Book recommendations?

S

Sonic

New Member
There are so many 'training' books out there to supposedly help people become wealthy, or to change state of mind, look at things differently, discipline, whatever. I'd say they all fall under 'self-help' only you're helping yourself get better with money rather than, I dunno, get laid.

Was just wondering if anyone here has read any such books that really changed things for them, or that they would highly recommend, to someone like me, in my 20s, still in school (and hoping it's not a total waste of my time and money). I don't even know where to begin. Too many books to choose from and I don't know what I really should be reading and learning at this point in my life.
 
green-eggs-and-ham.jpg
 
Most Definitley, Many many, however very difficult to not put Napoleon Hill"s "Think and grow rich" at the very top
Sonic said:
There are so many 'training' books out there to supposedly help people become wealthy, or to change state of mind, look at things differently, discipline, whatever. I'd say they all fall under 'self-help' only you're helping yourself get better with money rather than, I dunno, get laid.

Was just wondering if anyone here has read any such books that really changed things for them, or that they would highly recommend, to someone like me, in my 20s, still in school (and hoping it's not a total waste of my time and money). I don't even know where to begin. Too many books to choose from and I don't know what I really should be reading and learning at this point in my life.
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Mid 20s, want to change your state of mind, look at things differently, etc......

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Some good recommendations here.

Depends on what avenue you intend to go down but it's a good idea to read up on a few differnet revenue streams. I always suggest The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris, Steve McKnight's From 0 to 260+ Properties in 7 Years, Richard Branson's autobiography, Rich Dad Poor Dad (with a pinch of salt), The Intelligent Investor (with a few Red Bulls) and Currency Wars/The Death of Money by The Rickards.

Buy them second hand on Amazon, usually only $10 a book in decent condition.
 
Sonic said:
There are so many 'training' books out there to supposedly help people become wealthy, or to change state of mind, look at things differently, discipline, whatever. I'd say they all fall under 'self-help' only you're helping yourself get better with money rather than, I dunno, get laid.

Was just wondering if anyone here has read any such books that really changed things for them, or that they would highly recommend, to someone like me, in my 20s, still in school (and hoping it's not a total waste of my time and money). I don't even know where to begin. Too many books to choose from and I don't know what I really should be reading and learning at this point in my life.
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Jared Diamond is a good read and will open your eyes to the vagaries of the Human Consciousness, not in a religious or political sense but in an evolutional explanation of why we get laid, are self destructional, why we get laid with who we do etc, it get's into the nitty gritty of the development of the Human race and why we do what we do.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Fall-Third-Chimpanzee/dp/0099913801

Ayn Rand: Atlas shrugged
Really long winded and exceptionally long, a hard read but with an underlying philosophy that is hard to refute. It sprouted a semi quasi religion in silicon valley and is also sort of (to my mind) prophetic to where we find ourselves in today's world. It's a bit airy fairy but the underlying message and truths are pretty indisputable. There is also fountainhead.
www.atlassociety.org/ayn_rand

Frederic Bastiat: 29 June 1801 24 December 1850 quite old but very relevant.

Each of us has a natural rightfrom Godto defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two. For what are our faculties but the extension of our individuality? And what is property but an extension of our faculties?

If every person has the right to defendeven by forcehis person, his liberty, and his property, then it follows that a group of men have the right to organize and support a common force to protect these rights constantly. Thus the principle of collective rightits reason for existing, its lawfulnessis based on individual right. And the common force that protects this collective right cannot logically have any other purpose or any other mission than that for which it acts as a substitute. Thus, since an individual cannot lawfully use force against the person, liberty, or property of another individual, then the common forcefor the same reasoncannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, liberty, or property of individuals or groups.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frédéric_Bastiat

Just a few bit's of info that had an impact on my life in various ways, but don't stop there, reading is becoming a dying art and there is sooo much more to be discovered between the cover of a book even if online.
I read the Jared Diamond one when 20 something and it really opened my mind as to why we do what we do as a species and the underlying motivations of behaviour, We are after all just another animal, albeit with a little more understanding of things.
 
