Even with endless podcasts, personal finance websites and YouTube videos centered on growing wealth, sometimes the best way to learn how to manage money is through a deeper dive.
“If, for years, your finances have run up against a roadblock, it’s worth exploring why,” said Karol Ward, career expert and confidence coach.
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Both classic and newer personal finance books can help you with that journey at every stage of life. Here are Ward’s recommendations for everyone from Gen Z to baby boomers who might be struggling with paying off debt, saving for retirement or just managing money.
‘A Simple Path to Wealth’ by JL Collins
Ward recommended JL Collins’ “A Simple Path to Wealth” for a Gen Z audience who may just be getting started in the workforce.
“It’s about waking up your financial awareness,” Ward said. “Stop hiding your head in the sand and start realizing there is a way to create wealth and abundance if you raise your awareness about how you are spending.”
From the basics of compound interest to how to ultimately achieve financial independence, this book emphasizes spending within your means and developing consistent, conscious behaviors that lead to good financial habits throughout life.
Ward called it a solid introduction to investing, written for a beginner audience.
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‘9 Steps to Financial Freedom’ by Suze Orman
If you’ve studied personal finance at all, you’ve heard of Suze Orman.
A self-made millionaire, Orman teaches the basics of good financial habits, including avoiding debt, paying yourself first through automatic savings and avoiding those daily expenses, like take-out food or coffee house coffee, that can add up and sabotage your success.
Suze Orman’s classic title, “9 Steps to Financial Freedom,” “is for people who are a little farther down the road in terms of their career,” Ward said. “It talks about paying off debt, saving for retirement and creating a will.”
‘Money Drunk-Money Sober’ by Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan
Author Julie Cameron is best known for her book “The Artist’s Way,” which entices people to use a self-discovery process to release blocks and unleash their creative power. Similarly, “Money Drunk-Money Sober” dives into the emotional root causes of money problems.
“Her approach has that ‘Artist’s Way’ feel to it,” Ward said. “It helps people identify what kind of money struggle their having. [It] also offers practical steps to build a budget and understand where your money is going.”
Final Take
Of course, any book on personal finance is only as good as the action you take after you’ve collected the knowledge you need.
“The information is much more available for younger generations, today, than it was for people who are over 40 now. It wasn’t always so readily available… Now, it’s everywhere,” Ward said.
Often, long-form content that dives not just into “how” but “why” people make the money moves they do can help people create lasting change.
“These titles address the why and the how,” Ward said.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Career Expert: Here Are the Top Books I Recommend for People Interested in Growing Wealth
