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In this article, we are going to give you the 21 Best personal finance books for 20 Somethings years old young girls and guys who want to learn everything about personal finance in their early 20s and 30s.
You might already know there are a bunch of money management books out there in the market. If you are just getting into your 20s, and you want to learn about finance, then these 21 Best personal finance books will definitely help you to navigate your future.
For a decade people are reading to grow their skills and make themselves much more efficient while using and investing money, or you can say the whole cash flow system.
Especially If you are 20s or 30s female and thinking that you can be only a housewife or just gonna do a normal job then you should consider checking out some of the Top 10 Female Real Estate Influencers for more inspiration so that you can achieve their level of success too.
In this article, you will get the best financial books to read in your 20s should read. So they can manage everything they need to do in their 20s and 30s.
Also, Read – 9 Best Books to read for share and stock market Beginners | Read Now
If you have already read any Books in the personal finance category, then you might be familiar with the idea of it. I have read a lot of business books.
That’s why I know that It will help you way beyond your limitation to think much deeper and be productive when you follow the simple rules which we’ll miss most of the time.
Making money is a great idea, especially when you can work from home. Nowadays, there are so many platforms out there where you can present yourself, and you can make a good amount of income from it.
Here are some of the best financial books for 20 year-olds, which I read some by myself and others I heard a lot of good things from other readers
I made this list from my personal reading experience along with choice picks from my friends, colleagues, and my online gurus in the personal finance sector.
These books will help you expand your knowledge about financial literacy because it is very much essential for your future because we know what cost if we lack financial education.
And how much impact it can make on our financial life.
After reading these books on budgeting for 20 some things will be a lot easier for the rest of their life.
Table of Contents
21 Best Personal Finance Books For 20 Somethings
1. I Will Teach You To Be Rich
This book is hands down one of the best personal finance books for twenty Something years old and if you want to gain more financial knowledge in your 20s.
I Will Teach You To Be Rich was released a decade ago by Ramit Sethi, but has just been re-released and updated for 2019.
In addition, This is a game-changing personal finance book. It is based on systems and tools that can help you conquer your financial goals – in a way that many wouldn’t even expect.
Ramit presents ideas differently than many financial experts – and focuses on big wins that will actually make a difference in your total financial life.
2. Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties
More than ever before, people in their twenties and thirties need help getting their financial lives in order to make better than before. And who could blame them? These so-called millennials have come of age in the wake of the worst economic crisis in memory, and are now trying to get by in its aftermath.
They owe record levels of student loan debt, face sky-high rents, and struggle to live on a budget in an uncertain economy.
It’s time for them to get a financial life to get out of those situations.
For two decades, Beth Kobliner’s bestseller has been the financial bible for people in their twenties and thirties. With her down-to-earth style, she has taught them how to get out of debt, learn to save, and invest for their futures.
In this completely revised and updated edition, Kobliner shares brand-new insights and concrete, actionable advice geared to help a new generation of readers form healthy financial habits that will last a lifetime.
With fresh material that reflects the changing digital world, Get a Financial Life remains an essential tool for young people learning how to manage their money.
From tackling taxes to boosting credit scores, Get a Financial Life can show those just starting out how to decrease their debt, avoid common money mistakes, and navigate the world of personal finance in today’s ever-changing landscape.
3. Rich Dad Poor Dad: Best personal finance book for everyone
If personal finance is new to you, then you might want to check out the 1997 classic, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.” This tome tells parables about personal finance while advocating for real assets and investments, including real estate.
In addition, This book is one of the best-selling books on managing money and How money flows in our day-to-day lives and business.
I have already read this book, so I know what It can offer to young people like you, It has some fundamentals about cash flows, and he implemented them in very good ways using his 2 fathers’ examples Rich Dad and Poor Dad concepts.
It doesn’t tell you how to build wealth while avoiding Starbucks and fast food, but how to build successful businesses that will create passive income for you.
It’s not about asking for a 5% raise at your job, it’s about creating streams of income that will work for you in the long run.
4. Everything Guide to Investing in Your 20s & 30s
The best time to start investing is now—even as little as a few years can make a difference of hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time retirement comes around.
Investing early in your career is the best way to ensure a secure and successful life all the way through retirement.
For years, The Everything Guide to Investing in Your 20s and 30s has been guiding young professionals on how to capitalize on the investing market and make the most out of their money. This all-new and fully updated edition includes all of the tips, tricks, and investing knowledge while also explaining:
—New technological investing options
—How the changing political climate affects your money
—What the rising interest rates mean
—Active investing versus passive investing
The Everything Guide to Investing in Your 20s and 30s teaches you how to maximize your investment strategy and make your money work for you. So Don’t wait, start investing today in your early twenties!
