17 Essential Reads for Growing Your Wealth

Bookshelf full of books
clu/istockphoto

Raise your hand if you’ve ever Googled “how to get rich” after seeing your bank account dwindle on bill-paying day. If only a Google search was that simple at solving your problems, right? If we could just follow a few steps and wind up with tons of money … well, we’d all be rich.

For now, we’ll have to settle for books meant to help people understand money, grow their wealth, and shift their mindset. Here are the top ones Redditors recommend.

1. ’48 Laws of Power’ by Robert Greene

48 laws of power
Amazon
Amazon

$11 from Amazon

“48 laws of power made me realize that I was being naive and used by others, made me depressed enough to quit my job and go for entrepreneurship.” – u/MestreDosMag0s

2. ‘The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism’ by David D. Friedman

the machinery of freedom
Amazon
Amazon

$15 from Amazon

“Made me forget everything I was taught about politics, stoped being leftist and became a libertarian full capitalist.” – u/MestreDosMag0s

3. ‘The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness’ by Morgan Housel

the pyschology of money
Amazon
Amazon

$11 from Amazon

“The Psychology of Money is a great read. Probably most helpful to me as a money book.” – u/readsalotman

4. ‘One Up on Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market’ by Peter Lynch and John Rothchild

one up on wall street
Amazon
Amazon

$10 from Amazon

“One Up on Wall St taught me so much about investing.” – u/Suchboss1136

5. ‘Learn to Earn: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics of Investing and Business’ by Peter Lynch and John Rothchild

learn to earn
Amazon
Amazon

$11 from Amazon

“Learn to Earn was a nice entry point too for anyone looking to learn about stocks.” – u/Suchboss1136

6. ‘Personal Power’ by Tony Robbins

personal power
Amazon
Amazon

$24 from Amazon

“The first thing that helped me was Tony Robbins ‘Personal Power.’ Yes, it was 20 years ago and yes, it’s not really money-focused, but I needed to hear it.” – u/Think_Leadership_91

7. ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money — That The Poor & The Middle Class Do Not!’ by Robert T. Kiyosaki 

rich dad poor dad
Amazon
Amazon

$12 from Amazon

“Rich dad, Poor Dad. The author is a complete nut, but the ideas in the book are clear.” – u/Ill_Towel9090

8. ‘The Millionaire Next Door’ by Thomas J. Stanley

the millionaire next door
Amazon
Amazon

$9 from Amazon

“Perhaps not as hardcore as other’s suggested but it’s where I started and I’m still grateful for it.” – u/SnooLobsters2310

9. ‘Dynamic Hedging: Managing Vanilla and Exotic Options’ by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

dynamic hedging
Amazon
Amazon

$55 from Amazon

“If someone asks me this later when I actually am rich, my answer will be Dynamic Hedging by Nicholas Taleb lol.” – u/Defiant_Football_655

10. ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ by George S. Clason

the richest man in babylon
Amazon
Amazon

$7 from Amazon

“The Richest Man in Babylon – taught me to be a student of personal finance and to be in control of my money.” – u/oforman89

11. ‘The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing’ by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf

the bogleheads guide to investing
Amazon
Amazon

$14 from Amazon

“The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing – taught me to get rich slowly as an index fund investor.” – u/oforman89

12. ‘Winning Through Intimidation’ by Robert J. Ringer

winning through intimidation
Amazon
Amazon

$13 from Amazon

“The title is odd, and really isn’t about intimidation per se, but rather being totally prepared to win in your given playing field. It has a cynical approach (“everyone will try to screw you”), but the author makes the point of using that as a basis to be extremely competent and mindful in what you do.” – u/Lance_Henry1

13. ‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’ by Og Mandino

the greatest salesman in the world
Amazon
Amazon

$8 from Amazon

“Even if you are not in sales it has some powerful takeaways.” – u/Effective_Cat5017

14. ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ by Jordan Belfort

the wolf of wall street
Amazon
Amazon

$10 from Amazon

“The Wolf of Wall Street (not the movie but the book) is filled with some great sales techniques.” – u/Payote88

15. ‘How to Win Friends & Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

how to win friends & influence people
Amazon
Amazon

$10 from Amazon

“I’m having a hard time getting through How to Win Friends and Influence People. It keeps getting recommended, so I’m determined to read it, but it’s a slog.” – u/Jen_the_Green

16. ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Stephen Covey

7 habits of highly effective people
Amazon
Amazon

$12 from Amazon

“I also enjoyed 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” – u/Jen_the_Green

17. ‘The Kremlin School of Negotiation’ by Igor Ryzov

the kremlin school of negotiation
Amazon
Amazon

$16 from Amazon

“Kremlin School is outstanding since most negotiation books are very American-centric.” – u/Flat-Ear-9199

Author
Rachel Schneider

Rachel is a Michigan-based writer with a bachelor’s degree in Professional Writing and English. Throughout her career, she has dabbled in a variety of subject matter from finance and higher education to lifestyle pieces and food writing. She also enjoys writing stories based on social media trends. Find her on Instagram @rachel.schneider922