Resources – Books

Investing

A couple of short, enjoyable books that advocate passive, index fund investing.

The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
By John Bogle

The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get on with Your Life
By Bill Schultheis

These books provide excellent background and perspective on investing.
You’ll get some history, theory and plenty of practical advice.

A Random Walk Down Wall Street
By Burton Malkiel

The Four Pillars of Investing
By William Bernstein

Want to learn more about asset allocation? Here are three recommendations (level of difficulty from left to right):

All About Asset Allocation
By Richard Ferri

The Intelligent Asset Allocator: How to Build Your Portfolio to Maximize Returns and Minimize Risk
By William Bernstein

Asset Allocation: Balancing Financial Risks
By Roger Gibson

Additional recommendations for general investing.

Stocks for the Long Run
By Jeremy Siegel

Winning the Loser’s Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing
By Charles Ellis

The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You’ll Ever Need: The Way Smart Money Invests Today
By Larry Swedroe

The Investor’s Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything in Between
By William Bernstein

Personal Finance

The Little Book of Main Street Money: 21 Simple Truths that Help Real People Make Real Money
By Jonathon Clements

The former Wall Street Journal columnist covers investing basics along with insights on insurance, taxes, home ownership, debt and other personal finance topics.

The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
By Andrew Tobias

Enjoyable and informative. Reading an earlier edition of this book when we were first married taught us to buy term (not whole) life insurance and no load mutual funds, among other things. Who knows how much money it ultimately saved us!

A Fool and His Money: The Odyssey of an Average Investor
By John Rothchild

Could be described as “Dave Barry Goes to Wall Street”. Highly entertaining, and you will learn something.

How to Turn Your Money Life Around and For Richer, Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples
By Ruth Hayden

Highly respected financial teacher and counselor focuses on women and couples.

Christian Personal Finance

The Sound Mind Investing Handbook: A Step-By-Step Guide to Managing Your Money from a Biblical Perspective
By Austin Pryor

This is truly one of the best primers on personal finance and investing that I’ve seen. It is laid out well and extremely readable. The author establishes a clear roadmap upon a sound Biblical foundation.

Wealth to Last: Money Essentials for the Second Half of Life
By Larry Burkett and Ron Blue

The authors are two of the pioneers in applying common sense, practical wisdom and Biblical principles to personal finance. They offer plenty of sound advice, and challenge of the conventional American view of retirement.

Your Money Counts, Your Money Map, Free and Clear, and Money and Marriage God’s Way
By Howard Dayton

The founder of Crown Financial Ministries has authored a number of useful financial guides based on a Biblical framework.

The Total Money Makeover
By Dave Ramsey

Dave has motivated and instructed thousands to get out of debt and change the direction of their financial lives. Besides the straight forward guidance, the success stories of people who have turned their lives around are truly inspiring.

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