100 books like The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read

By Daniel R Solin,

Here are 100 books that The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read fans have personally recommended if you like The Smartest Sales Book You'll Ever Read. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't

Rusty Komori Author Of Superior: Creating a Superior Culture of Excellence

From my list on building excellence in leadership.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was the Head Coach of the Punahou School Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive State Championships. Since retiring as head coach in 2015, I felt compelled to become an author and share my system of coaching excellence which led to this unprecedented winning streak. I know there are distinct differences between great and superior which can be applied to everyone in business, sports, and life. I want to inspire everyone to maximize their potential and have peak performance as a parent, son or daughter, coach or player, leader or team member.

Rusty's book list on building excellence in leadership

Rusty Komori Why did Rusty love this book?

I loved this book because we all want to achieve greatness, and it clearly identifies practices, strategies, and habits that can take a good team and make them great. It’s a reminder for me to be disciplined as a person, control myself with disciplined thoughts, and exhibit disciplined actions.

I like how Jim Collins emphasizes strategic focus, disciplined decision-making, and the importance of sustained excellence for long-term success. His "Hedgehog Concept" is a great reminder for me to reflect on what I’m deeply passionate about, what I can be the best at, and what drives my economic engine.

By Jim Collins,

Why should I read it?

16 authors picked Good to Great as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

________________________________
Can a good company become a great one? If so, how?

After a five-year research project, Jim Collins concludes that good to great can and does happen. In this book, he uncovers the underlying variables that enable any type of organisation to make the leap from good to great while other organisations remain only good. Rigorously supported by evidence, his findings are surprising - at times even shocking - to the modern mind.

Good to Great achieves a rare distinction: a management book full of vital ideas that reads as well as a fast-paced novel. It is widely regarded…


Book cover of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness

Holly Trantham Author Of Beyond Getting By: The Financial Diet's Guide to Abundant and Intentional Living

From my list on rethinking your relationship with work and money.

Why am I passionate about this?

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!

Holly's book list on rethinking your relationship with work and money

Holly Trantham Why did Holly love this book?

This was probably the most easily digestible book on investing that I’ve ever read. To me, the most difficult part of investing is simply getting over the fear of doing it, and Morgan Housel gives genuine motivation for overcoming that fear.

The chapters are purposefully short, which allowed me to absorb the main takeaways without getting too in the weeds on details (a necessary downside of a lot of nonfiction). I loved that it included very clear examples of how our brains work against us when it comes to our finances, as well as clear advice on how to counteract that.

By Morgan Housel,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked The Psychology of Money as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Doing well with money isn't necessarily about what you know. It's about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people.

Money-investing, personal finance, and business decisions-is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don't make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together.

In The Psychology of Money, award-winning author Morgan…


Book cover of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

Chris Baréz-Brown Author Of Upping Your Elvis

From my list on get your energy right.

Why am I passionate about this?

It has always fascinated me how one person can enter a room, and they can change its temperature, and yet others remain unnoticed. Some feel unstoppable, whilst others struggle to get out of bed. Some create such a resonant, kind, and compassionate coherence in everything they do and all those that they touch; it feels like they are surrounded by blue birds and sunshine, and yet many of their colleagues will not be remembered. To be human is complex and magical. I've spent my life learning how we can get our energy right so that every day becomes extraordinary and Technicolor, and that's why I help businesses do the same.

Chris' book list on get your energy right

Chris Baréz-Brown Why did Chris love this book?

Oliver Burkman saved me from myself. I had a sneaky suspicion that although I claimed to have weaned myself off the addiction of constant optimization, I wasn't absolutely clean, but reading his book was the best rehab I could imagine.

Oliver is incredibly smart and incredibly creative. I've enjoyed his columns for years, but now he has honed his writing style so brilliantly that I couldn't help but be riveted by what can often be quite a boring subject—time and how we use it.

