93 books like The Wealthy Barber

I've added this one by Stephen Covey to my Favorites because its insights impacted me. Though some of its terms may show their age, the timeless wisdom within resonates powerfully.

Covey's message about personal responsibility and the power of choice seems even more relevant today amidst a landscape of growing self-entitlement. His words ring true: "We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to choose the consequences." This stark reminder amplifies the book's significance and enduring relevance. I

found it an essential read for my personal growth and character.

I love this book because his techniques are so practical and easy to use.

I re-read his book when I was in the middle of a difficult business negotiation over Zoom and email and followed his directions step by step. This led to a positive outcome for both of us.

He makes sure that you are very clear on what is essential for you, enables you to figure out the sometimes hidden motivations of the other person, and guides you through on what to say and do next. I will go through it again the next time I am preparing a negotiation.

One of the reasons I was unsuccessful in my job search was my lack of ability to read people.

I struggled to the point of desperation. I was fascinated by body language and nonverbal communication since my childhood. This book triggered my interest in studying and training seriously.

Slowly, I got to the point where I was able to teach body language interpretation to hiring managers and job seekers. This book was exactly what I needed at the time to navigate the job market and to succeed in the corporate world. 

Joe Navarro worked as an expert in counterintelligence and counterterrorism at the FBI. He is one of the world’s leading experts in nonverbal communication. This book is the best resource to help you navigate your professional and personal life. 

Maté asks why chronic illness and general poor health are on the rise in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems.

Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, one person in five has high blood pressure, while in Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And adolescent mental illness is on the rise everywhere.

Despite medical knowledge and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person by not considering how contemporary culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines our sense of emotional balance.

Maté dispels common myths about what makes us sick, connecting the dots between the maladies of individuals and the progressive malaise of society, and offers some suggestions for healing. 

At last a book that tells the truth about investment and how it works. The most important thing is keeping down charges. They eat away at your money every month and only enrich other people. Don’t let them manage your money – trust the markets. There are exercises and worksheets to do. So it is not a casual read. But if you study it and work through it you will end up better off and have enough money for your future. Which is the true meaning of wealth.

When Katie and I married, we had completely different views on finances. In particular, I wanted to get out of debt and Katie seemed like she wanted to keep spending money regardless of how much we had. Someone gave us this book as a wedding gift and Katie read it on our honeymoon. By the time we came home her view was completely changed.

It’s probably the highest recommendation I can give this book. There’s a reason it is the top-selling financial book of all time. I have read it and recommended it to others. The book has mass appeal because it’s not strictly Christian.

Get-rich-quick schemes are avoided in place of a simple and straightforward approach. The program, Financial Peace University, has been used in churches and secular organizations. The major focus is the elimination of debt. The accompanying radio show, podcasts, and supplemental material also have this focus.

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.

First to a Million flips the script for teens and young adults. It lets young people know the “go to school, get a job, and work for 40+ years, then enjoy your retirement” isn’t for everyone.

This is the book I wish I had when I was a teen. Packed full of real-life examples of people who have reached financial independence at remarkably early ages, it is both inspiring and motivational.

I love how Dan Sheeks, the author and a high school teacher, gives teens and young adults a blueprint to shed the playbook that so many of us were given and learn to live life on their terms and maybe even retire before they are 30. 

Seeing there are many ways to build wealth and reach financial independence at an early age in a sustainable way is a gift we need to give to more young people. 

This is an entirely different kind of book to those listed above. From 1990 to 1996 Amy Dacyczyn, a self-styled "frugal zealot," put out a monthly newsletter, The Tightwad Gazette. It contained all sorts of tips, tricks, strategies, and advice on how to pinch pennies. This book brings all her articles together in a single volume. For anyone committed to living simply–which usually means living cheaply–it is a goldmine. True, not all her recommendations met with my family's approval: mixing real maple syrup 50-50 with fake maple syrup received multiple thumbs down. But browsing through it is great fun, and on almost any page you'll find a salutary reminder of how you could be more frugal. And as we all know, frugality is associated with wisdom and with happiness.

Rich Dad Poor Dad is the book that changed the trajectory of my life forever.

It is a parable that explains the difference between the traditional way of thinking “Go to school, get a good job, work hard, retire” with the entrepreneur mentality, and the concepts of utilizing passive income to replace your job at an earlier age.

I love this book because it takes the normally boring subject of finance and investing and breaks it down in a fun and easy way to learn so that you will actually finish the book and have the ability to experience that light-switch moment! 

Without a doubt this is the most commonly mentioned book that I hear referenced on podcasts as “the book that started it all”.