The most recommended books on investing

Who picked these books? Meet our 68 experts.

68 authors created a book list connected to investing, and here are their favorite investing books.
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Book cover of A Complete Guide To Volume Price Analysis

Alan Northcott Author Of Mastering Technical Analysis: Strategies and Tactics for Trading the Financial Markets

From my list on cracking the trading code.

Why am I passionate about this?

I came from a left-brained family, with my father a bank Forex manager and my mother in the tax office before motherhood. I've always been mathematically minded and went into mechanical engineering before my second career in trading and finance. But saying this sustains the fallacy that you have to have a head for numbers to trade. That is nothing like the truth, and I hope my last book pick shows that I have learnt and come a long way from my initial beliefs. Trading is anything but mathematical, mechanistic, or even natural, you have to study and learn new ways of thinking and doing, and you can only succeed if you are open to this.

Alan's book list on cracking the trading code

Alan Northcott Why did Alan love this book?

To say this book is a bargain is an understatement, as it is only $4.99 in Kindle format. For me, it fills in what may be overlooked by those who have a passing knowledge of technical analysis and only focus on the look of the charts, and that is the importance of volume, you know, the little bar at the bottom!

Volume is such a powerful indicator but is easily disregarded in the excitement of a dramatic price move. Yet it is the confirmation that what you are seeing is not just an apparition and will lead to the expected outcome. All traders should read this!

By Anna Coulling,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Complete Guide To Volume Price Analysis as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It was good enough for them
What do Charles Dow, Jesse Livermore, and Richard Ney have in common? They used volume and price to anticipate where the market was heading next, and so built their vast fortunes. For them, it was the ticker tape, for us it is the trading screen. The results are the same and can be for you too.
You can be lucky too
I make no bones about the fact I believe I was lucky in starting my own trading journey using volume. To me it just made sense. The logic was inescapable. And for me,…


Book cover of Margin of Safety: Risk-Averse Value Investing Strategies for the Thoughtful Investor

William J. Poorvu Author Of The Real Estate Game: The Intelligent Guide to Decisionmaking and Investment

From my list on real estate and wealth-building.

Why am I passionate about this?

Bill Poorvu is a successful real estate investor and developer who for 35 years headed the real estate program at Harvard Business School, where he taught several generations of students, many of whom went on to become industry leaders. He is also one of the founders of the Baupost Group, a Boston-based investment firm that is considered one of the savviest hedge funds in the world, with some $30 billion in assets under management.

William's book list on real estate and wealth-building

William J. Poorvu Why did William love this book?

If you are now in a position to invest your money broadly. Margin of Safety presents legendary investor Seth's Klarman's views on risk-adjusted investments in several asset classes, including real estate. He focuses on understanding the underlying values of a specific opportunity, and his consistent emphasis on taking the longer-term view is especially relevant to the property world. Now I will frustrate you by reporting that MOS is long out of print, and the used copies that are available online are...very, very expensive. If you can’t find it or afford it, look for Seth’s interviews on YouTube, and a short but interesting New Yorker interview.

By Seth A. Klarman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Margin of Safety as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Investors are all too often lured by the prospect of instant millions and fall prey to the many fads of Wall Street. The myriad approaches they adopt offer little or no real prospect for long-term success and invariably run the risk of considerable economic loss - they resemble speculation or outright gambling, not a coherent investment program. But value investing - the strategy of investing in securities trading at an appreciable discount from underlying value - has a long history - has a long history of delivering excellent investment results with limited downside risk. Taking its title from Benjamin Graham's…


Book cover of Trillions: How a Band of Wall Street Renegades Invented the Index Fund and Changed Finance Forever

Larry R. Frank Sr. Author Of Wealth Odyssey: The Essential Road Map for Your Financial Journey Where Is It You Are Really Trying to Go with Money?

From Larry's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Father Grandfather Business founder Planner and thinker Income and longevity researcher

Larry's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Larry R. Frank Sr. Why did Larry love this book?

I often wondered who and when indexed investing was invented. This work discusses the history of investing and how indexing came to be. Turns out there were many people working independently initially, just like many other inventions earlier in the 20th Century.

