Money touches every part of life, so learning how to invest wisely early on can make a lasting difference in your ultimate success.
Books can condense decades of hard-earned insight into just a few hundred pages. When it comes to understanding finances, few decisions are easier, cheaper or more impactful than the move to educate yourself with a great investing book. There are many videos available that can give you a good baseline of knowledge, but the books on this list have stood the test of time in a variety of markets, while many “fin-fluencers” have already melted away.
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It’s important to learn investment terminology. You’ll want to understand the difference between a stock and a bond, how cryptocurrency works, how inflation affects investments, the role of risk tolerance and how tax efficiency can boost a portfolio’s return.
It’s equally important to understand what money does and doesn’t do for a person seeking to grow wealth for future life events. That includes how we interact with money, how family experiences can shape our investing habits and how significant debt can be a drag on our ability to achieve life goals.
To help you get started, here’s a list of 11 standout books that address multiple aspects of the investing journey. The authors range from iconic financial thinkers to women, minorities and next-gen voices redefining how we approach money today.
Here are 11 of the best investing books for beginners:
— “The Intelligent Investor”
— “Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger”
— “The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns”
— “A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market: Everything You Need to Start Making Money Today”
— “Investing QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Successfully Navigating the Stock Market, Growing Your Wealth & Creating a Secure Financial Future”
— “Rich Dad Poor Dad”
— “How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance”
— “Get Good With Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole”
— “Broke Millennial Takes on Investing: A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up Your Money”
— “The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains”
— “The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth Greed and Happiness”
“The Intelligent Investor”
Author: Benjamin Graham
First published in 1949, “The Intelligent Investor” has long been regarded as the only book you need to understand the fundamentals of investing. Its enduring themes — like long-term investing and Benjamin Graham’s value investing philosophy — have earned it a permanent place on every serious investor’s shelf.
Graham is known not only as the father of value investing but also as the mentor to Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (ticker: BRK.A, BRK.B) CEO Warren Buffett, who used Graham’s principles to become arguably the most successful investor in history.
Because its lessons are considered largely timeless, the book has seen few revisions over the years. For those looking for the most current version, the third edition was released in October 2024.
“Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger”
Author: Charles T. Munger
Charles Munger, better known as Charlie Munger, may fly under the radar for casual investors, but his longtime friend and business partner Warren Buffett is a name most will recognize. Munger served as Buffett’s right-hand man, helping lead the conglomerate and holding company Berkshire Hathaway for decades until his passing in late 2023 at the age of 99. Widely regarded as one of the sharpest business minds of the 20th and 21st centuries, Munger based this book on 11 talks he delivered between 1986 and 2007.
“The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns”
Author: John C. Bogle
John Bogle was the late founder of The Vanguard Group and the pioneer behind the first index mutual fund. His mantra was to invest with purpose, maintain a long-term horizon and reduce internal fees as much as possible. He also championed dollar-cost averaging, a steady, disciplined approach to investing.
In this book, readers gain a clear understanding of the line between sound investing and speculation. It’s no surprise that one overarching conclusion is that Vanguard’s hallmark low-cost index funds are a savvy move for most investors.
“A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market: Everything You Need to Start Making Money Today”
Author: Matthew R. Kratter
Published in 2019, this book serves as a road map for getting started with investing. You’ll learn how to open a brokerage account and make your first investment. Kratter, a retired hedge fund manager who lived through the 2008 market crash, offers advice that’s especially helpful during modern market upheavals, particularly when it comes to avoiding the common mistakes beginners make.
“Investing QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner’s Guide to Successfully Navigating the Stock Market, Growing Your Wealth & Creating a Secure Financial Future”
Author: Ted D. Snow
This book is part of a series of practical guides covering different aspects of investing. Snow brings more than 30 years of experience working as a financial advisor, and each book includes free lifetime access to online resources (including coaching) designed to support the reader’s growing knowledge.
The second edition, released in January 2022, expands on real estate investing and managing tax liabilities. It also introduces the rising field of environmental, social and corporate governance — known as ESG — investing.
[Read: 7 Best Vanguard Funds for Beginner Investors]
“Rich Dad Poor Dad”
Author: Robert T. Kiyosaki
A bestseller for more than 25 years, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” shares Kiyosaki’s personal story of learning about money from two father figures — his own (the “poor dad”) and his best friend’s father (the “rich dad”). The book emphasizes that building wealth isn’t about earning a high salary, but about making your money work for you. While Kiyosaki’s track record on predicting market crashes is questionable at best, the book’s core lessons on assets, liabilities and financial mindset remain valuable. It’s a classic for a reason.
“How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance”
Authors: Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle
Chatzky, a 25-year personal finance veteran from the “Today” show, teamed up with Tuggle, a New York writer and editor, to launch HerMoney, a platform built to help women strengthen their relationship with money. This New York Times bestseller guides readers through the financial milestones of early adulthood, from budgeting and student loans to credit cards, first jobs and the foundations of investing. Beautifully illustrated, it amplifies your understanding of earning, managing and using money in everyday life.
“Get Good With Money: 10 Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole”
Author: Tiffany Aliche
A self-described “budgetnista,” Aliche offers a 10-step road map to building a healthier relationship with money, regardless of your goals or the state of the market. Drawing from her own experience of losing significant money during a recession and receiving poor financial advice, her words have enabled over 1 million women to achieve their financial goals.
Nestled among her many achievements, Aliche was the first Black woman to appear solo on the cover of Money magazine, and her book has been a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. She has been a legislative trailblazer in partnering with New Jersey Assemblywoman Angela V. McKnight to pass “The Budgetnista Law,” which mandates financial literacy education throughout the state’s middle schools.
“Broke Millennial Takes on Investing: A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up Your Money”
Author: Erin Lowry
Published in 2019, this is the second book in Lowry’s “Broke Millennial” series, and it tackles more modern investing topics like managing student loan debt, ESG investing, robo-advisor services and other online financial tools. What sets it apart is its targeting of millennials, a generation often more wary about the stock market and more inclined to align investments with personal values.
“The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains”
Author: Antony Lewis
If cryptocurrency feels overwhelming, this book is a smart place to start. Widely considered the best beginner-friendly guide, this book explains the complex world of Bitcoin, Ethereum, blockchains and digital assets in clear, accessible terms. Lewis walks readers through how these technologies work, why they matter and how to approach key topics like wallets, exchanges and security. Whether you’re just curious or ready to invest, this is a reliable, no-hype introduction to the fast-evolving world of digital finance.
“The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness”
Author: Morgan Housel
A well-known voice in investing, Morgan Housel released “The Psychology of Money” in 2020 to instant bestseller status. A natural storyteller and pragmatist, Housel shares 19 short, compelling stories that explore how people think about money, highlighting behavioral principles investors often overlook.
The book offers a welcome shift from more technical finance reads, focusing less on numbers and more on the human side of investing, where emotion, habit and mindset often matter just as much as math.
Bottom Line
There are many great titles on financial literacy. This selection offers a well-rounded foundation that hits notes both from a technical and emotional perspective, both of which are important to savvy investing. It’s designed to help even the most inexperienced investors build confidence, create a budget, reduce debt and gain the knowledge needed to either dive deeper into investing or have meaningful conversations with a financial advisor.
[Interested in Investing? How to Invest in Stocks for Beginners]
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11 of the Best Investing Books for Beginners originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 08/08/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