We are our time, and our fixation with it is often unhealthy. Reading this gave me a perceptual reboot that has made me think quite differently about not only each day and how I use it but also how I should think about life. It's novel, entertaining, and enlightening. It's well worth investing one of your 4000 weeks.

By Oliver Burkeman,

Why should I read it?

12 authors picked Four Thousand Weeks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"Provocative and appealing . . . well worth your extremely limited time." ―Barbara Spindel, The Wall Street Journal

The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks.

Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and “life hacks” to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of…


Book cover of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment

Maria Baltazzi Author Of Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want

From my list on wellbeing that will make you feel happier.

Why am I passionate about this?

My career began in television, and the demands wore on me over time. I started realizing that I cared just a little too much and too intensely. It was not emotionally or mentally healthy nor sustainable in the long run. Thus began my journey. Reading a few books turned into several courses, eventually leading to a PhD in Conscious-Centered Living. I realized I wanted to share with others what I learned along the way. However, coming from a creative background, I wanted to take a creative approach toward becoming happier and more content – and do it in a sustainable way. Thus, my book was created to help other seekers.

Maria's book list on wellbeing that will make you feel happier

Maria Baltazzi Why did Maria love this book?

As his students, me included, call him, Tal is a remarkable teacher. His compact book of one hundred and sixty-nine pages is filled with valuable and applicable knowledge on being happier.

He draws a lot from his young life as an athlete and into adult life as a Harvard professor, along with his wellbeing research. His book is set up in three parts: defining happiness, applying happiness, and meditations on happiness. Tal uses “time-in” to have readers stop and reflect on a question relevant to the reading material, which helps one better consider the material more thoughtfully.

The other thing about Tal as a teacher is his approach. It aligns greatly with my ideas about happiness, hence why I study his work. He, more specifically in his happiness studies program, fosters cultivating one's "wholebeing." A term I was already using when I came across his teachings. For me, happiness is…

By Tal Ben-Shahar,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Happier as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"There are few self-help books more resolutley down to earth than Happier...Ben Shahar provides straightforward guidelines for integrating habits of gratitude and accepting negative emotions into daily life" Observer, Jan 2012


Book cover of Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms

Steve Bucci Author Of Credit Repair Kit For Dummies

From my list on a successful life financially and mentally.

Why am I passionate about this?

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.

Steve's book list on a successful life financially and mentally

Steve Bucci Why did Steve love this book?

Just the fact that this is the tenth edition tells me that this is a financial classic. Once your credit is solid and you know how to save, you’ll want to make your money grow. Understanding investment terms will demystify financial planners' and brokers' jargon so you won't be disadvantaged.

I like the fact that this book fits in my pocket and doesn’t weigh 50 pounds! I never have to ask, “What are you talking about?” when I meet an investment professional. It’s an easy-to-use resource.

By John Downes, Jordan Elliot Goodman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

More than 5,000 terms related to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, banking, tax laws, and transactions in the various financial markets are presented alphabetically with descriptions. The new ninth edition has been updated to take account of new financial regulations and recent dramatic swings in equities, credit, and other financial developments. Readers will also find a list of financial abbreviations and acronyms, as well as illustrative diagrams and charts. Here’s a valuable, thorough dictionary for business students, financial professionals, or private investors.


Book cover of Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth: How You and Your Financial Advisor Can Grow Your Fortune in Stock Mutual Funds

Jeff Bernier Author Of The Money and Meaning Journey: A Guide to Clarity, Financial Confidence, and Joy

From my list on financial peace in retirement.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a wealth advisor for over 37 years, I find many people reach retirement lacking clarity and confidence. Traditional financial advice often focuses on things that are unknowable, uncontrollable, and frankly don’t matter that much. While sound technical investment, estate, and tax planning are critical, the soul’s need for meaning and purpose are as important as sound financial plans. The path to true financial peace may be simpler than you think. These books can help you focus on the fewer, more critical things so that you can thrive in retirement and free yourself from financial media which is not in business to support your vision of a meaningful life.

