Rich Dad Poor Dad
This is the 1st financial book I read and was a game-changer! This book had me thinking in a totally different way from anything I was taught previously, and it made sense! It is an easy to read and to understand book. I highly recommend reading whether you are just starting your financial independence journey or are already on your way.
GRIT
This one might be a shocker for some. Not all financial lessons come from financial books! This one is another book that is a game-changer. The author emphasizes the following points:
Achievement = Skill x Effort
Skill = Talent x Effort
In other words, effort counts twice on the path to achievement! One of the keys taught is to have a broad, strategic vision and then make small achievable daily goals (micro-habits) that tie into the overall vision. This book has helped me on my financial journey by forcing me to ask what I REALLY want, enabling me to create daily micro-habits towards the goals, and then put in the necessary and focused effort to achieve those goals. Lesson learned can be applied not only towards financial independence but your career, family, relationships, etc.
Crucial Conversations
Need to ask your boss for a raise but not sure how? Need to talk to your significant other about budget changes that you think they will hate? Here is a book for you! If you’re having trouble taking your career to the next level, then let this book be your guide. I have used this book for negotiating and talking to business partners, discussing issues with my wife, and even parenting my children. It’s been a god send!
A key part of maximizing your career earnings is negotiating. Negotiating is all about having fruitful conversations where both parties feel heard and safely express both their concerns and preferences. We all do it to various degrees. Crucial conversations are a way of life. Learning how to master crucial conversation can advance your career and can increase your wealth along the way.
Rigged
This is a book that is not well known but changed my thought process on investing and began my search into alternative investments. This is an extremely valuable and surprisingly easy-to-read book for anyone interested in learning how the financial services and investment advisory industries really operate.
Most retail investors are simply not aware of the competing business models and conflicts of interest that comprise the various financial industries (i.e. banks, broker-dealers, Registered Investment Advisors, portfolio management firms, financial planners, etc.). James Beattey has done a wonderful job navigating through the complexities in order to allow the readers to arrive at their own educated opinions. You’ll know all the tough questions to ask an investment advisor (if you choose to meet) and have gained valuable insights in managing your financial affairs.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Another book highly recommended to me and it turned out to be a game changer! This book opened my eyes to paradigms and the impacts it has on not only myself and but how I interact with others as well. It’s no secret that the best way to maximize earnings is to advance your career and this book will help that! Learn the thought process top management personnel use that has provided several impacts for me both personally and professionally.
Excellent people (soft) skills are becoming the deciding factor to career advancement. This book will help anyone wanting to learn the nuances of effective people and their habits has come to the right place. Must read material!
Autism In Heels
This is a Must Read!
If you want to understand the neurodivergent mind and what it is like for a female living on the autistic spectrum then this book (Autism in Heels) is for you!
The author, Jennifer O’Toole, is on the autistic spectrum and is high masking.
Want to learn and understand what “high masking” means?…… read the book! 😊
Jennifer describes in intimate, explicit detail and from her point of view what life is like for a woman on the spectrum.
She also talks in great detail how different autism looks for girls than boys and how it can lead to misdiagnosis….. she knows firsthand.
She was not diagnosed as being autistic until the age of 35 and once it happened, her whole world started to make sense.
This book is a thought starter and a game changer if you want to understand how the world is viewed thru the mind of a female on the autistic spectrum and what they go thru on a daily basis.
If you are struggling to relate to and understand your autistic female loved one then this book is for you!
How much Money do I Need to Retire?
Have you used a gazillion financial calculators and received results that were all over the map?
Struggling to understand how much you REALLY need to retire on?
Look no further because you found your answer!
Tom does a masterful job explaining how to find that magic retirement number in simple, easy to understand language that won’t leave you feeling baffled and confused.
At the end of this easy-reading book, you’ll be able to calculate how much you will need to retire on with a good amount of certainty.
Check it out on the link below!
What Would the Rockefellers Do?