5. The Total Money Makeover
The Total Money Makeover is a classic personal finance book written by Dave Ramsey.
If you need a practical step-by-step guide to paying off debt and building wealth, this book is a must-read for you to overcome those situations.
Over the years, Dave has received some criticism for his ideas beyond tackling debt (including investing and insurance), but when it comes to getting out of debt, there is really no better mindset and resource than The Total Money Makeover.
6. Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping
If you feel clueless about budgeting or overwhelmed by student loans and other expenses, Broke Millennial by personal finance expert Erin Lowry came recommended by five of our experts as the best place to start.
The book is aimed at 20- and 30-somethings who are dealing with both paying off debt and beginning to plan for the future.
Gaby Dunn, the author of Bad With Money and host of the podcast of the same name, says, “I like the focus on younger people because a lot of finance books are for upper-class, middle-aged people.” Personal finance expert and author of You’re So Money, Farnoosh Torabi says, “Every generation has its definitive money book, and in many ways, Broke Millennial captures the financial zeitgeist of this generation so perfectly.”
With chapter titles like “Paying Rent to Your ‘Rents” (about the financial benefits and pitfalls of moving back home), and “Retirement: Can It Ever Happen for Me?
It makes sense that Jessica Moorhouse, a Canadian accredited financial counselor, recommends reading Broke Millennial “to learn all the basics of finance in a relatable way.”
In addition, Personal finance bloggers Grant Sabatier, author of Financial Freedom, and Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, author of The 30-Day Money Cleanse, agree that the book’s approachable tone and practical tips make it a great starting point for learning about everything from our emotional relationship with money to investing and planning for retirement.
7. How to Adult: Personal Finance for the Real World
An essential resource for a high school graduate, college student, or any other young adult who needs to prepare for the financial realities of adulthood.
Drawing on years of teaching personal finance in the high school classroom, as well as valuable life experience. As a young professional, Cousineau introduces topics ranging from compound interest and mutual funds to Roth IRAs and insurance deductibles.
Each chapter contains straightforward explanations, practical examples, revealing anecdotes, and hands-on tools that will help you jump-start your personal financial journey.
In this book, you’ll learn:
- The foundational concepts of personal finance and building wealth
- Avoid costly financial missteps
- How to budget, save, and invest your money wisely
- The ways of taxes and insurance work
8. The Millionaire Next Door
In a word, this book was fascinating.
I love the book, The Millionaire Next Door. It talks about how it is a myth that most millionaires in America have inherited their money. The fact is, we have created such a great country over 250 years. We have actually found a way for poor people to go from nothing to huge wealth and to create a life-changing opportunity for their children and grandchildren.
We celebrate it, write movies about it, and our libraries are full of books about it. There is nothing wrong with that.
At first glance, the title “The Millionaire Next Door” might sound like some trashy novel just begging for glamour. It’s 15 minutes in the spotlight, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I assume most people when thinking of the word ‘millionaire.
They think of a high-class, high-consumption lifestyle full of limitless indulgence. However, Thomas Stanley goes to the great lengths in this book to show precisely why this isn’t so. Through countless interviews and a vast list of data. Stanley pulls together that the average millionaire is anything but the cocaine-induced celebrity so often featured in mainstream media.
Quite the opposite, being an average millionaire is within reach of just about everyone. The American Dream is alive and well, but only for those who are willing to sacrifice.
9. Your Money or Your Life
One of the best personal finance books for college students for more than two decades. “Your Money or Your Life” details nine simple steps young adults can take to achieve long-term financial independence. Readers learn how to avoid debt and incorporate sound financial habits into their lives without the need for strict budgeting.
The book takes an ecological approach to personal finance, focusing on how good financial habits help protect the environment and reduce waste.
This a very good resource for those who have not yet studied read about or thought about the principles of financial independence.
- prompts you to think deeply about your core values and understand what is truly important to you.
- points you in the direction of taking action according to those values – only spending on what brings you genuine joy and what you actually need to live
10. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
Like The Millionaire Next Door, this book breaks down the mindset that successful people share. The author Barbara Stanny’s exclusive focus on wealthy women yields a new set of lessons that anyone looking to boost their net worth can learn from.
Kimberly Palmer, a financial writer and the author of Smart Mom, Rich Mom, says, “I find it super inspiring. The central message is that we have to believe in our own self-worth and that we deserve to earn a healthy income. She helps us overcome any confidence issues that are getting in the way of that.”
Kristin Wong, the author of Getting Money, says “this book completely changed my career.”
As a freelance writer, Wong says she didn’t feel comfortable asking for more pay until she read Stanny’s book.
“To prove her wrong, I conducted a little negotiation experiment,” she says. “I vowed to ask every new freelance client for more money and negotiate with my existing clients.
