Some of My Favorite Personal Finance Books

Over the last few years, I've probably read a couple of dozen personal finance books. Some have been excellent, while others were not so. Here are my favorites, grouped by author:

Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi

• The Two Income Trap - Compares and contrasts single income households and two income households, and how two incomes in some cases causes us to spend more
  
• All Your Worth - Describes how to set up a spending plan (budget), pay off "Steal From Tomorrow Debt," and save
  

Dave Ramsey

• The Total Money Makeover - Explains many myths and facts about credit (debt), lists his 7 steps for becoming financially secure, contains many testimonials of people as they work on his steps
  

Thomas J. Stanley

• Stop Acting Rich - Explains how there are few people who look rich and actually are rich, but many more people who try to look rich and live in expensive neighborhoods that are not rich
  
• The Millionaire Mind - Research on people who have a net worth of ten million dollars or more, explains why it is more profitable to spend time on tasks that could have a future return on investment (writing books), rather than things that pay out only once (building houses)
• The Millionaire Next Door - Explains how he found that most self-made millionaires live in well-established, middle-income neighborhoods, stay married, take on little (if any) debt, drive paid-for cars, and live well-beneath their income

Mary Hunt

• Debt-Proof Living - Basics of budgeting and setting up a "Freedom Account" to save for larger purchases

James D. Scurlock

• Maxed Out - Describes the ill-effects of living on credit, with plenty of real-life stories.

Most of these books have been available at my local library. If your interest is in getting and staying out of debt, I recommend picking up one of the books above. Do you have a favorite? If so, please post below.