In an effort to become a better business person in my writing, I’ve been on the look out for the best books on money. Here are a few that I wanted to share with you.

Original photo by Josh Appel 

Want a fun fact about me? I don’t naturally understand money. I mean, I know I need it. I know that I get paid a certain amount of it for going to work. And I know how to use it to purchase things.

But I don’t understand the valuation of it and what determines the value of a dollar. I can’t wrap my brain around why I work less hard now as a college instructor but make more than I did when I was busting my ass waiting tables. And let’s not even get into the stock market and all that noise.

Even though I’ve been earning money since my teen years, it’s still something that just confuses me. There are so many people out there who act like it’s very simple. (And yet, not many people saw the Great Recession coming.) And it seems that all the money masters and gurus giving advice are white dudes who use shame as a teaching tool.

It just doesn’t work for me.

All the money masters and gurus giving advice are white dudes who use shame as a teaching tool. It just doesn't work for me. Click To Tweet

So I’ve been working a lot on my money mindset lately. It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been getting better at it. My biggest stumbling blocks have been the beliefs that I am too dumb to understand money, and that I can’t earn it when I need it.

I knew these are false, but I also knew that I probably had to do some work around these thoughts. It’s hard to tackle both when we live in a system that benefits from you believing that about yourself. Also, as a woman, I feel like I’ve been socialized to believe that I’m not as capable.

We won’t get into the pay gap today, just because I don’t really feel like putting a target on my back for internet trolls to come to this post and tell me all the reason why it doesn’t exist. (I wonder if I showed them my pay stub vs. my male counterpart’s pay stub if they’d believe it? And I wonder if they know they can look at pay information from public universities and see all this laid out in black and white?)

Enter the best books on money!

These books aren’t about investing or getting down to no debt. Honestly, I don’t think either of those things are super relevant to me right now. But these books are about your relationship with money. And that’s what is incredibly relevant to me.

(Pssst! If you’re looking for more books about money and business, check out these best business books for beginners, or these books for female entrepreneurs!)

Best Books on Money

001: The Art of Money by Bari Tessler

One thing I hate about most money management books is they come at you with this tough love approach. But tough love typically leads to shame, and Bari Tessler isn’t having any of that.

This book helps you heal your relationship with money, and the author is a financial therapist who has worked with tons of people to help them with their emotions around money. If, like me, your money issues aren’t with math but your feelings surrounding your money, then buy this book ASAP.

002: You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero

I know a lot of people don’t like Jen Sincero’s style, but I do. She uses anecdotes from her life to explain the concepts she’s talking about in her books. For me, it’s extremely relatable.

I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really love it. If you enjoy mantras, investigating the money stories you tell yourself, and up-leveling your mindset so you can see what sort of money choices you should be making for the life you want, this is your book.

003: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

So, this isn’t really a money book. But it is a book about how you can stop feeling stretched too thin or like you’re running in circles, so it’s basically an antidote to your spot in this weird capitalist hellscape we’re in.

I’m not saying this book will enable you to work less hard. But I think it will help you identify the work that’s worth doing so you don’t always feel like you’re grinding away to earn the money. In a world where we glorify hustle to an absurd extent, this book is a good reminder that you can do less when that less means more.

004: Worthy: Boost Your Self-Worth to Grow Your Net Worth by Nancy Levin

Maybe a bit controversial, but Nancy Levin’s book focuses on the idea that you are paid what you believe you’re worth. And as a person who freelances often, I can tell you this is the case.

This book helps you heal your sense of self-worth so you can earn more. It also covers how to change how you feel about money. Nancy’s book gives you a ten-step process for embarking on this journey, and shows you how you can welcome abundance into your life.

005: Bank Boost: The Book by Sarah Von Bargen

In addition to being an ebook, this is also an ecourse from the Yes and Yes blog. (I’ve gone through both.) This is a good book if you’re interested in working on a specific financial goal.

Sarah does a great job of walking you through the process of boosting your income in a short period of time, and laying the foundation for future earnings. Also, she has a really doable budget exercise for when you’re saving for a specific thing. I enjoyed both the course and the book, and recommend it to anyone who is looking to boost their earnings in a quick way.

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What’s Your Favorite Money Book?

What book really changed your money game? What book do you recommend when it comes to money mindset? How did you fix your head when it came to financial issues? Let me know in the comments!