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Continue your financial education

© Cara Lange

Today's financial advice seekers are inundated by information. There's simply too much out there - and it's not all good advice, either. Pick the sources you take advice from very carefully. Getting bad information is almost as bad as not having any information to begin with - in most cases it's worse! I have found a few good books out there, which pack a great deal of good information in them. Here's my list:

1) The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William Danko. Okay, this book is longer than it needs to be, but the advice is sound - and it's just not advice you hear much anymore. We're all bombarded by ads and new and seductive ways to spend money. Stanley and Danko prove that the truly wealthy people in this world aren't spenders - they're savers. They aren't Mercedes-driving, diamond necklace-flashing millionaires; they live in modest homes and know how to save. We can all take a lesson here.

2) The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman. Okay, I'll admit it - I'm a big Suze Orman fan. She's smart, she's successful, she has a sense of humor (Who else would call perfect strangers "Love Bug"?) and she has compassion and common sense! It seems like that's rare in this world, and it shouldn't be. This is good, common sense advice that gets a bit touchy feely, but I for one don't mind that. What good is your head without the input of your heart?

3) How to Make Money in Stocks by William J. O'Neill. If you want to buy stocks yourself and wonder how to pick a stock, this book is for you. Be warned, though - this book is very technical. I found this book to be fascinating from the standpoint of understanding how the stock market works. William O'Neill has monitored and recorded how every stock that has done for the last 50 years, and he's found a formula that works most of the time. But don't have huge expectations going in, Microsofts and IBMs only come along every once in a while. If you aren't in stocks right now due to the fallout, this book will give you hints on what to look for to be on the forefront of the next upswing.

4) Rich Dad, Poor Dad - What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not by Robert T. Kiyosaki. This book will transform your way of looking at money. It doesn't offer any concrete "step-by-step" ways to go about it, but it does make a good case for altering your perceptions and offers other books to read to better understand how to implement many of the systems Kiyosaki refers to. An eye opener.

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