Jeff's book list on financial peace in retirement

Jeff Bernier Why did Jeff love this book?

An easy read for the retirement investor. 

It helps you understand what the real risks are and how to own equities (the world’s great businesses) to create a rising income stream in retirement.

I am usually jealous when I read anything from Nick Murray – wishing I had his gift of communicating with great conviction and humor.

I believe in the message of this book so much that I send it to clients on the one-year anniversary of our relationship!

By Nick Murray,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Preface: Over the course of the last three decades, I've been an advisor to individual investors, and now - for want of a better description - an advisor to other financial advisors. This book will tell you absolutely everything of critical importance that learned about investing during that time. That's the good news. It may also be the bad news. It's potentially good news because if one labors diligently and lovingly at this profession for over thirty years, as I've tried to do, one learns an awful lot about how markets and investments really work. I need hardly add that,…


Book cover of A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined the Money Class

Matthew P. Fink Author Of The Unlikely Reformer: Carter Glass and Financial Regulation

From my list on American financial history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was always interested in American history and studied at Brown University under an outstanding professor of American economic history, James Blaine Hedges.   During my career at the mutual fund association I often approached issues from an historical perspective. For example:  Why did Congress draft legislation in a particular way?  How would past events likely affect a regulator’s decisions today?  As a lawyer I had been trained to write carefully and precisely.  As a lobbyist I learned the need to pre

Matthew's book list on American financial history

Matthew P. Fink Why did Matthew love this book?

My previous recommendations describe the rise of American finance capitalism, leading to the roaring 1920s, the 1929 debacle, and reform legislation. A Piece of the Action takes us forward into the post-World War Two period, when middle-class Americans moved from being cautious savers to become borrowers and investors on a massive scale. The author is an experienced journalist who captures these more recent developments in highly readable style.

By Joe Nocera,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Piece of the Action as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now with a new introduction describing the fallout of America’s consumer credit boom, 1994’s wildly acclaimed bestseller A Piece of the Action tells the story of how millions of middle class Americans went from being savers to borrowers and investors through the invention of credit cards, mutual funds, and IRAs—resulting in profound societal change.

“America began to change on a mid-September day in 1958, when the Bank of America dropped its first 60,000 credit cards on the unassuming city of Fresno, California.” So begins Joe Nocera’s riveting account of one of the most astonishing revolutions in modern American life—what Nocera…


Book cover of Investing for Kids Activity Book: 65 Activities about Saving, Investing, and Growing Your Money

Juwan Rohan Author Of Money Talks: The Beginners Guide To Investing For Kids

From my list on for children to learn financial literacy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very passionate about teaching children's financial literacy and business because with social media, it's easy for children to get caught up in the flashy and shiny materialist things. I like to teach kids about business and how to use the mistakes in business to scale and grow. I have expertise in this area as I've written three books, taught financial literacy & business at schools, and own a few different businesses. After I graduated college, I was thrown into the 'real world' with a good job and learned my lessons the hard way by spending too much money on things that did not matter. Hence my passion to want to help The Misguided.

Juwan's book list on for children to learn financial literacy

Juwan Rohan Why did Juwan love this book?

This book is a great option for children who want more activity rather than just reading. This book will keep you engaged!

It's another great option to work with your children and spend quality time teaching them how to make better financial decisions so that they are prepared for the world. I really enjoyed completing this book with my little nephew and the joy on his face when he realized how much money he can potentially have in the future is priceless.

By Justine Nelson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Investing for Kids Activity Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Help your child become a financial whiz kid—for ages 8 to 12

It’s never too early to set children on the path to financial literacy. This activity book, a companion to Investing for Kids, teaches them how to become savvy with their finances. Through educational and engaging exercises, they’ll learn how to track their spending, make good investments, and so much more.
Build a financial vocabulary—Your kid will sound like a finance pro as they learn all sorts of important financial terms like mutual funds, debit vs. credit, and simple interest vs. compound interest. Explore engaging activities—They’ll develop their money…


Book cover of Common Sense on Mutual Funds

John M. Mulvey Author Of Worldwide Asset and Liability Modeling

From my list on how to achieve your financial goals.