Who knew the latter half of the 20th Century saw technology as well as a lot of academics come to bear on making investing for people easier and less expensive. Out of all random events and experiences different players had, Vanguard and Dimensional were born.

I’m a history nut as well as being concerned about our personal finances. This work hit all cylinders on both those accounts. It’s important to understand history and where things come from to better understand how it properly applies to yourself.

By Robin Wigglesworth,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trillions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Best books of 2021, Financial Times

'Grab some popcorn and take a front row seat, because Robin Wigglesworth has an astonishing story to tell you' Tim Harford, author of How to Make the World Add Up

'A fascinating account of an investment revolution' Ian Fraser, Literary Review

'A magisterial, delightfully written history offering up portraits of the academic scribblers and entrepreneurial practitioners who created the index-fund revolution' The Wall Street Journal

'Wigglesworth has written an important book' Patrick Hosking, Financial Editor, The Times

'A terrific read' Gregory Zuckerman, author of The Man Who Solved the Market

'A fascinating journey and…


Book cover of Think Like a Breadwinner: A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less)

Ilise Benun Author Of The Creative Professional's Guide to Money: How to Think About It, How to Talk About it, How to Manage It

From my list on business books for creative professionals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have made it my business to teach basic business skills to creative professionals who should have learned them in school but, alas, did not because it’s not taught in school. This has for years perpetuated a “starving artist” mentality amongst creative professionals, who are naturally talented and could easily bring their creativity to the business side of their business, if only they knew how. That’s the mission I’m on with all of my work through marketing-mentor.com

Ilise's book list on business books for creative professionals

Ilise Benun Why did Ilise love this book?

Essential Skill #1 for Creatives: the breadwinner mindset

Creative professionals tend to be number-phobes and therefore believe they are doomed to be “starving artists.” That’s why, when I heard the title of Jennifer Barrett’s book, I knew I had to invite her to be a guest on my podcast. She writes clearly and simply about the “breadwinner” mindset. Plus, we share the belief that there is nothing more empowering than having in place the mindset, the money, and the marketing so you are free to walk away from any situation or client that isn’t a good fit. That’s the only way to bring your dream business to life.

By Jennifer Barrett,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Think Like a Breadwinner as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new kind of manifesto for the working woman, with practical guidance on building wealth as well as inspiration for harnessing the freedom and power that comes from a breadwinning mindset.

Women are now the main breadwinner in one-in-four households in the UK. Yet the majority of women still aren't being brought up to think like breadwinners. In fact, they're actively discouraged - by institutional bias and subconscious beliefs - from building their own wealth, pursuing their full earning potential, and providing for themselves and others financially. The result is that women earn less, owe more, and have significantly less…


Book cover of Buffettology

Dan Passarelli Author Of Trading Options Greeks: How Time, Volatility, and Other Pricing Factors Drive Profits

From Dan's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Musician Foodie World traveler Small dog lover Marathoner

Dan's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Dan Passarelli Why did Dan love this book?

This book laid out for me the system Warren Buffett and other great minds use to analyze investments.

I thought it was a great introduction that took me into being able to practically not just think about how to analyze investment opportunities but to actually do it—to actually use the information I gleaned from the book. One of the big picture takeaways was to think of a stock as if it is a bond.

I learned a ton from this book. It truly opened up new doors in my mind to how I think about investments in general.

By Mary Buffett, David Clark,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Buffettology as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here at last is a book that reveals what the public really wants to know about this legendary investor: how he determines where he puts his money. From a team with privileged insight, Mary Buffett, a savvy CEO and Warren Buffett's former daughter-in-law, and David Clark, a successful portfolio analyst, comes Buffettology, the most detailed explanation ever of the billionaire's unique investment techniques. Using Warren Buffett's system to access a company's potential economic excellence and the right price to pay for its stock, Buffettology demonstrates the actual mathematical models and equations, revolving around three variables: the yearly per share earnings…


Book cover of Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most

Wanda T. Wallace Author Of You Can't Know It All: Leading in the Age of Deep Expertise

From my list on getting out of your comfort zone.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about helping people have the kinds of opportunities they want to have in their careers. I coach, teach, speak and write on how to do exactly that. The secret – it almost always involves getting out of your comfort zone, doing something that is a bit scary to you and that shakes your confidence a bit. However, you never want to be sitting alone trying to achieve something all by yourself. It takes a village to succeed. The art comes in knowing how to ask, getting over your fear of being vulnerable, building trust, knowing how to persuade each person you need, and much more. This is my life’s work. 