Freedom without borders : how to invest, expatriate, and retire overseas for personal and financial success by Hoyt L. Barber
How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World by Harry Browne
 
Cool, thanks guys and keep 'em coming to anybody else stumbling on this thread and thanks for the early morning laughs too (okay it's actually noon for me but hey, what do you expect? Remember "college guy, 20s, getting lots of pussy and having green and eggs and ham served as breakfast in bed, living the dream guys).

Southerncross it's interesting you recommended Atlas Shrugged because I just watched a documentary last night (after starting this thread) basically about the growing gap between the 1% and the 99% and they really demonized the book in the movie. Which only made me want to read it more and decide for myself if I agree with the concepts or if it changes my outlook on anything. I find when reading philosophical stuff, I never agree with one writer 100%, but it's good to get different points of view on different things and form my own educated ideas on what's right and wrong (for example, I was raised Christian but started questioning the whole thing and reading other stuff at about age 14). I'm also very interested in behavioral studies and that sort of thing, so thank you for that rec too.

That documentary did manage to plant seeds of doubt in my ability to thrive in this world as a human being. I wasn't born rich so if I want to get that way (and who doesn't) it's probably literally harder than ever to do so. Control of everything is going to fewer and fewer hands. I know I won't get rich from working a job. It really is like being born into a rigged game (an analogy they used in the movie). But it's not all hopeless. I have my mind. I've come up with a dozen or so invention ideas, just simple things, little solutions to everyday problems and I KNOW that my ideas are good..wanna know how I know? Because a quick google search reveals that 90% of the time my ideas already exist. I'd just never heard or seen them in a store before. There're only three ideas (only one of which is really good) that don't currently exist already, to the best of my knowledge. But I'm no engineer. I have no idea how to make these things I come up with. So I need to meet different types of minds to work with. Anyway, starting to ramble now. I guess that's currently my only real hope and dream to really excelling and prospering in this life. Kind of sad, but at least I'm not saying I'm going to be a rapper or some shit. If it doesn't ever work out for me, I know I probably won't be rich, but I'd like to learn to make the most out of what I have. Thanks again.
 
I haven't read any of Jim Rohn's books, but I'd imagine them to be great. I listen to his old seminars on youtube everyday. Man is of inspiration. Look him up on youtube.
 
Sonic

You don't need to read books.

Listen to your Parents and Grand-Parents.

Look through their old photo albums.

In doing-so, you can build an overall appreciation of what wealth is.
 
My grandfather was a business owner, and while he did good, he didn't do great. But I will have a little inheritance to get started in three years time.

Regardless, I'm not sure if I follow where you're going with that line of thought. Focus on family, not money? Or just be appreciative? I am, and there is no one else in my family I admire or respect more than that man and I intend to make him proud with what I do get from him.
 
I'm also one of the only grand kids that never asked him for a handout. Rather than require them to pay it back, he would subtract it from their inheritance, which is exactly what I would have done.
 
Sonic said:
My grandfather was a business owner, and while he did good, he didn't do great. But I will have a little inheritance to get started in three years time.

Regardless, I'm not sure if I follow where you're going with that line of thought. Focus on family, not money? Or just be appreciative? I am, and there is no one else in my family I admire or respect more than that man and I intend to make him proud with what I do get from him.
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That's a good start.

Just saying that many of the answers you seek are already there.

All you have to do is ask those who have a bucket-full of experience. It doesn't matter if a business was successful or not because the outcomes will provide you knowledge and ideas of how to make your own life goals.

Also...you don't need inheritance to be successful in life.

No one will provide you a golden path and no-one can take the path in life that you will choose.

Sure...it's great to read books and there will be much to learn from those who have become wealthy (What-ever-that-is).

If you can listen to your folks and your friends and then make your own plans. you'll probably do ok but it depends on what you think is wealthy. A wealthy person in a 3rd world (Or first world) may consider, clean-water, a belly full of food and a secure place to lie down at night is wealthy.

Some think that a fast car, a flash house and bling is wealthy.

Some say that wealth is good health.

