6. by Peter Lynch (Simon and Schuster, 1993)
“is one of the first books on investing I ever read, and it has stuck with me because it makes investing in stocks accessible to beginners. There are many highly analytical and slightly scary books on investing, but Peter Lynch has managed to make stocks exciting and accessible using simple, real-world examples from his own experience as a successful fund manager. It’s an oldie but a goodie.”
—Aditya Nain, MoneyDown EmployeeAuthor, speaker and educator on Canadian investing, personal finance and crypto
Master the fundamentals of private finance – at any age
7. by Douglas Price (self-published, 2022)
“This book seems like your [parents] has sat you down and taught you every thing you must learn about money before you have even touched it. It gives you the facility to overcome the world with easily digestible knowledge at your fingertips.”
—Renee OdetoyinboFinancial Educator and Content Creator (Reni the Resource)
8. by Ramit Sethi (revised edition, Workman Publishing Company, 2019)
“A great book for anyone who wants to understand how the financial system works. I love that this book is incredibly practical. It breaks down personal finance in such an easy to understand way and helps you develop systems around your finances that make things less stressful.”
—Reni Odetoyinbo
9. by Rob Carrick (Doubleday Canada, 2012)
“This book teaches young adults the basics of managing money. It helps young people and their parents develop good financial habits!”
—Shannon Lee Simmons, award-winning Certified Financial Planner, speaker, best-selling creator, Chartered Investment Manager, founding father of New School for FinanceThe Money columnist on CBC Radio’s and a financial expert on the finished
10. by David Chilton (Stoddart, 1989)
“This was the first personal finance book I ever read after my dad taught me all about personal finance. Thanks to his guidance, I’ve filed my own income tax return every year since I was 16. And it’s still going strong. The literary conceit of the titular barber allows author David Chilton to guide you through scary-sounding money concepts in a relatable way. There’s a reason it’s sold millions of copies.”
—Sandra E. Martin, two-time MoneyDown editor (OG editor-in-chief Ian McGugan hired her in 1999, and she or he returned as editor-in-chief in 2019) and currently Standards Editor.
11. by Andrew Tobias (revised edition, Harper Business, 2022)
“I want to praise the book that changed my life: by Andrew Tobias. Until I pulled this book out of a box of discarded materials during a night shift in 1979, I was a college student who thought money was boring and inexplicable. Tobias changed all that. He was smart, funny, and human. He made money fascinating. He also delivered a truckload of practical wisdom. I remain a fan of this classic on personal finance – now updated many times, not only for his wise advice but also for his big personality.”
—Ian McGugan, founding editor of MoneyDown and columnist for .
12. by Preet Banerjee (Penguin Canada, 2014)
“If you’re looking for no-nonsense, clearly explained money tips, pick up this easy-to-read book by Canadian author and podcaster Preet Banerjee. He boils personal finance down to five rules: disaster-proof your life, spend less than you earn, consistently pay off high-interest debt, read the fine print and delay spending. If you do these five things, you’ll be in a better financial position than you are today.”
—Jaclyn Law, Editor-in-Chief of MoneyDown
Find the courage to pursue your dreams
13. by Barbara Sher (Dell, 1995)
“I did all the ‘right’ things in my career. I went to business school and got a great corporate job. If I had just stayed on that path, the money would have taken care of itself. But I didn’t love the job. I was stuck. I needed something to break my paradigm of what ‘right’ meant to me. This book did that. A transformative exercise was answering this question: ‘If you could do anything and knew you would be successful, what would it be?’ That was an aha moment for me. My answer was to work in TV news, and I realized it was just fear holding me back. As scared as I was, I quit my job and pursued what I really wanted. I made less money than I would have made in the corporate world, but the big change was worth every penny.”
—Bruce Sellery, CEO of Credit Canada, Hosted by Moolala on SiriusXM, the cash columnist for CBC Radio
