When you stop and think about it, books are truly magical things.

For around $10-$20 you can access the mind of an expert who has spent a majority of her or his life studying a given topic. In your hands you can hold the result of years upon years of research, writing and editing, and in just a handful of hours discover the most important things that expert has ever learned.

Over the past few years books have been one of my greatest teachers when it comes to better serving my clients and running my business. But it hasn’t been limited to just the business side – there are several books that have helped me continue to grow my understanding of money and improve my relationship with it. Because let’s be honest – even if we see ourselves as experts in a given field, there is always more to learn.

Out of the 15-20 money books I’ve read over that time – some phenomenal, a few quite terrible, and many in-between – there are three I think you could really benefit from. So, I’m going to share those top reads with you in the hopes that you can find inspiration and help in their pages as well.

You’ll notice that while each book approaches money from a slightly different angle, they all focus on addressing one’s mindset toward and relationship with money. This is intentional.

When I work with clients, we start by looking at their purpose – what matters most to them in life and why those things are important – before diving into process (the how). I subscribe to the philosophy best summarized by Bill Walsh: “if your why is strong enough you will figure out how.” My hope is that these books will help you begin to establish the foundation of your why, and that foundation can serve as the starting blocks as you begin your journey to financial awesomeness 🙂

So, without further ado, below are my top three books for shifting your money mindset!

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The Soul of Money – Lynn Twist

This phenomenal book takes a look at our relationship with money, both as the individual and on a societal level.

Her thesis is that most societies see money as a scarce resource, which has led us to believe that others having more means we will have less. We come to see ourselves as living in a you vs. me world rather than a you and me world, and from that sense of scarcity and lack is how we come to see money as a source of pain, guilt, stress and anxiety.

There’s one quote in the book that sums up her belief about money: “There is a natural law of abundance which pervades the entire universe, but it will not flow through a doorway of belief in lack and limitation” (Paul Zaiter). Once we realize that we have enough (the idea of sufficiency) and there is more than we need all around us, we can accept the natural inflow and outflow of money in our lives, give more freely to the things we care about, and through that freedom find happiness and peace.

 

Loaded – Sarah Newcomb

What I love about this book is the first half is devoted to behavioral finance (why we act the way we do with money) and the second half is about how to apply those principles to our own lives (how to change it). Again, start with why then move on to the how.

Earlier this year I wrote a post about How to Rethink Needs vs. Wants (which has become one of my most read articles), and I got that concept from this book. She does a great job of not just saying “here is what you should do, now do it”, but instead explains why it’s likely been hard for you to make good decisions in the past, and how you can avoid similar pitfalls moving forward.

If you want a book that is both informative and action oriented, start with this one.

 

You Are A Badass At Making Money – Jen Sincero

A friend of mine is a huge Jen Sincero fan and invited me to the signing of Jen’s latest book, You Are A Badass At Making Money. I’d read You Are A Badass a few years ago and really enjoyed it, so figured I’d give this a read as well.

This book falls squarely in the “self-help” category, and while that genre has a bit of a bad rep, I found it to be a super useful read. It’s definitely geared towards those who aren’t making as much money as they would like and are in the scarcity mindset, so it’s not for everyone. Yet for those who feel they could be earning more, and who want to feel less stressed about money but are always getting in their own way, this book is for you. Plus, her salty language and personal anecdotes are both hilarious and relatable, which make the book actually fun to read.

Note – make sure to do the exercises at the end of every chapter! Yes, the information she writes about in each chapter is informative and helpful, but if you want to get the most out of this book then make sure to take action and do the work.

 

If you’ve read a book about money that has blown your mind and think I (or your fellow readers) should check it out as well, click reply to this email and let me know!

Love,
O Brother, Gare Art Thou?