Investor and fund manager Guy Spier told Yahoo Finance, “I’m quite certain both the quality and the volume of my reading will have an enormous impact on my returns (and more generally on my success in life).”
The world’s most well-known leaders understand that reading is the key to constant growth and constant growth is critical for remaining successful long-term. Warren Buffett famously reads 500 pages daily, while Todd Combs, a protégé of Buffett, reads 600 or 700 pages. Similarly, Mark Cuban spends three hours reading each day, and Bill Gates reads 50 books yearly.
To become the best investor you can be, it’s essential to build a habit of reading advice from the top experts. The books on this list cover topics like why you should invest, how to choose successful investments, and how to invest in alignment with your values.
Here are the best investing books to read to expand your knowledge and build greater wealth:
The Top 8 Best Investing Books to Read to Grow Your Net Worth
- 7 Secrets to Investing Like Warren Buffet
- Patient Capital: The Challenges and Promises of Long-Term Investing
- The Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School
- Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing
- The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing
- Rich Dad Poor Dad
- Beating the Street
- Investment Gurus
1. 7 Secrets to Investing Like Warren Buffett by Mary Buffett and Sean Seah
“Remember, Rome was not built in a day. You can adopt sustainable and consistent actions that help you achieve your goals. Although results do not materialize overnight, the good news is that as you start to adopt good habits, you will be rewarded with small achievements. The key is to be disciplined and persistent.”
Mary Buffett
Pages: 240
Publication year: 2019
Overview: There’s no one more widely respected and admired in the investing world than Warren Buffet. As a billionaire investor and philanthropist, Buffett has a wealth of knowledge that younger investors can learn from. In 7 Secrets to Investing Like Warren Buffet, Buffet’s daughter-in-law Mary Buffett shares her first-hand knowledge of her father-in-law’s strategies, techniques, and habits that contributed to his success.
This is one of the best investing books for beginners because it provides readers with a step-by-step guide to assessing and buying stocks. But seasoned investors can also benefit from advice on building habits and soft skills that benefit both your life and your investments.
2. Patient Capital: The Challenges and Promises of Long-Term Investing by Victoria Ivashina and Josh Lerner
“Intuitively, the appeal of investing in the long term is clear. History is full of examples of savvy investors who went ‘against the grain’ and enjoyed fabulous returns as a result. John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s investments in Tokyo real estate beginning in 1946, Warren Buffett’s investments after the purchase of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, and Charlie Lea’s decision to support Federal Express through a half dozen rounds of disappointments and earnings shortfalls have been justly celebrated.”
Victoria Ivashina
Pages: 264
Publication year: 2019
Overview: Harvard Business School professors Victoria Ivashina and Josh Lerner explain how long-term investing is a major benefit to society. The authors suggest many issues facing the world today (like environmental damage, decaying infrastructure, and national security) that present economic opportunities to investors. Each of these problems presents challenges that do not have easy solutions. Ivashina and Lerner explore how investors who are willing to be patient can aid with some of these problems while also seeing positive returns.
3. The Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School by Andrew Hallam
“Many have jeopardized their own pursuit of wealth or financial independence for the allusion of looking wealthy instead of being wealthy.”
Andrew Hallam
Pages: 208
Publication year: 2011
Overview: While many believe you need a high income to build wealth, Andrew Hallam explains in The Millionaire Teacher how he built a million-dollar investment portfolio as a high school teacher. Anyone who feels building wealth is out of reach because they don’t come from a wealthy background can benefit from Hallam’s investing knowledge and experience.
Hallam uses humorous storytelling and his background as an educator to keep readers engaged while they learn the basics of beginning investing and personal finance. This is one of the best stock market beginner books because it is easy to understand and fun to read.
4. Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing by Larry E. Swedroe and Samuel C. Adams
“It is our hope that this book will provide not just a how-to guide to invest for sustainability, but that it will impress upon you the role you play in capital markets. Capitalism, after all, shapes our world, and investor choices matter. With a bit of care and intention, you can choose how your money impacts the world.”
