Four books that will change the way you think about money
Getting to grips with your finances doesn't have to be daunting. Here are a selection of books to add to your reading list to change the way you think about money.
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Books that will actually change your attitude to money aren’t boring.
Funnily enough, we’d say if they impact your behaviour or thinking, they’re a good investment. If you’re here for tips on “living your best life”, we’d go as far as to say you’ll find them enjoyable.
And if you (or maybe your children) do find reading about personal finances painful, you can take our word for it that these get to the point. They’re all jargon-free, suitable for beginners and pretty quick reads.
They might even make money less of a subject to fear.
1. Iona Bain’s Spare Change: Better Ways to Manage Money
Iona Bain is a freelance journalist and founder of The Young Money Blog. She started the blog, focused purely on young people’s finances, in 2011.
You might have seen Iona on the news or heard her on the radio (e.g. Late Night Woman’s Hour) if you’ve not read one of her articles.
Her first book – Spare Change: Better Ways to Manage Money – was published in 2016 and she’s working on another.
We love the fact the book includes quizzes and checklists.
As well as offering practical advice on saving money, housing and money in relationships, Iona tackles how to socialise on a budget. Being money-savvy doesn’t mean turning into a hermit!
Read more: Young money blogger Iona Bain: Five rules for young investors
2. Marianne Power’s Help Me! One Woman’s Quest to Find Out if Self-help Really Can Change Her Life
Marianne Power is not a personal finance writer, and this is not a money book. It includes two chapters on money and certainly makes you think, though.
The freelance journalist and former features editor, who has been described as “the Bridget Jones of self-improvement”, recounts a year of living according to self-help books. Offers to turn it into a Netflix-style TV series have apparently been piling up on the table.
Power wracked up £15,000 of debt on blowouts and designer clothes after landing a top job. The “self-help junkie” then tries everything from a month of “Rejection Therapy” to a weeklong “F**k It retreat” for some soul-searching in the sun. The two books she reads that are more specifically focused on money are Money, A Love Story (Kate Northrup) and The Secret (Rhonda Byrne).
The former sees her thinking back to her earliest money memories, while The Secret leads her to download a blank cheque for £100,000 from “the Universe”. It might seem silly, but there’s something to be said for thinking about where our attitudes to money come from as well as for visualising our goals.
We love how Marianne’s writing is both funny and thought-provoking.
3. Emilie Bellet’s You’re Not Broke, You’re Pre-rich
Emilie Bellet is the founder of Vestpod, which runs investing workshops and events in the UK.
Previously in private equity and tech, she was inspired to start the business after she met a financial adviser who asked patronisingly: “Where is your husband?”.
It was her “first real money conversation”. She notes that financial advisers are not all bad, but her experience led to her creating a digital platform designed to empower women financially.
She realised she’d never had any formal financial education before and wanted to “break the taboo” around money.
Her book has no-nonsense tips on topics from understanding where you are with your money to how the stock market works. We like that it includes “Action” spaces for readers to fill in their goals.
4. Laura Whateley’s Money: A User’s Guide
Laura Whateley is a journalist and author of an agony aunt column for Monzo Bank. She writes about money, property and affordable travel, including columns on millennial money topics in The Times and Grazia.
We love that she is refreshingly honest on the topic of personal finances.
As she wrote in her article My money mistakes for MoneyLens:
“Since I wrote a book about how to better manage money as a millennial, I’m frequently asked about my own finances and one question in particular. Have you always been good with money? The assumption is that I am now, but the honest answer is, it is still and will probably always be a work in progress”.
Money: A User’s Guide is a practical handbook on all things personal finances aimed at the under 40s. It includes chapters on student loans, money and mental health and money and love.
View the original article on MoneyLens. MoneyLens is a website aimed at helping millennials manage their money.
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