Learning about finance can feel intimidating, complicated, challenging, and all of the above.
Taking the first step toward financial literacy is the hardest. And unfortunately, the internet may not exactly be your friend here. Simply searching an investment term can land you in an alphabet soup of complex financial terms or, worse, leave you doomscrolling through headlines like this.
There's another, less intimidating way to break into the realm of financial topics: pick up a book. And not just any book, but one of the best investing books for beginners. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking for a niche read on an investment topic, there's something for every investor in our book list.
Which Books Are Best to Learn About Investing?
Time and time again, these are the go-to recommendations from investing enthusiasts and Morningstar specialists.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns, by John Bogle
Investing icon John Bogle left behind an impressive legacy: He revolutionised the mutual fund industry and was a tireless advocate for investors. But he also pioneered the index fund, which allowed investors to gain diversified exposure to the stock market at a very low cost, helping them keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.
His book explains why low fees significantly affect returns. It also addresses topics like mean-reversion and tax costs. The text is accessible and shorter than many other investing books, and it includes quotes from many prominent financial figures who support Bogle's claims.
The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing, by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf
The advice of Vanguard founder John Bogle is echoed in this comprehensive guide for investors of all experience levels. Packaged into 23 short, lighthearted chapters, this book contains practical advice and explores many aspects of investing, from how to choose the financial lifestyle that fits you to how to balance your emotions to truly master your investments. This guide also provides external resources and other information for readers who want to dive deeper into any of the topics that the longtime Bogleheads cover.
The Bogleheads are investing enthusiasts who honor Bogle and his advice, living by a philosophy to "emphasise" starting early, living below one's means, regular saving, broad diversification, simplicity, and sticking to one’s investment plan regardless of market conditions." Members actively discuss financial news and theory in a forum.
Morningstar's 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances, by Christine Benz
Even if you understand investing basics, you might struggle to incorporate them into your personal finances. Executing them in manageable steps can prove even more challenging.
That's the beauty of this book. Christine Benz, Morningstar's director of personal finance, breaks financial planning down into bite-sized chunks that anyone can handle. You start with basics like assessing your net worth and creating an organisation system, and you progressively conquer more advanced topics including retirement investing, college savings, and estate planning.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich, by Ramit Sethi
Financial adviser and New York Times bestselling author Ramit Sethi outlines a six-week program for 20- to 35-year-olds to learn the four pillars of personal finance: banking, saving, budgeting, and investing. Sethi shares his strategies for eliminating student loans and debt; finding a balance with saving and spending every month; and preparing to purchase a house or car.
In the newest edition, he includes stories from readers and insights on psychology. Sethi strives to demonstrate to investors how to make investments that grow with them and their goals, and how they can spend their money on the things they want guilt-free.
The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing, by Benjamin Graham
Benjamin Graham is known as the father of value investing. He taught Warren Buffett, a modern investing icon. His book lays a framework for evaluating a business's worth based on financial value, not short-term trading techniques. In his book, Graham defined many important investing concepts such as "margin of safety," which is an important input in the Morningstar Rating for stocks.
The revised edition includes commentary from Wall Street Journal personal finance columnist Jason Zweig that contextualises and modernises the text. With Zweig's commentary on every chapter, the book is north of 500 pages, which is a lot; however, it's a thorough introduction to investing. If getting through means skimming a few chapters, no judgment here.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, by Burton Malkiel
If Graham teaches you how to evaluate a business, Burton Malkiel explains why that might not help you. The Princeton economist argues that markets demonstrate efficiency because people are analysing a company's value. (Efficiency means a company's share price reflects its current worth, and its price will change when new information alters its worth.) Malkiel recommends earning the market's return instead of beating it, which he compellingly argues is good enough.
The book was first published in 1973, but updated editions have added contemporary topics. These include exchange-traded funds and investment techniques like smart beta (which Morningstar prefers to call "strategic beta," but I digress).
The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, by Warren Buffett
Many consider Warren Buffett to be the best modern investor. He has risen to fame as Berkshire Hathaway's chief executive, a position he's held for over 50 years. Berkshire Hathaway invests in high-quality businesses with strong growth potential. But Buffett only buys such companies when they're selling at an attractive margin of safety (hat tip to his mentor, Benjamin Graham). This makes Buffett an extreme stock picker. Under his reign, Berkshire Hathaway's growth has far surpassed that of the S&P 500, a testament to the success of his approach.
Each year, Buffett writes an annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, and all of them are published on the company’s website, so anyone can read them. Buffett writes in a straightforward style that is accessible to investors of all skill levels, and he's often very funny to boot. The Essays of Warren Buffett weaves together these articles into a sequential, cohesive book.