Samuel C. Adams
Pages: 244
Publication year: 2022
Overview: Words like impact investing, sustainable investing, socially responsible investing (SRI), and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) investing are growing in popularity among investors who want to be sure they’re supporting organizations that are in alignment with their values. Because of the popularity of values-based investing, many organizations and funds market themselves with these terms, so investors should know exactly what they mean and how their money is being used.
In Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing, Swedroe and Adams explore what all these terms mean and how investors can be sure their investments are truly supporting the causes they believe in. The authors also help readers determine how they can support the causes they believe in without sacrificing investment returns.
5. The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham
“Invest only if you would be comfortable owning a stock even if you had no way of knowing its daily share price.”
Benjamin Graham
Pages: 640
Publication year: 1949
Overview: For over seventy years, The Intelligent Investor has acted as the primary guidebook for value investing, the practice of buying high-quality assets while they are undervalued. Author Benjamin Graham was the first to advocate for value investing in the early 20th century. The philosophies Graham shares in The Intelligent Investor influenced Warren Buffett, who knew Graham personally and considered him a great mentor. Readers who want to be mentored by Buffett’s mentor himself can get that mentorship from this classic investment book.
Buffett believed Graham paved the way for future generations and that his influence on the investment world would be long-lasting. He said, “Walter Lippman spoke of men who plant trees that other men will sit under. Ben Graham was such a man.”
6. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
“Rich people acquire assets. The poor and middle class acquire liabilities that they think are assets.”
Robert T. Kiyosaki
Pages: 336
Publication year: 1997
Overview: In Rich Dad Poor Dad, Kiyosaki describes his experience watching his own father and his best friend’s father make financial decisions. He emphasizes how a “rich dad” (his friend’s father) made smart financial choices and invested his money to build wealth. In contrast, his father made short-term financial choices and spent the money he made rather than saving and investing.
Kiyosaki explains that investment choices and personal finance strategies make the difference between a rich dad and a poor dad. According to Kiyosaki, your salary, job, or background are much less significant.
7. Beating the Street by Peter Lynch
“The lesson here is: don’t spend a lot of time poring over the past performance charts. That’s not to say you shouldn’t pick a fund with a good long-term record. But it’s better to stick with a steady and consistent performer than to move in and out of funds, trying to catch the waves.”
Peter Lynch
Pages: 336
Publication year: 1993
Overview: Peter Lynch is one of the most influential investors of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He shares his own strategies for researching a stock and evaluating whether it should be a part of his portfolio. Lynch is famous for coining the phrase, “Invest in what you know.”
Lynch shares why he believes investing in what you know is important and walks readers through the process of picking a good stock. Lynch’s goal is to allow everyday investors to learn how the experts make investment decisions. Applying Lynch’s advice could help you outperform the finance experts on Wall Street.
8. Investment Gurus by Peter Tanous
“It’s not the answer that makes you good in this business. It’s the questions you ask. If you ask the right questions, you will always find out more than the next guy.”
Michael Price in INvestment Gurus
Pages: 414
Publication year: 1997
Overview: To get investment insights from a wide variety of experts, investment advisor Peter Tanous interviewed eighteen top money managers and economists. In Investment Gurus, Tanous shares the transcripts of his interviews, giving readers an intimate look into the minds of some of the most prolific investors of our day.
Readers who prefer a more conversational approach to investment education will enjoy the format of this book. Tanous shares conversations with widely regarded investors like Peter Lynch, Laura J. Sloate, and Merton Miller. Tanous asks each financial expert how they became interested in investing, but from there, every conversation develops in its own unique way.
The book covers topics like value stocks vs. growth stocks, stock market volatility, and beating the market. Whether you’re looking for the best investing books for beginners so you can start investing or if you’ve been in the investment world for decades, this book offers insights from various perspectives that you can apply to your investment choices.
Investment Podcasts to Supplement the Best Investing Books
While it’s essential to read investment and leadership books, there are bound to be days when you’re stuck in traffic, needing to stretch your legs with a walk around the neighborhood, or simply short on time. It’s still possible to expand your knowledge on those days, but a podcast might meet your needs better than a book. For days when you’re on the go, check out these five investing podcasts:
For other resources on building your investment knowledge, check out the articles below:
