Was There A Particular Book That Motivated You

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I've became interested in planning for retirement when I was 25. My boss encouraged me to sign up for the new 401k being offered (1983).

However the book that really got my attention and changed my lifestyle choices was "The Millionaire Next Door". It was a lightbulb moment for me. A second good read was "The Number".

Was there a particular book that really resonated with you....got you on track?


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chris2008 said:
"Your money or your life" was the one for me.
Click to expand...

Yep. I only read it once (and really only half, since much of the advice has been overtaken by events), but the idea of considering the "true cost to own" in terms of life on this earth resonated with me.

I've always had the mindset - from my parents - that if something won't enhance your life or make it easier, then you don't "need" it. This is why I don't bother with having the latest gadget, smart phone, new car, etc.... Everything I have works just fine. I repair things until they can't be repaired anymore, then I replace them at what I consider to be a fair price.
 
I've ready many, but one of my first was also the Millionaire Next Door, and it also had a big impact on me. Understanding that rich people can be frugal and practice LBYM (which is what allowed them to build wealth) really helped me to tone down my desires for accumulating material possessions and simply be happy with what I have.
 
The Millionaire Next Door is surely a winner but for me it mainly just reinforced teaching from parents and recession era grandparents of Scottish descent (need I say more?).

I know that is fairly recent but I think the William Bernstein's 'Four Pillars of Investing' really got me interested in taking responsibility for managing our money.

Daniel Solin's 'Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read' was fun and I thought that Phil DeMuth's 'The Affluent Investor' was also a good read.
 
How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World got me thinking.

Your Money or Your Life showed me it was possible.

A Random Walk Down Wall St showed me how to get there.
 
The Millionaire Next Door opened my eyes about FI. Work Less Live More made me consider early retirement possibilities.
 
Another early reader of Your Money or Your Life.
Changed the way I thought about the actual cost of things in terms of life energy.
I've read a million (it would seem) books on finance and retirement and money since that one, but none had the impact of that simple little book.
 
From a philosophical point I too was motivated by Your Money or Your Life although it lacked practical means. After reading The Ultimate Dividend Playbook among many other investment strategy books, I was convinced this could be done.
 
Not a book, but Money magazine resonated with me, particularly articles encouraging consistent saving and investing in no-load, low-cost index funds.

I concede that you need to be selective in ignoring some article they publish (they still need to sell magazines you know) but if you can separate the wheat from the chaff there is a lot of good information in their pages.
 
The single book that most impacted me was Cashing in on the American Dream, How to Retire at 35...from 1988. You can still find occasional updates on the author's life here: https://sites.google.com/site/paulvicgroup/Home

I do hope to share a meal with this couple at some point to thank them in person for making me believe ER was a real possibility for me.
 
pb4uski said:
Not a book, but Money magazine resonated with me, particularly articles encouraging consistent saving and investing in no-load, low-cost index funds.

I concede that you need to be selective in ignoring some article they publish (they still need to sell magazines you know) but if you can separate the wheat from the chaff there is a lot of good information in their pages.
Click to expand...

That's my experience, too. When I first started working, I subscribed to Money magazine and read it cover to cover. Learned a lot.
 
There are many - a few notables:
Worry Free Investing
The Millionaire Mind
The Two Income Trap
Retire on Less Than You Think

My light bulb moment came reading Country Side magazine. It made me realize how little money it took to cover all the basic necessities of life with a mortgage free house in a low cost of living area, solar power / low energy consumption, no commute costs, outdoor hobbies and time to make healthy food from scratch.
 
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Money got me interested in funds. I didn't know how to get started, so I picked three (all small cap) from their list and sent identical amounts to each and decided to let them "duke it out" for 5 years.

I was busy working/living, so didn't know how it went till much later.

But A Random Walk kicked it in.
 
A Canadian beginner finance book called 'The Wealthy Barber' started my journey in the mid 1990's. The book follows a 'couple' on their road to FI. Great primer that my wife to this day has not read, but fortunately for me (us) she is more frugal than I.
 
Asher Aion said:
A Canadian beginner finance book called 'The Wealthy Barber' started my journey in the mid 1990's. The book follows a 'couple' on their road to FI. Great primer that my wife to this day has not read, but fortunately for me (us) she is more frugal than I.
Click to expand...

Some people are born with the LBYM gene. :LOL:
 
Millionaire next door was probably the first mind blowing financial book I read.
Jeff Yeager's the ultimate cheapskates road map to true riches got me on the early retirement kick
Little book of common sense investing by Jack Bogle

I think I have read just about every book that's been listed so far but these three stand out.
 
My dad had a copy of Securities Analysis by Graham and Dodd on the bookshelf in the den. I read it in junior high and decided that I would make money the easy way: Investing. I've been investing ever since.
 
Add me to the Millionaire Next Door crowd.

I also really liked Clyatt's book, a lot of the case studies in there made me wish I was them. That is good motivation.
 
Not a book but a magazine article. I read an article about early retirement in the mid 90s in Money magazine at the same time a family left my Silicon Valley medical practice to move to Oklahoma to retire. The parents were about 30 and had 2 young children. I realized that I envied and admired them.


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Like many here Your Money or your Life got things started, then The Wealthy Barber, Millionaire Next Door and many articles from Money Magazine ( I bought Wellesley/ Wellington, Mutual Shares and Selected American Shares from articles in Money Magazine nearly 30 years ago. Still own them). I read many other personal finance retirement books as a hobby since I find the topic quite interesting. Fortunately Rich Dad Poor Dad never made my favorites list...
 
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