So...maybe before you want to become wealthy, think about what wealth means to you. :)
 
I removed my last comments because I think I got too personal and carried on a bit.

Feel free to add to the list of book recommendations to anyone that wants to. While no book is going to pave the road for success I think gaining insights and knowledge is always important. I haven't decided what to order first just yet but I did find Atlas Shrugged online and, whew, this should keep me busy for a bit.
 
The Bible,

Yes I know up until 6 months ago I would have rolled my eyes as well, I don't necessarily agree or beleive in religions but I do find law interesting. And if the bible is "the book of law" perhaps it's in our own interest to read it?.
 
So I'll preface my post with this; I think most self help books are total BS. I consider myself a pretty strong willed and mindful individual with a good dose of common sense in most situations. The one area I've always been weak in is money. I am an only child and my parents would have been considered upper middle class when I was a kid. I don't want to say I was spoiled but I was given a lot of material support (along with other supports that good parents offer). I'll be the first to admit that extra support made my early years of adulthood a little unbalanced financially because I was used to getting what I wanted when I wanted it. I also have worked in a few different fields before settling on my career I have now and the pay I got at each career varied a great deal from upper middle class salary to near poverty wages. This meant that my lifestyle choices were certainly high off the hog and I didn't always have the cash to maintain them. I am just now (at 35) starting to get everything under control and start to save and prepare for the future.

A book my mother gave me a few years ago was Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover (http://www.daveramsey.com/store/books/dave-s-bestsellers/the-total-money-makeover/prodtmmoclassic.html you can find it cheaper other places I think). It has honestly helped to get me out of debt. None of the ideas are new or original but they are all in one place and he puts them together in a reasonable order to make them work more smothly. The book gives a lot of practical advice on how to get yourself out of debt and change your feeling about debt at the same time. He basically advocates snowballing debt; start with the smallest credit card, bill, whatever and get it paid off soonest. Then using the payment you were making to the first bill apply it to the next lowest until it is paid off. It is sort of like compounding debt payment I guess. The thing I don't like about the book is that there are tons of goofy stories about folks paying their debt and buying houses with cash, etc. I am a skeptic so I don't care much for them. Even if they are true they sound cheesy and lame. Not a fan of that sort of junk.

Ramsey doesn't seem to care for PMs but a lot of the other information is pretty decent. I went from having no savings (had toburn nearly all of it during a painful career change/unemployement bout) and a lot of debt to having: a bit of savings, I'm almost out of credit card debt, I have a gold and silver stack I am happy with, some land that I've banked, mutual funds, stocks and bonds. If you are a young person who hasn't had the chance to get yourself in debt yet it would be a good read anyway because it'll give you strategies so you never get there in the first place.

I don't listen to Ramsey's radio show, I don't really go to his website unless it is to use a few of the financial tools he has there (you can find them all over the web too, it is just easier for me to find them there) and I disagree with some of his advice on investing. What I do like is his debt-free advice. Debt sucks and I know I don't like it. Other than my mortgage I should be debt free in another couple years which will be nice! For that I say thanks Dave!
 
SilverKendo said:
So I'll preface my post with this; I think most self help books are total BS.
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For those of us that didn't grow up with the silver spoon, "self help books" have helped immensely. I'd be worth half as much as I am today (maybe less) if I didn't do the reading I've done.
 
dagsgarrett said:
The Bible,

Yes I know up until 6 months ago I would have rolled my eyes as well, I don't necessarily agree or beleive in religions but I do find law interesting. And if the bible is "the book of law" perhaps it's in our own interest to read it?.
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Yep, rolled my eyes.
:D
:rolleyes:
 
petey said:
SilverKendo said:
So I'll preface my post with this; I think most self help books are total BS.
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For those of us that didn't grow up with the silver spoon, "self help books" have helped immensely. I'd be worth half as much as I am today (maybe less) if I didn't do the reading I've done.
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It is NO coincidence that money management is not an ongoing subject at school - you go from 1+1=2 to simultaneous equations, but money management is barely mentioned and then it disappears from the curriculum. In the end the 'knowledge' usually comes from 'hard knocks' university.

Spot on Petey
 
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