ free in your Qapital account. (They change the bonus sign-on gift alllll the time but you’ll at LEAST get $5 if you use my “refer a friend” link!)
you in?
the foundation blog “let’s get my $h!t together” financial starter pack:
to sum it allllll up…
Here’s the thing about wealth. Ya gotta manifest, wish it, want it, PLAN for it. Your dream financial life isn’t going to materialize out of thin air, friend! Here’s the magic pearl you have to realize: buying a house, paying off your loans, backpacking through Europe, having your dream wedding, isn’t going to magically pay for itself. It’s up to YOU to take charge of your finances.
Now, please keep in mind—I do not mean every detail of your finances needs to be perfect. That’s not the message at all! But I do encourage you to take one small step. I believe that every little decision cumulates into creating your dream life. Just one thing at a time—creating a budget, investing in a few financial books, cutting costs, saving money…(if nothing else, I recommend taking your first step by getting “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” and the Qapital app. THE best place to start). I urge you to take a deep breath, put it all into perspective, and remind yourself that it’s all just one mini step at a time. Just do the next right thing.
If you want to pay off your debt in 5 years, take the first step. If you want to backpack through Europe next summer, take the first step. If you’re dreaming of retiring early and achieving financial freedom, take the first step. I urge you to take this moment to pause and reflect and dream of your richest, most abundant life…write a list of the things you dream for your wealth and feel it. Where will you live? What does your dream house look like? Where would you travel? What would you do with all the surplus money? Annnnd now, plan for it. If you don’t take the time to learn about your finances—it simply isn’t going to happen. And these books are the perfect place to start. *drops mic *
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