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Old 12-18-2010, 06:07 PM   #21
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For me it was, "The Millionaire Next Door".
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Old 12-18-2010, 06:33 PM   #22
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It let me know that money isn't everything.
Heresy!
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Old 12-18-2010, 06:36 PM   #23
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"A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Malkiel
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Old 12-18-2010, 06:47 PM   #24
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Ric Edelman "The Truth About Money". Not a perfect book or financial philosophy by any means, but it got me thinking about how to take control of our finances and our future. The first step on a long path….
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Old 12-18-2010, 07:47 PM   #25
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I was going to say The Only Investment You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias as it did influence my opinions. Alas, it didn't actually result in any behavior change....

For something that had actual practical significance I think I have to pick The Millionaire Next Door.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:01 PM   #26
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Freakonomics

Two things it did, helped spark an interest in economics and made me see that things should be looked at from all angles
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:20 PM   #27
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The Retirement Myth by Craig Karpel. Written in 1995, this book, more than any other, brought home the reality that I would need to work hard and plan carefully to secure my own retirement and that it would be folly to rely on social security for that purpose. He explained in clear language, and with memorable imagery, the fundamental demographic problems we face. I date my substantial saving and investment efforts to the day I read the last page of this book.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:34 PM   #28
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Heresy!

OK, OK, I'm not sure who said this but I believe it, I really do.

Winning isn't everything, IT'S THE ONLY THING.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:34 PM   #29
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Venita Van Caspel's Money Dynamics for the 1980s book.
I agree. Venita's book changed my thinking about financial independence. It was the catalyst for FIRE for us.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:41 PM   #30
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Most of these books I haven't read, and many I haven't even heard of. These are not the results I was expecting. I was expecting all answers to fall within the range of five or six well-known books. Very interesting, and gives me lots of new ideas for reading.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:45 PM   #31
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Rich Dad, Poor Dad... I know that this is flawed as an investment text, but it did change my view on life. Prior to reading we were two professionals w three kids a reasonable mortgage and a small rental property so we were doing OK. However, at the time of reading I thought it perfectly described us as well educated and "smart" in our professional lives, but not very smart when it came to building wealth.

It was the beginning of a long (10 year) and continuing education and it did help me to be even more open to opportunities (so far mostly real estate) other than W-2 income.
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Old 12-18-2010, 08:58 PM   #32
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In my case it was an event and not a book . I was 32 recently divorced with two children and that made me realize I had to figure out the future . After that revelation I read every book I could on the subject including ( don't laugh) Suze Orman .
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Old 12-18-2010, 09:09 PM   #33
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Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates because the one person who understands your plans to escape Big Blue literally lives in the loony bin but for him numbers is easy.
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Old 12-19-2010, 03:32 AM   #34
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I have read so many financial books that I don't really remember.

I read a book about low cost Vanguard mutual funds and John Bogle about 20 years ago... that put me on to the low cost indexing approach. I can't remember the name of it.

I read a lot of books on fundamental and technical analysis. In the end, I was not very disciplined at keeping up with that level of detail... hence, the use of mutual funds.

I can remember one book that I read very early before I had much understanding about stocks. It's get rich quick title caught my eye. Although it is nothing of the sort. If you read it, you might chuckle... it is not "The Intelligent Investor". But it's content was profound to me at the time.

It is about the stock market (not real estate). This guy came up with a method to building a portfolio and rebalancing it based on a formula (a form of asset allocation to mitigate risk). It has been so long, I do not remember all of the details. But he had back tested examples. The first edition was written in the 70's... I read it in the late 80's... probably the 2nd edition.


How to Make $1,000,000 in the Stock Market Automatically


Amazon.com: How to Make $1,000,000 in the Stock Market Automatically: (4th Edition) (9780451204417): Robert Lichello: Books


His method has some followers. I am sure there are critics.

Lichello A.I.M. - Risk Management Home Page -


How did it help me... at the time it made an impression on me. Once I read it... I struck me that there appears to be a relatively manageable way to make a lot of money over time and "I could do it". It motivated me to learn more about stocks and the stock market.
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Old 12-19-2010, 06:27 AM   #35
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The Zurich Axioms by Max Gunther

While flawed in many respects, it really made me understand the importance of taking risks with my investments.

Lots of others of course, but this was one of the earliest ones.
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Old 12-19-2010, 07:42 AM   #36
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"a random walk down wall street" by malkiel
+1

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How I turned $1,000 into 1 million investing in RE
Old 12-19-2010, 08:28 AM   #37
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How I turned $1,000 into 1 million investing in RE

Bill Nickerson's classic book "How I turned $1,000 into 1 million (later 3 then 5 million) investing in real estate part time. I originally read this after losing my home in the recession of 79/80. I was encouraged to start anew, smarter with the knowledge of this book. My wife and I bought a home 6 weeks later, our first investment house 3 years later, and I was so excited I eventually became a Real Estate Broker. My wife and I own numerous rental homes and (once) an out of state resort home, all because of this book. Dated, yes, but the information is still relevant. Out of print, but available on ebay and Amazon. I found one recently at Goodwill for $2. Don't pay over $10.

Also a great follow-up. The millionaire real estate investor by Gary Keller
(of Keller Williams real estate). Real life case histories of dozens of real estate investors. (I know, that is 2 books..........but...). btb
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Old 12-19-2010, 08:39 AM   #38
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For me it was How To Retire Rich by James O'Shaughnessy. It was the first financial book I ever read, and it introduced me to the concept of FIRE (not his term), and also made me realize that I like this financial stuff. I had never really thought about it before.
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Old 12-19-2010, 09:05 AM   #39
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Can't be done. So I'll say The Four Pillars of Investing A Random Walk Down Wall Street The Intelligent Investor The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need The Millionaire Next Door Your Money or Your Life Work Less, Live More How to Retire Happy Wild & Free The Bogleheads Guide to Investing Free to Choose.

In no particular order except the first...if you insist.
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Old 12-19-2010, 10:13 AM   #40
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Can I add one? Way back when, over 20 years ago, I didn't own any equities, I read the 7th edition of a classic called How to Buy Stocks, by Louis Engel and Brendan Boyd. It was first published in 1953 and when I bought the 1982 Bantam edition had already had over 6 million copies printed. Basic, but got me interested.

How do I know all these details? It's still on my bookshelf.
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