An economics professor, a financial analyst, a historian and an American president write about what we lack to get rich. We have gathered for you 5 best books how to save money that are not too late to read at any financial age and with any amount on the card.
STEPHEN DUBNER, STEVEN LEVITT “When to Rob a Bank”
What the book is about. University of Chicago economics professor Steven Levitt and writer-journalist Stephen Dubner (aka a rock musician and English professor at Columbia University) calculated the profits from their previous bestsellers “Freakonomics” and “Super Freakonomics” and decided to make money again. The book has been compared to a humorous blog–but it’s not just jokes: Steven Levitt is on the Times list of “One Hundred People Who Shape Our World.” 
In Leafhacks, the authors dissect the problems of the global economy with amusing examples. And they draw unexpected conclusions: for example, about the economic inexpediency and extreme inefficiency of mass conscription.
It turns out that flooring with one-cent coins in the U.S. is cheaper than any other covering. Then why does the government issue such cheap money? Also, why do people succumb to herd mentality? Why is there an ever-increasing demand for shrimp? Is it possible to predict which names will become popular and which will not? What are the financial benefits of cooperation between environmentalists and… A brothel?
By the way, robbing a bank is “best never.” It is economically unprofitable: in the USA such robbers earn on the average $4120 if they succeed. True, such cases are few: more than a third of criminals are caught.
Best Quotes from
“What would you rather: pay the Secretary of Education the standard salary of $200,000 whether or not he’s any good, or give him one check for $5 million, which he will get in ten years if his efforts help raise exam scores by 10 percent?”
“People overestimate the likelihood of terrible but rare accidents and underestimate the likelihood of equally dangerous but everyday events. A person may fear a terrorist attack and mad cow disease more than anything else, even though he would be better off fearing a heart attack (and taking action) and salmonellosis (and washing the kitchen board better).”
DAVID STEVENSON “Secrets of Wealthy People: 50 Techniques to Get Rich”
What the book is about. Investor, entrepreneur, financial expert, editor-in-chief of AltFinanceNews, and Financial Times columnist David Stephenson writes about whether you can calculate your financial future, when to start building retirement capital, how to save your savings from government encroachment, and what the dangers of consistently high returns are. The book is about how to save money over a lifetime.
As we age, our priorities change, so the book is divided into life stages: young Stevenson talks about risky entrepreneurial ideas, 40-50 year olds – about wealth accumulation and financial risks, next comes advice for retirees and at the very end – practical ideas “how to save money”, “what will help to accumulate
capital”, etc.
The title of the book is deceptive – there are no “money-saving tips” in the usual form, Stevenson does not promise a sudden “attack of money”. But the book will definitely help someone change their money mindset. What’s important: No chatter about self-development, self-help and energy flows.
The main idea: to get rich, you need to work hard and hard, and also consider yourself as the main business company in life. And take the “key signals strategies”: you can join the “wisdom of the crowd” through online tools (for example, Google Trends shows what people are searching all over the world in real time, you can make money on it).
Quotes from
“Never, ever take out a loan at more than a 10 percent interest rate.”
“Luck and the ability to be in the right place at the right time, to connect with more people who can help create wealth, is more important than just knowledge. So it’s very important to spend money on meeting people as well.”
“Opportunities in business are like buses: if one is missed, there will always be the next one.”
“Essays of WARREN BUFETT lessons for Investors and Managers”
What the book is about. The title may sound boring, but don’t give up on the cover: Buffett has long been among the richest men in the world, and his approach to investing has become a benchmark. The book contains Buffett’s letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, written over a period of decades.
Buffett’s letters are called informal financial education, and the advice is the exact opposite of what has been taught in business and law schools for the past 30 years. The book includes detailed deal cases to help newcomers get their not-so-big financial bumps.
Tips
Calculate risks. Buffett discusses the “inefficient crane in the sky.” How sure can you be that there really is a crane in the sky? When will it appear and how big will it be? What is the risk-free interest rate? By answering such questions, you can calculate the maximum value of the crane and the maximum number of tits you will agree to exchange for it.
Don’t blindly copy someone else’s experience. Buffett talks about this with a quote from Robert Benchley: “If a boy has a dog, he becomes loyal, persistent, and turns three times around himself every time before he lies down.”
Planning. Like Coca-Cola, which in 1896 made a plan for the company 100 years ahead.
Don’t be afraid to put all your eggs in one basket. Buffett quotes Mark Twain: “Put all your eggs in one basket, but…save the basket!”
The book also contains many entertaining aphorisms about the nature of business. Here is a comparison of a market investor to a Cinderella at a ball: she has to leave before midnight, but the clock in the room has no hands.
Quotes from
“Some results just take time: you won’t get a baby in a month even if you get nine women pregnant.”
“Would you sell your house at any price offered at 9:31 just because at 9:30 a similar house sold for less than its value yesterday?”
ROBERT KIYOSAKI and DONALD TRUMP “Why we want you to be rich”
What the book is about. How to become a successful businessman in an environment where nine out of ten attempts fail.
You already know all about Donald Trump. And Robert Kiyosaki is the 53-year-old guy who published the book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” at his own expense and became famous. An hour-long TV show at Oprah’s made him $5 million in profits. And the first business (waterproof wallets for surfers from old sails) almost failed, but Kiyosaki learned a lot – and invented the board game “Cash Flow” (for which he now receives a passive income). And the idea of nylon wallets became a success after all – when they were attached to the shoelaces of joggers’ sneakers. Interestingly, this happened at a time when the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. But Robert was still left in debt and sadness – his partners “cheated” him… The stories in the book are lively and read almost like a detective story.
The title of the book plays on the myth of King Midas, who turned everything he touched into gold. The book itself consists of “the fingers of Midas’ hand.” The “Thumb” chapter is about strength of character, the “Index Finger” is about concentration, the “Middle Finger” is about brand (what did you think?), the “Untitled Finger” is about relationships with business partners, and the last chapter “Littlefinger” is about the little things that matter.
A quote from
“The problem is that schools don’t train entrepreneurs. They do the job of training wage earners. That’s why people have a stereotype: ‘You have to study well to get a good job.’ Most high school and even college students will work for hire rather than be entrepreneurs.”
NIALL FERGUSON “The ascent of money”
What the book is about. Renowned British historian and Harvard University professor Niall Ferguson traces the journey of money from antiquity to the present. The book tells in simple language about complex financial concepts and terms. The author used rare museum documents, Medici and Rothschild archives, and talked to famous financiers – George Soros, for example, or Citadel founder Kenneth Griffin.
Behind every historical event, according to Ferguson, one can find a financial mystery. Why did the Dutch Republic defeat the Habsburg Empire? Simply, owning the first stock exchange was more profitable than owning the world’s largest silver mines. Or the French Revolution, which erupted after the country’s financial system was destroyed: it was the first-ever spectacle of the rise and fall of the stock market. And why has no communist country ever been able to give up money? Not even North Korea?
Ferguson thinks we could all do with knowing how the global financial system works. According to one U.S. survey, 4 out of 10 credit card holders overpay huge interest rates on overdue loans. But exactly how much they pay, 29% don’t know, and another 30% give the wrong amount.
BONUS
The BBC even made a documentary series of the same name based on Ferguson’s book. But we still suggest taking the time to read it: many of the book’s “goodies” just don’t fit into the TV timeframe.
Quotes from
“Paradoxically, it is the population of the safest countries to live in that buy the most insurance.”
“Money is not metal. They are trust itself. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s embodied in silver or in clay, on paper or on an LCD screen. But the advent of the era of e-commerce suggests that nothing can be money in the full sense of the word.”
