There is a popular saying that goes, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Also, people who have achieved great financial success have one thing in common— they read a lot. Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett and others attribute their success, to a large extent, to their reading habits. Thus, as an investor, you need to make out time to read every single day. It doesn’t matter whether you are an experienced investor or just starting out, these books will help to make better investment decisions.
The Richest Man in Babylon
George S. Clason
This is a classic book written over a hundred years ago by George Clason. The principles outlined in this book can be applied today to achieve financial success. The five basic laws of money as outlined by Clason include:
- Savings: You must keep a tenth of your income to yourself. To make this happen, it is best to pay yourself first before you spend.
- Controlling your Expenses: This means living way below your means.
- Multiply your Gold: Savings is not enough to make you rich. You need to put your savings into investment vehicles to multiple your gold. Also, the book talks about reinvesting the first profits from your investments.
- Securing your investment: The lesson is to steer clear of get-rich-quick opportunities.
- Invest in a Dwelling: You spend a greater portion of your earnings to pay for a dwelling place (rent). You will save more if you can put up a dwelling place for yourself and your family.
Other principles like self-discipline and gambling were explained in the book. If there is any investment book I will recommend for any investor, it is the richest man in Babylon.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki
Although recently the author of this book filed for bankruptcy, this book still remains a must-read for every investor. The core lesson from the book is to build up an asset column and reduce the liability column. According to Kiyosaki, to build your asset column, you need to invest in income-producing assets like real estate, business, stocks, mutual funds, bonds and income-producing intellectual properties.
The Millionaire Next Door
William Danko and Thomas Stanley
This book is the result of a research carried out by the authors. For 25 years, the authors carried out a research on the lives of self-made millionaires living in America. They discovered that there are some traits that the rich have in common and they include:
- The rich live below their incomes.
- They know how to manage their time and focus on important things.
- The rich know how to discover opportunities and take advantage of them.
The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham
If there is any book I will recommend for a new stock investor, it is this book. The author demystifies the technical aspects of stock investment. Not just that, he explains the concept of controlling your emotions when it comes to investment decisions. Also, the importance of diversifying and how to diversify your investment portfolio as an investor were explained. The concept in this book can be applied to any type of investment, not just stock investment. Little wonder Warren Buffet recommends this book for investors.
Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups
Jason Calacanis
The Nigerian tech industry is still at its infancy stage now. Every smart investor with foresight knows that the Nigerian tech industry is a goldmine. In the coming years, there will be a mega rush to invest in tech startups. Only the early birds will take a large chunk of this gold. The author of this book turned $100,000 to $100 million in a short time by investing in startups in Silicon Valley. This book will help you identify a valuable startup at its early stages and invest.
The Essays of Warren Buffet
Lawrence Cunningham
Every serious investor out there knows that Warren Buffett is the king of 21st-century stock investment. For years, he released business write-ups which he termed, essays. The book, “Essays by Warren Buffet” is a compilation of all essays written by Buffet in one piece. For anybody who is serious about investing in general, and stock investment in particular, this book should be a constant companion.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
John C. Bogle
This is another book that has been recommended by Warren Buffet for stock investors. In this book, the author is of the view that stock investment transcends intelligence and has a lot to do with common sense. For him, to win the stock market game, you have to do these three things:
- Diversify your portfolio.
- Have a long-term mindset.
- Don’t try to beat the market because the bookie always wins
Although these books are written by foreign authors, the principles can be applied here in Nigeria.
Written by Justice Chidex
Thanks for recommending the books above. I have read the first two before now. I will read them again and also add the others to learn something new.