I thought they’d laugh in my face. But to my surprise, every single existing client I had agreed to pay me more”
11. Your Money Life: Your 20s
Considered one of the top pick personal finance books for twenty Something young adults.
“Your Money Life: Your 20s” offers advice on paying off student loans, avoiding unnecessary debt, and effective budgeting strategies. This advice includes determining what percentage of your budget should go toward housing, groceries, bills, entertainment, and other expenses.
Readers also learn about the important role their credit score plays in key financial decisions throughout their lives, including the interest rates they pay when taking out loans.
Your Money Life: Your 20’s You will learn the best method for paying off debt, including student loans. How to cut expenses while living what you want to live. How to determine what percentage of your income to spend on groceries, housing, and transportation?
Whether you are ready to buy a house or whether you should stick to renting. Finally, what your credit score means for your financial life?
12. Why didn’t They Teach Me This in School?
This book has been recommended by eBay, Forbes, and Lifehacker as one of the top graduation gifts for college graduates which you can see in the title itself. Most of us never learned how to manage our money while we were in school.
Why Didn’t They Teach Me This in School by Cary Siegel attempts to reverse that with 99 useful money lessons that will set you up for life.
As someone who helps people with money consistently, I can’t understand why we teach the subjects we do in high school but mostly ignore the basics of money management. This book seeks to change this.
While you may not agree with all 99 ideas and lessons, a large portion of this book is solid advice that should be a read for anyone looking to improve their finances. This makes this one of the great personal finance books for twenty-something-year-old young guys and girls.
This is the perfect book for someone just starting to earn and learn about money. I bought it as a high school graduation gift and promised a check AFTER my granddaughter had read it and discussed it with me.
I wrote personal experiences on post-a-notes and stuck them in appropriate chapters. She amazed me when she announced she had opened a savings account and was putting 15% of her earnings into the account. She definitely received her check! Great book!
13. Personal Finance For Dummies
Similarly, This book has every detail that you need From budgeting, saving, and reducing debt, to making timely investment choices and planning for the future, Personal Finance For Dummies provides fiscally conscious readers with the tools they need to take charge of their financial life.
This new edition includes coverage of an extensive new tax bill that took effect in 2018 and the impact on individuals, families, small businesses, and on real estate and investing decisions. Plus, it covers emerging investing interests like technology and global investing, cryptocurrencies, pot stocks, lifestyle changes occurring with millennials, and more.
- Evaluate and manage your financial fitness
- Assess your credit report and improve your score
- Make smart investments in any economic environment
- Find out about international investing
14. I Want More Pizza
“I Want More Pizza” by Steve Burkholder approaches the subject of personal finance in a way that’s accessible to kids. Burkholder’s writing is entertaining and clear, offering the young reader plenty of relatable anecdotes, examples, and hypothetical questions to ponder. Rather than just telling, Burkholder shows the reader why and how managing money well is so important.
The book includes an engaging introductory section followed by four larger sections, each referred to as “slices.” The first slice covers “You” and is focused on the reader’s relationship to money, behavior with money, and future goals. The second slice is titled “Saving” and does an excellent job covering the basics of tracking spending and saving money, even on a small income.
The third slice, “Growing Your Savings,” is dedicated to investing and compound growth. The fourth and final slice is called “Debt,” which explains debt, credit cards, and paying for college. “I Want More Pizza” is an all-around great introduction to financial literacy for teens and pre-teens.
15. The Financial Diet: A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money
The Financial Diet is a personal finance book for people who don’t care about personal finance. Whether you’re in need of an overspending detox, buried under student debt, or just trying to figure out how to live on an entry-level salary.
The Financial Diet gives you tools to make a budget, understand investments, and deal with your credit.
Chelsea Fagan has tapped a range of experts to help you make the best choices for yourself. But she also knows that being smarter with money isn’t just about what you put in the bank.
It’s about everything from the clothes you put in your closet, to your financial relationship habits, to the food you put in your kitchen (instead of ordering in again).
So The Financial Diet gives you the tools to negotiate a raise and the perfect cocktail recipe to celebrate your new salary.
16. Clever Girl Finance: Ditch debt, save money, and build real wealth
This book is very enjoyable to read. It is well-written concise and clear. One of the top picks for personal finance books for twenty Something and high school students if you want to learn about finance.
One thing I find very important is the author emphasizes that financial goals take time. As a 24-year-old, I often feel like I am behind where I want to be on my finances.
However, one of the most important values of the book is to start where you are and take pride in the fact you are taking control of your situation.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to self-improve. It never hurts to learn more about financial literacy. The author also offers free classes on her website. This book is very well worth the money. It’s something every woman at any age should read at least once.
