Develop Financial Intelligence
Build a healthy relationship with money, take control of spending and start investing sensibly.
- 5 books in order
Why these books, in this order
The path starts with the psychology of money, moves to practical systems for spending and saving, and finishes with long-term investing principles. It brings together different philosophies so you can form your own view.
The path
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1
The Psychology of Money
by Morgan Housel
What you'll learn: Why behaviour matters more than intelligence in building wealth.
Exercise: Write about your earliest memory of money and how it shapes your choices today.
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2
Your Money or Your Life
by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez
What you'll learn: How to see money as life energy and spend in line with your values.
Exercise: Calculate your real hourly wage after work-related costs and time.
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3
I Will Teach You to Be Rich
by Ramit Sethi
What you'll learn: A practical system for automating savings and spending guilt-free on what you love.
Exercise: List your 'money dials': the things you love spending on and the things you don't care about.
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4
The Millionaire Next Door
by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
What you'll learn: Research on how many wealthy people live below their means.
Exercise: Identify one status expense you could cut without feeling worse off.
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5
The Simple Path to Wealth
by JL Collins
What you'll learn: The case for avoiding debt and investing in low-cost index funds.
Exercise: Learn what fees you currently pay on any savings or investments you hold.
Progress milestones
- Know exactly where your money went last month.
- Built a simple spending plan.
- Automated at least one saving or investing step.
Exercises for the whole path
- Track every expense for 30 days without judging it.
- Write down what 'enough' means for you.
- Set up one automatic transfer to savings or investments.
When you finish
Read The Intelligent Investor for a deeper foundation, and speak to a qualified financial professional for advice specific to you.
Create a free account to tick off books as you go and track your progress through this path.