The Best Investing Books of All Time for Beginners (2024)

All successful investors and businessmen are avid readers.

Bill Gates reads about 50 books a year, while Warren Buffet read up to 1,000 pages of material daily at the start of his investing career. Mark Cuban reads for 3 hrs daily, not to mention Elon Musk, who read his way into learning how to build rockets.

If you want to follow in their tracks, you’ve got to develop a reading culture and become a passionate searcher of knowledge.

Reading the best investing books can help you tap into the wisdom of successful investors, learn their investing strategies, avoid mistakes, and build your spiritual and mental capacity to accommodate resources.

In this post, I present you the top 15 investing books that will help you develop the right mindset and start or continue your investment journey with confidence.

Table of Contents show

Best Investment Books for Beginners

Below is a rundown of the best investing books of all time.

1. The Intelligent Investor

The Intelligent Investor is one of the best investing books for value investing, and its author, Benjamin Graham, is reputed as one of the most influential investors of the 20th century.

Over the years, the book has come to be accepted as the stock market bible, and its wisdom in developing long-term investment strategies has been tested and applied by some of the most successful investors, including Warren Buffet.

You’ll learn the following:

How to be a successful investor regardless of the market conditions.
How to avoid risks and make money in the stock market
How to overcome emotions, avoid speculation, and develop long-term strategies.

The book is ranked as a #1 best seller on Amazon, and you can get it for about $18.

2. The Simple Path To Wealth

Written by J.L. Collins, The Simple Path To Wealth is one of the best investing books for beginners.

The author focuses on opening your mind to a better way of thinking about money and wealth in humorous language that’s easy to understand and implement.

The book touches almost every area of personal finances and is presented as a road map to financial independence, which is key to leading a rich, free life.

You’ll learn the following:

Debt and how to avoid or deal with it
How to think about money as the basis of building wealth
The stock market, and how to invest in bull, or bear market
Wealth building and wealth preservation, and more

You can get the book on Amazon for about $18.

Related: Find the best personal finance apps.

3. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

The Little Book of Commons Sense Investing is one of the best investing books to read for buy and hold investors.

It is written by John C. Bogle, the creator of the first index fund, and the founder of the Vanguard Group.

Bogle points you to a simple strategy of investing in low-cost index funds as a surefire way to guarantee your fair share of the stock market returns.

You’ll learn the following:

To avoid the zero-sum game of trying to beat the market
Building and holding a diversified portfolio of stocks
The 3 sources of market returns
How to harness the magic of compound interest

You can get the book on Amazon for about $14.

4. Common Sense on Mutual Funds

If you want an extensive guide on investing in mutual funds, Common Sense on Mutual Funds is one of the best investing books to read.

5. A Random Walk Down Wall Street

A Random Walk Down Wall Street is among the best stock market investing books that present a time-tested investing strategy for your portfolio.

In this book, Burton G. Malkiel, a successful investor, and financial advisor delve deep into the American financial markets and how they work.

He then helps you understand the term “the Street” and how to navigate it with a well-researched, time-tested investment strategy.

You’ll learn the following:

How you can beat professional portfolio managers who use sophisticated techniques with a low-cost, diversified index of international securities.
The futility of technical analysis
How to analyze the potential returns of different market securities.
Step-by-step guidance on protecting and growing your hard-earned money.

You can get it on Amazon for about $18.

6. The Essays of Warren Buffett

The Essays of Warren Buffet is among the best investing books of all time that’s great for anyone who wants to tap into Buffet’s investing philosophy and thoughts.

The book is a collection of Warren Buffet’s shareholder letters arranged topically by Lawrence Cunningham, one of the longest-serving Warren experts.

Perusing it, you’ll find unmatched insight into the investing principles, thoughts, and views of the world’s most legendary value investor, including:

Valuing and picking good businesses to invest in
Good corporate governance
Selecting smart managers

You can get it on Amazon for about $35

7. Fooled by Randomness

Fooled by Randomness is a great investing book for traders and business people.

The author, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, is a renowned veteran trader and risk expert who tries to bring out the influence of happenstances and our beliefs about luck and skill in a world we don’t fully understand.

You’ll learn the following:

How we perceive and deal with luck in life and business.
How luck is mistaken for skill in the world of trading
How we underestimate the influence of chance in our lives

You can read the book on Amazon Kindle for about $15.

8. The Four Pillars of Investing

Written by William J. Bernstein, The Four Pillars of Investing is one of the best investing books of all time.

The author lays out the pillars of building a solid portfolio with little effort and without requiring financial advisors, great intelligence, or good luck.

Using real-life examples, he helps you determine your financial goals and build an investment strategy that will help you create long-term wealth.

You’ll learn the following:

The history of the stock market
The investor’s and the market’s psychology
The relationship between risk and reward
A program for building wealth while controlling risk
The dangers of taking financial advice from investment salespeople

You can get the book on Amazon for $16.

The Best Investing Books of All Time for Beginners (1)

9. Richest Man in Babylon

The Richest Man in Babylon is among the best investing books of all time that’s beloved by millions and hailed as a great source of inspiration in personal finance circles.

The author, George S. Clason, uses ancient Babylonian parables to reveal the secrets to personal wealth and prosperity and the solutions to personal financial struggles.

Through fascinating and entertaining tales, he lays out the universal laws of prosperity as discovered and applied by the ancient residents of Babylon, who ended up becoming the most prosperous people of their time.

You’ll learn the following:

How to build savings little by little from your earnings
How to have your money work for you
How to make wise investments
How to protect your investments

Get it on Amazon for about $7

10. The Millionaire Teacher

The Millionaire Teacher stands among the best investing books for beginners who want to make up for financial literacy that’s rarely taught in schools.