Wanda's book list on getting out of your comfort zone

Wanda T. Wallace Why did Wanda love this book?

This book inspired me personally and it has changed how I coach people to think about managing their stress and building their resilience. Especially as you step out of your comfort zone and lead in a new way, in a new area, stress will be high. Cassie’s research clearly shows that what we need to manage stress, to feel good about our lives as a whole, and to be our best self as a leader isn’t as hard as you think. The secret is 2 hours of time each day doing things you enjoy – work included.  

By Cassie Holmes,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Happier Hour as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Learn how to reframe your time around life’s happiest moments to build days that aren’t just full but fulfilling with this “joyful guide” (Eve Rodsky, New York Times bestselling author) that is the antidote to overscheduling.

Our most precious resource isn’t money. It’s time. We are allotted just twenty-four hours a day, and we live in a culture that keeps us feeling “time poor.” Since we can’t add more hours to the day, how can we experience our lives as richer?

Based on her wildly popular MBA class at UCLA, Professor Cassie Holmes demonstrates how to immediately improve our lives…


Book cover of Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth

Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez Author Of Overcoming Debt, Achieving Financial Freedom: 8 Pillars to Build Wealth

From my list on starting your journey to financial freedom.

Why am I passionate about this?

I graduated law school in 2015 with over $200,000 of debt. As the daughter of immigrants, born and raised in a low-income community in the Bronx, I was overwhelmed by how little I knew about money. I turned to books to build healthy money management habits, improve my credit, and, importantly, pay down my debt. I have since read dozens of personal finance books, built a community of over 60,000 on social media, and spoken to audiences nationwide about personal finance. Given the impact that books have had on my journey, I wrote my own from the perspective of a first-generation Latina that went from six figures of debt to a six-figure net worth. 

Cindy's book list on starting your journey to financial freedom

Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez Why did Cindy love this book?

When I started my financial freedom journey, I discovered the Clever Girl Finance platform and gained great value from their blog posts and resources. When their book was released, I immediately picked it up because I needed guidance and encouragement in my journey to pay off over $200,000 of debt. This book provides actionable tips on how to create a debt freedom plan and, importantly, how to stick to the plan. I appreciated its balanced approach, which emphasized rewarding yourself (even in small ways) during the journey and managing your debt-free goals alongside your other financial goals. 

By Bola Sokunbi,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Clever Girl Finance as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Take charge of your finances and achieve financial independence - the Clever Girl way

Join the ranks of thousands of smart and savvy women who have turned to money expert and author Bola Sokunbi for guidance on ditching debt, saving money, and building real wealth. Sokunbi, the force behind the hugely popular Clever Girl Finance website, draws on her personal money mistakes and financial redemption to educate and empower a new generation of women on their journey to financial freedom. Lighthearted and accessible, Clever Girl Finance encourages women to talk about money and financial wellness and shows them how to…


Book cover of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor

Mark Varder Author Of It's Not about How Smart You Can Be. It's about How Wealthy You Can Be.: Make the Most of the Market

From my list on for first-time investors in the stock market.

Why am I passionate about this?

Investing in the share market appears to be a bewildering, constantly shifting, extremely noisy, and busy world – one best left to the experts. Fortunes can be made but, equally, fortunes can be lost – with devastating results for those on the receiving end. And yet there are a few, simple, timeless principles to investing in the market successfully – and, ironically, those principles – known collectively as index or passive investing – will be more successful than all the noisy, busy stuff put out by the industry. In writing our book, this is what we would like as many people as possible to know. It’s not about being smart.  

Mark's book list on for first-time investors in the stock market

Mark Varder Why did Mark love this book?

