The best books about investing in yourself

Why am I passionate about this?

As the Chief Executive Officer of Northeast Private Client Group, a national financial planning and wealth management firm, Mark B. Murphy is a highly sought-after key business strategist and critical thinker. He is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs to achieve multigenerational wealth by providing personalized strategies that focus on emotional fitness, wealth accumulation, and a plan that can work under all circumstances. Mark's expertise in strategic planning and financial engineering has benefited a diverse range of clients, including closely held businesses, mid-size companies, celebrities, athletes, hedge fund managers, doctors, dentists, and other high-net-worth individuals. His unwavering commitment to delivering a "wow" experience has earned him a reputation as a trusted expert in the industry.


I wrote...

The Ultimate Investment: A Roadmap to Grow Your Business and Build Multigenerational Wealth

By Mark B. Murphy,

Book cover of The Ultimate Investment: A Roadmap to Grow Your Business and Build Multigenerational Wealth

What is my book about?

For years, Mark B. Murphy has commanded large audiences, informing them of the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, garnering wealth, and growing it for the benefit of generational progeny. After sharing the same advice on repeat with different people across nearly every sector and industry, he decided to consolidate his best practices in this book.

He unveils the key attributes of entrepreneurship and creating a winning culture, how leadership and emotional fitness play key roles in success, and how to avoid the pitfall of feeding your lifestyle before your investment portfolio. This book doles out Murphy’s tried and tested guidance and tips to top-tier clients, helping entrepreneurs mature into true business experts and lending a game plan to anyone who is eager to adopt an achievable wealth strategy for the future.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

Mark B. Murphy Why did I love this book?

This book is a fascinating exploration of the hidden side of economics, revealing the surprising and sometimes counterintuitive ways in which incentives and data shape our world.

Reading it challenged my assumptions about how society works and provided me with a new lens through which to view the world. Levitt's writing is accessible and engaging, making complex ideas easy to understand and apply to everyday life.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of economics and gain a deeper understanding of how incentives drive decision-making.

By Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The legendary bestseller that made millions look at the world in a radically different way returns in a new edition, now including an exclusive discussion between the authors and bestselling professor of psychology Angela Duckworth.

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? Which should be feared more: snakes or french fries? Why do sumo wrestlers cheat? In this groundbreaking book, leading economist Steven Levitt—Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and winner of the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark medal for the economist under 40 who has made the greatest contribution to the discipline—reveals that…


Book cover of Outliers: The Story of Success

Mark B. Murphy Why did I love this book?

This book is a thought-provoking examination of success and achievement, revealing the factors that contribute to extraordinary success.

Gladwell argues that success is not solely the result of individual talent and effort, but also depends on a range of external factors such as culture, family background, and opportunity. His insights into the 10,000-hour rule and the importance of deliberate practice have motivated me to pursue my own goals with renewed vigor.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking inspiration and practical advice on how to achieve their full potential.

By Malcolm Gladwell,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

In the past decade, Malcolm Gladwell has written three books that have radically changed how we understand our world and ourselves: The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers. Regarded by many as the most gifted and influential author and journalist in America today, Gladwell has the rare ability to connect with audiences of tremendously varied interests. There are over 10 million copies of his books in print. Now, Gladwell's landmark investigations into the world around us are collected together for the first time. Beautifully repackaged and redesigned, with newly added illustrations throughout each book, COLLECTED is a perfect treasury of prose…


Book cover of Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork

Mark B. Murphy Why did I love this book?

This book is a game-changer for anyone seeking to improve their productivity and creativity.

By shifting the focus from "how" to "who," Sullivan and Hardy argue that we can leverage the skills and expertise of others to achieve greater success. The book is filled with practical tips and strategies for collaborating effectively, building strong relationships, and achieving more with less effort.

I highly recommend this book to entrepreneurs, business leaders, and anyone seeking to improve their creative thinking and problem-solving skills.

By Dan Sullivan, Benjamin Hardy,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Who Not How as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Make a mindset shift that will open the door to incredible growth and limitless possibility in your business and your life - just by asking the right question.

