100 books like Money Mammoth

I began a mission in 1991 to help individuals and families recover from the unfairness of the financial system. I believe that understanding personal finance and having good credit is essential to living a successful life in the United States; however, most people don’t understand (because they have never been taught) even the basics. I formed a non-profit serving three states that helped tens of thousands of families and individuals get back in control of their finances, wrote a weekly column on credit and debt for Bankrate.com for 20 years, and wrote or co-wrote ten books on credit, scoring, and debt management.

I began a mission in 1991 to help individuals and families recover from the unfairness of the financial system. I believe that understanding personal finance and having good credit is essential to living a successful life in the United States; however, most people don’t understand (because they have never been taught) even the basics. I formed a non-profit serving three states that helped tens of thousands of families and individuals get back in control of their finances, wrote a weekly column on credit and debt for Bankrate.com for 20 years, and wrote or co-wrote ten books on credit, scoring, and debt management.

I began a mission in 1991 to help individuals and families recover from the unfairness of the financial system. I believe that understanding personal finance and having good credit is essential to living a successful life in the United States; however, most people don’t understand (because they have never been taught) even the basics. I formed a non-profit serving three states that helped tens of thousands of families and individuals get back in control of their finances, wrote a weekly column on credit and debt for Bankrate.com for 20 years, and wrote or co-wrote ten books on credit, scoring, and debt management.

I am the first in my family to go into business for myself. Now, it took me years of thinking about it before I made the jump. I was scared to take that step, but I did it. My expertise came from 25 years of managing hundreds of clients in numerous industries. I loved how successful people can be with the craziest of ideas. How can you find your passion so you are happy and loving what you are doing in life? How do you overcome the fear of failure, move forward with your desires, and become abundant in doing it? 

At The Financial Diet, I’ve written and produced videos about money, productivity, and work/life balance for the better part of a decade. I’ve come to the conclusion that most of our commonly held beliefs about money and work are incorrect: your job shouldn’t be your main purpose, and money shouldn’t be the end goal in and of itself. I’ve also been a longtime nonfiction reader, and I lead a monthly book club for our Patreon members. This list is composed of my favorite selections from those meetings (a few of which I’d read previously), and I hope they invite you to question your own relationship with work and money!

I was a finance major who worked in banking, so I knew what I needed to do with money, but I found it challenging to follow through. The books I previously read were money books written by financial gurus who always used yelling and shaming as their teaching method. It never aligned with me. I started writing books with more compassion and an understanding that there are other variables affecting your financial health. I continue to read and recommend books written by people who aspire to help others by giving them knowledge and the space and grace to grow without the guilt trip.

I’ve been rather fixated with money and finances since I was a kid beating my friend's parents at Monopoly. I majored in economics and had a few rough years financially graduating into the depths of the great recession in 2010. In 2013 I completed my Master’s in finance and economics, took a day job in economic research, and have been moonlighting as a finance writer for the past five years.  

At The Financial Diet, I’ve written and produced videos about money, productivity, and work/life balance for the better part of a decade. I’ve come to the conclusion that most of our commonly held beliefs about money and work are incorrect: your job shouldn’t be your main purpose, and money shouldn’t be the end goal in and of itself. I’ve also been a longtime nonfiction reader, and I lead a monthly book club for our Patreon members. This list is composed of my favorite selections from those meetings (a few of which I’d read previously), and I hope they invite you to question your own relationship with work and money!

Black women's mental wellness is important to me because my racial identity was interrupted by racial assimilation. There was a period of time where I thought passing for white would lead me to the success I sought. I learned that adopting white norms and values as my own was psychologically harmful, and these books led to racial restoration and mental well-being. I am an associate professor of clinical mental health, and I teach my students to assess, identify, and promote healthy racial identity development. I hope readers who are on their journeys will find these books helpful. 

I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church, a role I've held since 2010. I preach God’s Word 1 to 3 times weekly, and I'm also a conference speaker and author. While I do some counseling and discipling, my main focus is on teaching and preaching, which involves studying God’s Word for 20 to 30 hours per week. I've learned biblical financial principles and I'm passionate about equipping people with them. With ten children on a single-income pastor’s salary, I've had to apply these principles in my own life, which has reinforced their importance and effectiveness.