This is a slim, to-the-point, easily understood book based on the same principles as the well-known book on writing, The Elements of Style. With its five chapters, it is the opposite of the highly complex, bewildering, we-know-more-than-you communication put out on a daily basis by the investment industry. Its wisdom is timeless. It’s all that a first-time investor needs to know.

By Burton G. Malkiel, Charles D. Ellis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Elements of Investing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Seize control of your financial future with rock-solid advice from two of the world's leading investment experts

Investors today are bombarded with conflicting advice about how to handle the increasingly volatile stock market. From pronouncements of the "death of diversification" to the supposed virtues of crypto, investors can be forgiven for being thoroughly confused.

It's time to return to the basics. In the 10th Anniversary Edition of The Elements of Investing: Easy Lessons for Every Investor, investment legends Burton G. Malkiel and Charles D. Ellis deliver straightforward, digestible lessons in the investment rules and principles you need to follow to…


Book cover of Quality Investing: Owning the Best Companies for the Long Term

Christopher W. Mayer Author Of 100 Baggers: Stocks That Return 100-to-1 and How To Find Them

From my list on finding big winners in the Stock Market.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been investing in markets for nearly 30 years. I remember first being interested in the stock market after the 1987 crash. I read everything I could about Warren Buffett. And went on to study finance in college finishing magna cum laude (and later earned my MBA). I started my professional career as a commercial banker in the early 1990s. Then, I started my own investment newsletter in 2004 and compiled a strong track record over the next 12 years, wrote four books, and traveled all over the world in search of great investment ideas. I’ve appeared as a guest on TV and radio shows, as well as numerous podcasts. In 2019, I co-founded Woodlock House Family Capital where I currently manage a portfolio of global investments.

Christopher's book list on finding big winners in the Stock Market

Christopher W. Mayer Why did Christopher love this book?

If you want to own stocks for a long time to go after those 100 baggers, you’ll need to own quality assets that you don’t need to trade frequently. This book will give you an important framework for how to evaluate business quality. There are good discussions here on competitive advantages, pricing power, industry structure, and brand strength, among other things. The book has plenty of examples and is not long or hard to read.

By Lawrence A. Cunningham, Torkell T. Eide, Patrick Hargreaves

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Quality Investing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Quality. We all make judgments about it every day. Yet articulating a clear definition of quality in an investing context is challenging. This book addresses the challenge, and distills years of practical investing experience into a definitive account of this under-explored investment philosophy. Finance theory has it that abnormal outcomes do not persist, that exceptional performance will soon enough become average performance. Quality investing involves seeking companies with the right attributes to overcome these forces of mean reversion and, crucially, owning these outstanding companies for the long term. This book pinpoints and explains the characteristics that increase the probability of…


Book cover of Candlestick Charting for Dummies

Ann C. Logue Author Of Day Trading for Dummies

From my list on for beginning traders.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been fascinated with money and investing. Trading is but one segment of the market, but it’s one that creates a lot of drama and excitement that draws people in—and that creates great stories. I also want people to do their research before they trade, because so many people lose money. Preparation, discipline, and strategy improve the odds of success. I’m a long-time financial author and consulting analyst. I have an MBA and am a CFA charter holder, the whole bit, and want to make financial information more accessible. There are a lot of people with a vested interest in making things more complicated than they need to be.

Ann's book list on for beginning traders

Ann C. Logue Why did Ann love this book?

Great trades come from market analysis, not hot tips on Reddit. Candlestick charts contain an enormous amount of information about market trends and activity. Learning charting takes some time, and this book is a great start. Whatever system you decide to follow, make notes of your trades. Plan them out, then note what worked and what didn’t. 

By Russell Rhoads,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Candlestick Charting for Dummies as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Want to gain a trading edge with candlestick charts? Find them a little confusing? No worries! Candlestick Charting For Dummies sheds light on this time-tested method for finding the perfect moment to buy or sell. It demystifies technical and chart analysis and gives you the tools you need to identify trading patterns - and pounce! This friendly, practical, guide explains candlestick charting and technical analysis in plain English. In no time, you'll be working with common candlestick patterns, analyzing trading patterns, predicting market behavior, and making your smartest trades ever. You'll discover the advantages candlestick has over other charting methods…