What if everything you did was your choice, including how you spend your time, how much money you make, with whom you have relationships and only doing work that aligns with your purpose? Sound hard? It's as simple as changing the core question you ask yourself.

When you want to accomplish something, stop asking, 'How can I do this?' Legendary entrepreneur coach Dan Sullivan teaches you to ask instead, 'Who can do…


Book cover of The Fortune Recipe: Essential Ingredients for Creating Your Best Life

Mark B. Murphy Why did I love this book?

This book is a powerful guide to creating a fulfilling and satisfying life.

Stoltz draws on his years of experience as a coach and mentor to provide readers with practical tools and strategies for achieving their goals and realizing their full potential. His insights into the power of positive thinking, the importance of setting goals, and the value of taking risks have inspired me to pursue my dreams with greater confidence and determination.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to improve their outlook on life and create a better future for themselves.

By Bernie Stoltz,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Is there really a recipe for success and happiness?

Bernie Stoltz has been leading companies and advising top business executives for more than four decades. The Fortune Recipe draws on the full wealth of that experience, giving you all the tools you need to create a rich, fulfilling life.

No matter what goals you're pursuing, both personally and professionally, there is a proven formula to get there. The Fortune Recipe will help you make your own unique life the best it can be, laying out the essential life lessons, strategies, and effective behaviors that have proven effective in one life…


Book cover of Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

Mark B. Murphy Why did I love this book?

This book is an invaluable resource for business leaders seeking to improve their organizational effectiveness and achieve greater success.

Wickman provides a comprehensive framework for strengthening the six key components of any business, including vision, people, data, issues, process, and traction. His practical advice on hiring, delegation, goal setting, and accountability has helped me to become a more effective leader and grow my business.

I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to take their business to the next level and achieve their full potential.

By Gino Wickman,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Do you have a grip on your business, or does your business have a grip on you? All entrepreneurs and business leaders face similar frustrations--personnel conflict, profit woes, and inadequate growth. Decisions never seem to get made, or, once made, fail to be properly implemented. But there is a solution. It's not complicated or theoretical.The Entrepreneurial Operating System(R) is a practical method for achieving the business success you have always envisioned. More than 2,000 companies have discovered what EOS can do. In Traction, you'll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You'll discover simple yet…


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Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Rebecca Wellington Author Of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am adopted. For most of my life, I didn’t identify as adopted. I shoved that away because of the shame I felt about being adopted and not truly fitting into my family. But then two things happened: I had my own biological children, the only two people I know to date to whom I am biologically related, and then shortly after my second daughter was born, my older sister, also an adoptee, died of a drug overdose. These sequential births and death put my life on a new trajectory, and I started writing, out of grief, the history of adoption and motherhood in America. 

Rebecca's book list on straight up, real memoirs on motherhood and adoption

What is my book about?

I grew up thinking that being adopted didn’t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women’s reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, I am uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption.

The history of adoption, reframed through the voices of adoptees like me, and mothers who have been forced to relinquish their babies, blows apart old narratives about adoption, exposing the fallacy that adoption is always good.

In this story, I reckon with the pain and unanswered questions of my own experience and explore broader issues surrounding adoption in the United States, including changing legal policies, sterilization, and compulsory relinquishment programs, forced assimilation of babies of color and Indigenous babies adopted into white families, and other liabilities affecting women, mothers, and children. Now is the moment we must all hear these stories.

Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

By Rebecca Wellington,

What is this book about?

Nearly every person in the United States is affected by adoption. Adoption practices are woven into the fabric of American society and reflect how our nation values human beings, particularly mothers. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over women's reproductive rights places an even greater emphasis on adoption. As a mother, historian, and adoptee, Rebecca C. Wellington is uniquely qualified to uncover the policies and practices of adoption. Wellington's timely-and deeply researched-account amplifies previously marginalized voices and exposes the social and racial biases embedded in the United States' adoption industry.…


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