The Author, Andrew Hallam, was a high school teacher who rose to millionaire status following simple financial fundamentals and a passive investing strategy.

You’ll learn the following:

Nine rules of wealth to gain financial literacy and make smart investment decisions
How to achieve financial independence through smart investing
Avoid get-rich-quick schemes or trendy investments peddled by self-serving industry players.
Passive investing in index funds
Dollar-cost averaging vs lump-sum investing
Robo-advisors and how to find the right financial advisor

The book is available on Amazon for about $11.

11. The Millionaire Next Door

Written by Thomas J. Stanley, The Millionaire Next Door is among the best investment books to read by anyone who wants to build a wealth mentality and character.

The author spent two decades studying the traits of millionaires to uncover how the rich get rich and lays out the frugal life of millionaires, which makes it possible for them to save and invest money.

You’ll learn the following:

How the traits of millionaires are opposed to those of the majority
That you don’t need an advanced degree or inheritance to get rich
How a flashy lifestyle minimizes your chances of becoming rich
How to bargain-shop for big-ticket items to save money to invest

The book is currently selling on Amazon for about $13.

12. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Written by Edwin Lefevre, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is a top investing book for traders that have been accepted in the trading community as a trading textbook by most traders.

It’s a story of Jesse Livermore’s trading career, a Wall Street superstar who made $28 million in a year, lost it all, and made a comeback to make $73 million.

In its chapters, you’ll find interview-based, long statements from Livermore as he talks about his trading journey.

You’ll learn the following:

The psychology of trading
How to figure out the best stock to buy and when

The book is available on Amazon for about $13.

13. The Little Book That Beat The Market

Written by Joel Greenblatt, The Little Book That Still Beats The Market stands among the best value investing books.

The author delves into the basic principles of value investing using a long-term strategy that holds through good and bad times in the stock market.

He then presents a formula that if understood and applied correctly, ultimately beats the market and expert fund managers by a wide margin.

You’ll learn the following:

The basic principles of successful stock market investing
How to find and invest in good businesses when available at a bargain
Why success eludes most professional and individual investors
A time-tested formula for buying great companies at below-average prices.

You can buy the book on Amazon for $15.

14. Thinking Fast and Slow

Thinking fast and slow is among the best books on investing for anyone who wants to learn about the psychology of investment.

The author, Daniel Kahneman, lays out the natural biases that affect our judgment when making business/investment choices or other choices in our personal lives.

You’ll learn the following:

The two systems that drive our thinking and how they affect our choices
How to trust your intuitions by tapping into slow thinking
How to protect against mental biases that can lead to wrong choices

You can read the book on Amazon for free.

Rich Dad Poor Dad

Written by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Rich Dad Poor Dad is reputed as one of the best investing books of all time.

It features the story of the author growing up with two fathers, and how they had different mentalities and views about money, which ultimately determined their financial destiny.

You’ll learn the following:

Poverty vs wealth mentality
Burst the myth that you need a high income to become rich
Difference between an asset and a liability
How the education system conditions you to work for money
Working for money vs having money work for you
What to teach your children about money to guarantee their financial success.

Get it on Amazon for about $7

Best Books for Investing: Conclusion

There you have it! Go ahead and put your Amazon kindle to work, or order the hard copy and have it delivered to your address.

You can also stroll to the nearby bookshops and make a purchase or even visit the nearby library to see whether they have a few copies available.

Whatever you do, keep reading!

As someone deeply immersed in the world of investment literature, I can attest to the transformative power that books have on shaping the mindset of successful investors. The evidence lies not only in the accomplishments of legendary figures like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Cuban, and Elon Musk, but also in the countless stories of individuals who have achieved financial success through a commitment to continuous learning.

Let's delve into the concepts introduced in the article and explore each of the recommended investment books:

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham:
- Key Concepts: Value investing, long-term investment strategies, risk avoidance, emotional discipline.
The Simple Path To Wealth by J.L. Collins:
- Key Concepts: Financial independence, debt management, stock market investing in different market conditions.
The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle:
- Key Concepts: Buy and hold strategy, investing in low-cost index funds, long-term market returns, compound interest.
Common Sense on Mutual Funds by John C. Bogle:
- Key Concepts: Building a winning mutual investment portfolio, timeless principles of investing, low-cost, diversified index funds.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel:
- Key Concepts: Efficient market hypothesis, low-cost, diversified index investing, the futility of technical analysis.
The Essays of Warren Buffett:
- Key Concepts: Insights into Warren Buffett's investing philosophy, valuing and picking good businesses, good corporate governance.
Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb:
- Key Concepts: Influence of luck in life and business, the misconception of luck for skill in trading.
The Four Pillars of Investing by William J. Bernstein:
- Key Concepts: Building a solid portfolio, understanding the history of the stock market, psychology of investors and the market, risk and reward relationship.
Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason:
- Key Concepts: Building savings, making money work for you, making wise investments, protecting investments.
The Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam:
- Key Concepts: Wealth-building rules, financial independence through smart investing, passive investing in index funds.
The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley:
- Key Concepts: Traits of millionaires, frugal lifestyle for saving and investing, building wealth without extravagant spending.
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre:
- Key Concepts: Psychology of trading, determining the best stocks to buy and when.
The Little Book That Still Beats The Market by Joel Greenblatt:
- Key Concepts: Value investing principles, beating the market with a long-term strategy.
Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman:
- Key Concepts: Psychology of investment, natural biases affecting judgment, two systems of thinking.
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki:
- Key Concepts: Wealth mentality, debunking myths about income and wealth, the difference between assets and liabilities.

Each of these books provides valuable insights, strategies, and perspectives that contribute to the development of a well-rounded and informed investor. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced investor, these resources offer a wealth of knowledge to guide your investment journey.