Book Recommendations

One of the best ways to learn and grow is through reading. A list of recommended books on personal finances, investing, business, life and growing.

Updated: Feb 4, 2022

Frugality Tips!

• Check out your local public library (RM2 only for membership fees!) :)
• You can read e-books and audio books from our National Library of Malaysia online for FREE! :D You can search for titles or browse collections such as Recently Added or Most Popular. You will need the Libby app and a library card number (e.g. starts from PNM000 to PNM999 and can be obtained from a library branch – don’t use someone else’s account as you’re using their borrowing quota).
• Look out for book sales such as BookFest Malaysia or Big Bad Wolf (BBW) Books! Prices from below RM10.

Personal Finances

• The Richest Man in Babylon – George S. Clason
  A good easy read learning from stories and parables.
  
• I Will Teach You to be Rich – Ramit Sethi
  Targeted for youths 30 below, a program to begin setting your finances in order.
  
• The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J Stanley
  Common traits that the wealthy have largely in common
  

• The Millionaire Mind – Thomas J Stanley
  What do the millionaires think and do differently?
  
• Millionaires are from a Different Planet – Azizi Ali
  A look at PF from a Malaysian perspective
  
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki
  Best selling PF book for all time (but some of his ‘facts’ are made up/untrue)
  
• The Barefoot Investor – Scott Pape
  Good for youths from 20s to 30s with a relevant look at money management for youths.
  

• The Broke Millennial – Erin Lowry
  Simple advice for youths to get out of the broke cycle.
  
• MONEY Master The Game – Tony Robbins
  Discover the steps to financial freedom regardless of where you are in life.
  
• Unshakeable: The Financial Freedom Playbook – Tony Robbins
  A step-by-step playbook to transform your financial life and accelerate your path to financial freedom. (Read review)
  
• Money Stories from Malaysians – Suraya Zainudin
  Malaysians write fictional and non-fictional stories about life, money and the money lessons you can learn.
  (Read Review)
  
• Money Smart, Achieve Your Financial Goals Faster With Less – KC Lau
  Popular personal finance blogger KC Lau’s simple and easy-to-understand book on personal finance and money management with a 10-year money back guarantee!
  (Read Review)
  
• Principles – The Changing World Order – Ray Dalio
  
  A new study on the rises and declines of past leading empires that puts today’s economic, political, and policy situation into perspective of the big picture. (Read preview online)
  

Investing / Trading

• The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham
  Investing like Warren Buffet’s mentor, Ben
  
• The Snowball – Warren Buffet
  How Buffet builds a (financial) snowball into becoming the 2nd richest person in the world.
  
• Beating the Street – Peter Lynch
  How the legendary manager of the Magellan fund achieved spectacular returns in over 2 decades of investing.
  

• The New Market Wizards: Conversations with America’s Top Traders – Jack D. Shwager)
  How top traders, investors, and wizards make (lots of) money in the market in his/her own unique way.
  
• A Random Walk down Wall Street – Burton Malkiel
  Stock analysis, index funds, ETFs, bubbles, investment cycles and more.
  
• Security Analysis – Benjamin Graham and David Dodd
  Disciplined timeless investing lessons relevant today after being originally written 75 years ago!
  
• Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World – Liaquat Ahamed
  A story of economic meltdown caused by the actions of a few.
  
• The Black Swan – Nassim Taleb
  What are black swans? Unexpected events that have massive repercussions. How often does the unexpected occur?
  
  
• Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits – Phil Fisher
  Written decades ago, but still a class investment must read book.
  
• The Worldly Philosophers – Robert Heilbroner
  A history of the economics of our times.
  
• Battle for the Soul of Capitalism – John C Bogle
  Vanguard’s founder and the good fight for the individual investors’ rights.
  
• The End of Alchemy – Mervyn King
  Dangerous financial alchemy in today’s modern world.
  
• Irrational Exuberence – Robert J Shiller
  Bubbles and how to avoid being caught in the eventual burst.
  
• Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street – John Brooks
  Stories, suspense, and drama from Wall Street.
  
• Where are the Customers Yachts? – Fred Schwed
  A Wall Street kinda crazy.
  

Business

• Choose Yourself – James Altucher
  Being an entrepreneur and investment manager. Making and losing millions. What really matters.
  
• Good to Great – Jim Collins
  To the next level in your organization in a sustainable manner
  
• Setting the Table – Danny Meyer
  How to setup your own (challenging) restaurant business
  
• The Personal MBA – Josh Kaufman
  Getting your Masters in BA at the price of a book
  
• Winning – Jack and Suzy Welch
  Practices to grow and lead your organization
  
• Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs – Karen Berman and Joe Knight
  What do your business numbers mean for your company?
  
• Emyth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to do About It – Michael Gerber
  Sift through myths and truths on starting your own small business.
  
• Built to Sell: Creating a Business that You Can Thrive Without You – John Warrilow
  Build your business, and your exit plan.
  
• Rework – Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
  Breaking the rules to succeeding at your business and work.
  
• Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits – Greg Crabtree
  Understand your numbers, grow your business, and avoid mistakes.
  

Marketing

• Permission Marketing: Strangers into Friends and Customers – Seth Godin
  How the mind and marketing works.
  
• The Tipping Point – Malcolm Goodwell
  How small things can have a big impact in today’s modern world.
  
• The Ultimate Marketing Plan – Dan Kennedy
  Skeptical customers, shrinking budgets, and social media.
  
• Guerrilla Marketing – Jay Conrad Levinson
  Waging successful marketing campaigns on a small budget.
  

Self Improvement

• The Power of Focus – Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Lew Hewitt
  Habits to aiming and achieving when one is focused.
  
• The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss
  Firing your boss and yourself while increasing your time and money.
  
• What Color is your Parachute – Richard Nelson Bolles
  Finding and living your passion in life (and when looking for a career chage).
  
• How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
  Classic golden book on communicating effectively and being likable.
  
• Mastering the Rockefeller Habits – Verne Harnish
  Getting it right: People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash.
  
• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill
  Luck got nothing to do with getting rich. To be rich you need to acquire different skills and cultivate certain habits.
  

Book Reviews

• Top Five Personal Finance Books You Should Read
• Is the Unshakeable Playbook by Tony Robbins Worth It?

Book reviews and suggestions are welcomed!