Why am I passionate about this?

In my first year as an undergraduate in computer science at the University of Illinois, I took two classes that set the course for my 54-year career (6 years at TRW Systems aerospace firm, and 48 years teaching at Harvard and Princeton Universities): 1) introduction to optimization, and 2) computer algorithms. These topics continue to fascinate me, especially as they relate to improving investment performance via modern optimization technology and data sciences. Optimization plays a critical role in many domains, including supply chains, quantitative finance, and machine learning algorithms. Everyone interested in improving performance ought to understand the successful uses of this proven technology.

John's book list on how to achieve your financial goals

John M. Mulvey Why did John love this book?

As a loyal Princeton University alum, Jack Bogle often visited us and participated in discussions at the Bendheim Center for Finance, at our investment workshops, and at reunions, as well as lectures in my and others’ courses at Princeton. Jack had a remarkable ability to take a complicated problem and distill it into simple, intuitive, and understandable terms.

This highly readable book provides several topics worth studying for individuals interested in improving their wealth and risk management activities. It shows Jack’s philosophy and his direct attitude to managing money to minimize costs; it provides an excellent starting point for establishing sound investing steps.  

By John C. Bogle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Common Sense on Mutual Funds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

John C. Bogle shares his extensive insights on investing in mutual funds

Since the first edition of Common Sense on Mutual Funds was published in 1999, much has changed, and no one is more aware of this than mutual fund pioneer John Bogle. Now, in this completely updated Second Edition, Bogle returns to take another critical look at the mutual fund industry and help investors navigate their way through the staggering array of investment alternatives that are available to them.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this reliable resource examines the fundamentals of mutual fund investing in today's turbulent…


Book cover of Chuck Jaffe's Lifetime Guide To Mutual Funds: An Owner's Manual

Arthur VanDam Author Of Save Money on Groceries: 327 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bills and More

From my list on personal finance that make building wealth easy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love helping people save money in creative ways, build wealth, and gain financial freedom. Thankfully, my Dad taught me how to budget when I was 12 years old. My accounting professor used a ski lift as a way to analyze business profitability. I could visualize that! At Citibank, I found that people were overwhelmed with their finances and Wall Street was confusing. I’m a CPA and MBA in Finance. I love writing, sharing examples, and finding straightforward ways to help people save money and build wealth. These experiences showed me how to make my money work for me. I show you how to make your money work for you!

Arthur's book list on personal finance that make building wealth easy

Arthur VanDam Why did Arthur love this book?

Chuck Jaffe knows personal finance and especially mutual funds. He’s spent a lifetime mastering personal finance including from his early days with The Boston Globe newspaper.

This guide is a comprehensive roadmap to understanding and investing in mutual funds. Jaffe’s A to Z resource helps readers get started and create a long-term investing plan with mutual funds. He explains asset allocation to help design an investment portfolio. He reveals the characteristics of winning and losing mutual funds.

Two great chapters are "Seven Steps to Buying a Fund" and "Twelve Questions to Ask Before You Buy". He helps us avoid pitfalls that cost investors money. Designed for seasoned and new investors alike. While other books are ‘cloudy’ Jaffe writes in plain English and explains it all.  

By Charles Jaffe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chuck Jaffe's Lifetime Guide To Mutual Funds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

encyclopaedic in its scope yet easy-to-use, this mutual-fund "owner's manual" is a one-stop resource for anyone who wants to go beyond the basics and start planning long-term, profitable fund investments. Breezy, readable, and organized into manageable mini-chapters, it will prove indispensable for investors with all levels of financial experience and knowledge. Syndicated columnist Chuck Jaffe is an idea coach to the ins and outs of mutual-fund ownership, from buying and selling funds to passing them on to heirs. He cuts through the clutter that confuses many investors and costs them money.


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