The best personal finance books for women

Get Good with Money has all the practical advice you need to start tracking your spending, reducing your debt, saving, and (eventually) building your wealth. What sets it apart is the tone. Aliche, a former preschool teacher, has both personal experience with financial stress and the clear voice that comes from time in a classroom with young kids. When you read this book, you feel as if you are having a talk with a friend, not a stern judge or an out-of-reach educator. It is also very methodical and well thought out, and the structure makes it easy for you to notice and appreciate your progress.

I have recommended Clever Girl Finance to several of my coaching clients, and every one of them has reported that they found it very helpful—perhaps because Sukunbi starts by inviting readers to let go of past mistakes. (Regret is a frequent companion of financial anxiety.) Sukunbi is a wonderful storyteller, and she does a great job of breaking down financial concepts to make them clearer and more accessible. The book helps readers master concepts that build upon each other, and as such it is especially useful for women who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of taking charge of their money. 

Emotional Currency was the first book I read when I started making my way through the literature on women and money, and it has stayed with me. Levinson is a therapist, and her training shows through—not with jargon, but with her approach. She offers exercises that are equal parts psychological and financial, which is a gentle and affirming way of inviting readers anxious about their money lives to start digging in. Most of this book is, as the title suggests, about improving our emotional relationship to money, but really, isn’t that a necessary first step for all of us? Happily, Levinson mixes in practical/tactical advice and suggestions as well.  

This is not, strictly speaking, a book about personal finance. But for women who beat themselves up emotionally about the state of their finances, Self-Compassion is truly powerful. Blending exercises, research insights, and well-told stories, Neff helps readers notice and transform how they treat themselves when it comes to touchy subjects like money. Finances can be an emotional minefield, but Neff’s self-compassion practices can help anyone approach the topic from a place of greater calm—thereby increasing their chance of achieving positive change. I use Neff’s teachings in my daily life and my work, and I have recommended this book to clients, friends, and family members with equal success.

As a financial coach, I have met many women who feel alone with their financial challenges, or unable to talk openly about their finances. Women With Money includes the voices of women Chatzky interviewed about their money challenges and goals, and their comments help to humanize the subject. Chatzky’s discussion of our money beliefs is very solid, as is her advice about putting our money to work. Some topics, like investing in real estate, won’t be applicable to all readers, at least not right away. But overall, Chatzky, a longtime personal finance journalist, deftly communicates core personal finance topics in a clear and accessible way.