17. Money Honey: A Simple 7-Step Guide For Getting Your Financial $hit Together
Adulting is hard, especially when it comes to money management… but it doesn’t have to be.
In Money Honey: A Simple 7-Step Guide for Getting Your Financial $hit Together, bestselling author and former financial advisor Rachel Richards achieves the impossible by bringing humor and sass to the dreaded subject of personal finance. An avid investor and business owner, Rachel talks straight about how to attain financial freedom.
You’ll find no shortage of valuable nuggets in this tough-love guide that will teach you how to:
- Double your income and halve your expenses
- Consolidate your student loans and lower your interest rate
- Get a bombproof credit score
- Open a brokerage account and make a trade so that you can start investing in the stock market
- Allocate your money between debt payoff, short-term savings, retirement, and lots more!
18. Personal Finance QuickStart Guide
Are you tired of feeling stressed out and overwhelmed when you think about your finances?
Have you gotten frustrated with personal finance advice from “experts” that doesn’t feel like it speaks to your unique financial situation?
No matter where you are in your financial journey Personal Finance QuickStart Guide covers everything you need to know to make a positive financial change in your life.
At a time when 80% of US workers live paycheck to paycheck and as many as 40% of Americans can’t afford a surprise $400 expense, it has never been more important to take control of your financial well-being.
Personal Finance QuickStart Guide Is Perfect For:
- Earners in their 20s or 30s who are planning for a secure financial future
- People in their 40’s, 50’s, and beyond 65 who need to get their finances in order
- Working professionals who are thinking about retirement
- Anyone looking to make a financial change in their life and build wealth
Personal Finance QuickStart Guide Covers:
- How to think about money and craft your own positive money mindset
- Repairing your credit score to increase your buying power and provide more freedom in your life
- The difference between good and bad debt and how to pay down and manage debt
- Financial goal setting with actionable steps to accomplish your goals
- How to prepare for retirement and secure your own financially independent future
19. How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any
Unlike many personal finance books, How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any was specifically written for Americans who struggle to make it on a monthly basis.
It provides a respectful, no-nonsense look at the difficult realities of our modern economy, along with an easy-to-follow path toward better financial stability that will give hope to even the most financially strapped households.
Created by a financial expert who hasn’t struck it rich, How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any offers a first-hand story of financial survival in the face of rough times.
Rather than emphasizing wealth creation, How to Manage Your Money When You Don’t Have Any teaches readers to do the best they can with their income no matter its size. Content-rich, personal, and jargon-free, the book is opinionated and at times humorous.
Full of current everyday references, it is meant to be a quick read that will appeal to the average reader just struggling to make ends meet.
20. The Psychology of Money
This book is not only one of the best personal finance books for twenty Something but for everyone who wants to learn about money.
Morgan has crafted an incredibly relevant, enjoyable, and helpful book about the interplay between money and emotion, and how we all are affected by both.
He tells an important story about the stories we tell; offering Kipling-esque advice about imposters like luck and skill, winning and losing, and of course, triumph and disaster.
If you are 20, read this and embrace every bit of it. When you are over 50, you will be so glad you did.
If you are 30, read this and markedly improve your perspective on the what and why of success and failure, and how you can minimize regret.
If you are 40, read this and make the tweaks that you can, there is still plenty of time.
21. The Simple Path to Wealth
Above all, this is hands down one of the best financial books I’ve ever read or heard about. If I could gift a copy of it to every single graduate, I would. This book is like listening to a sage friend who has endured decades of ‘playing / timing’ the market and concluded there is an easier way.
Not only is this friend willing to share the way, but it also is not even a scam or get-rich-quick scheme.
It is a straightforward, achievable process: avoid/eliminate debt, spend less than you earn, invest in low-cost index funds, and then do NOTHING. Simply sit back and wait for the magic of time and compound interest to do the rest.
This means you no longer have to worry about the next stock market crash or try to find the next Apple or bitcoin.
JL Collins introduced me to the concept of F- You money (which I now call F- Yeah money thanks to ProudMoney.com).
About a year ago, when I realized I had F- Yeah money, it transformed the way I approached work. Meetings were no longer stressful, and crises of the day seemed ridiculous.
They gave me the facts I needed to believe we had hit our number and would be just fine. Albert Einstein called compound interest the most powerful force in the universe and the greatest mathematical discovery of all time. I say the knowledge of FIRE (financial independence retiring early) gives compound interest a run for its money.
Read this book then give it to someone struggling or boasting about this stock or that one. It truly can change your life.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, all the books that I Covered on this blog are not only the best personal finance books for twenty-somethings. If you are just starting out learning about managing money, then you can pick one of these.
I’m sure you will see things differently if you apply those ideas which are mentioned in these best financial books for 20-year-olds.