Top 10: Investment Books

If you want to be a better tennis player, it helps to watch and learn from the best players in the world at Wimbledon. If you want to be a better investor, it pays to study the best money managers and those practitioners who have beaten the game.

We’ve compiled a Top 10 List for anyone interested in becoming a better investor. We’ve put in a combination of advanced, intermediate, and beginner books while placing a premium on readability for the average person.

There are so many amazing investment books out there that this should only be considered a brief overview and a starting point for future reading. The main thing is to get started.

1) The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham

The definitive book covering value investing written by the mentor of Warren Buffett himself. If we were to sum this book up in two simple words, they would be: “Price Matters”. You will learn why it matters so dearly the price you pay for your assets and the importance of having a margin of safety.

Graham discusses “Mr. Market” and how some days the markets are up or down based entirely on the sentiment of the day. On the down days you should be willing to take advantage of the depression while on the up days you should keep your wallet tightly locked.

Advanced reading.

2) Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits by Philip Fisher

Cover to cover, you’ll grow as an investor by reading this one. Chapter 7 covers dividends with some of the clearest, best advice we’ve found anywhere.

Intermediate to Advanced reading.

3) Stocks For The Long Run by Jeremy Siegel

All the data and ammunition you’ll ever need to justify an investment in the stock market. Siegel has put together an incredible work that makes the case so very clear; stocks perform incredibly over long periods of time.

Hell, the graph in the first chapter that lists the real returns of various asset classes is worth the price of the book.

Intermediate reading.

4) A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel

The bottom line: index investing beats investing in actively managed mutual funds. Lower fees, higher returns; simple, right? If you are or ever will be invested in the stock market, this is worth the read.

Beginner to Intermediate reading.

5) One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch

Lynch is regarded as one of the best fund managers of all time. He wrote this book to demonstrate how the average person walking the street (people like us, for instance) have a distinct advantage on the professionals. Our distance from the investment game and our ability to see what’s hot before it gets big is what gives us the chance to beat Wall Street.

Advanced reading. I read this one early on and, going back and re-reading it now, I realize that a lot probably went over my head at the start

6) The Investment Zoo by Stephen Jarislowsky

An apt one-word description of this short read would be simply “Perspective”. Jarislowsky brings his considerable experience in the Canadian business arena to the layperson and gives you an inside look at what to expect as an investor.

Beginner to Intermediate reading.

7) The Wealthy Barber by David Chilton

Great narrative story written by a Canadian. You’ll learn about personal finance effortlessly as you follow the story of some individuals visiting their barber who has happened to sock away a fortune following some simple tenets.

Beginner reading.

8) Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam

This book makes the case for index investing and why it is the best way to invest your hard-earned dollars. The author is a millionaire who earned his living as a teacher and invested wisely.

One of this book’s greatest features is how accessible it is for readers of any level. If you’re just starting out, this is a great one for you.

Beginner reading.

9) Stop Working: Here’s How You Can! by Derek Foster

Written by a Canadian who retired at age 34 from his investment in dividend paying stocks, Foster illustrates his path to wealth and shows how the average person can do the same. The book includes plenty of real-life examples that demonstrate what you could be doing to improve your financial future.

Beginner reading.

10) Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

This book will teach you why cash flow is king and capital gains take a back seat. With an interest narrative style, this makes for an easy, enjoyable read.

Beginner reading.

The Get Rich Brothers

What have you read lately that others should know about?

Pictures courtesy of pixabay.com 

Get Rich Brothers
Author

Get Rich Brothers

We're two brothers on a mission to spread financial awareness. In doing so, we want to show you how to Get Rich and prosper!

2 thoughts on “Top 10: Investment Books

  1. Hi guys,

    For dividend growth investing I highly suggest Lowell Miller – The single best investment, all the letters to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway can also be found for free on Warren Buffett’s website. I think all beginner investors would benefit from reading them. There are so many great books out there. For sure the wealthy Barber and the millionnaire teacher are good too. Like you outlined in one of your posts, the most important is how much you save and not how much you make. All these books will say the same. Start young, spend less, save more, invest wisely in property and you will be wealthy sooner than you think. The recipe is simple. But to actually do it is harder… Living frugally is not something easy to do when everybody else is spending like crazy… but it’s what make the difference in the end.

    You did a great job with your blog by the way.

    Good luck

    1. Thanks for stopping in, Allan!

      We’ll definitely check out Lowell Miller. You’re right in that we could have actually added the Berkshire letters to our list. They’re more than worth it. All that incredible advice for free… it’s simply must-reading.

      It’s so true that one of the main issues about all of this is that while in theory it is simple, actually staying the course over long periods of time (a lifetime, really) is the challenge.

      We’ve put a lot of time into the actual layout of the site and appreciate that you like it. Making things look the way they do in your mind is sometimes difficult!

      – Ryan

Comments are closed.