This is another game-changing book written by New York Time best-selling author Garrett Gunderson and owner of the Wealth Factory!
In this book, Garrett does a masterful job breaking down the need for insurance, why self-insurance is a myth that leads to inefficient and poor production habits, and what you should do instead.
He uses the example of 2 influential families in American history: the Rockefeller’s and the Vanderbilt’s and how their families’ fortunes changed so dramatically once the patriarch passed. He also talks about what caused one family to end up bankrupt and the other to still financially proposer over 100 years later!
He talks in length on why the best insurance to have may not be what you have today and what to do to change that.
Lastly, he also talks about the benefits of whole life insurance (aka permanent insurance) and why it is better than all the rest.
If you want to learn how to protect your assets, improve your financial outlook, and create generational wealth for your family, then this book is a must-read!
The Richest Man in Babylon
This book is one of the all-time classics for learning how to be a wise investor and a must read!
The story is told using a parable about a man who basically came from nothing, was lucky enough to find a mentor / teacher in a small business owner, and then used the knowledge he learned to build his fortune slowly over time, and then teach his children these lessons.
Why the language may sometime be difficult to understand, its messages are very relatable to today’s world.
The messages illustrate what any person, no matter if just starting out in life and in a financial hole, can do to right-size their finances, change their attitude towards money, and secure their financial future.
Becoming Your Own Banker
Becoming Your Own Banker talks about a person’s need for financing throughout their life and how it is just as important (maybe even more important) than our need for protection.
In this book, Nelson Nash talks in great detail about the need for cashflow when things get tough and how it may be difficult to get the financing you need when you need it (Think the Great Recession of 2008 Or if you are laid off without a large emergency fund)!
One of the best ways to ensure you have cash on hand to use when you truly need it, even if you have health issues, if through the use of dividend – paying whole life insurance.
The book is written for the layman (like me! 😊) to easily understand the concepts he is teaching and to describe the steps for developing your own bank of money reserves that not only protects your loved ones after your demise but also how to use it to your financial advantage while living!
Make Your Kid a Money Genius
Want to teach your kids to about money no matter their age and learning style?
Want a step-by-step guide to teaching kids about good money habits that will last a lifetime AND find a couple of things YOU can benefit from too?
This book is a must read for any parent that wants to teach great money habits to their kids EVEN IF you are not a money genius yourself!
Who knows? You might even pick up a couple of good habits from this book! 😊
The book is a jargon-free, step by step guide with examples that is easy to teach, simple to apply, and build good financial habits that will last no matter their age (anybody from age 3 to age 23)!
The author, Beth Kobliner, provides a blueprint for building and instilling values in your children that will stick with them for the rest of their life.
The things she teaches include delaying gratification, living within their means, working hard, educating yourself (sounds A LOT like the thing I teach on my blog! Lol 😊), and even why paying an allowance is NOT the main enabler for teaching good money habits (I know from experience working with my autistic son….. more on that to come!).
Look, studies show that preschoolers can understand basic money concepts and the #1 financial influence on kids’ financial behaviors is their parents.
Regardless of your own personal comfort level with money, this book is an essential guide for passing along enduring financial principles that you can use as a lifelong reference for making your kids wise beyond their years when it comes to money.
So what are you waiting for?
Check it out TODAY!
10x is Easier Than 2x
One of my new favorite authors!
Dr. Benjamin Hardy and co-author Dan Sullivan discuss a strange yet transformational viewpoint that will change the lens you look at to view your life.
Ever feel like you are constantly pounding your head against the wall and struggling to get better?
Did you ever wonder how some people seem to have things “easy” and “things just work out for them” while you always seem to struggle?
Odds on you have a 2x mentality.
I did and it sucked!
Then I read this book and my “life lens” changed for the better.
In this book, Dr. Hardy and Dan Sullivan talk about how to live a 10X life, a transformational life, by focusing on weeding out the 80% of the things in your life and go all in on the 20% that provide the biggest bang for your buck.
By focusing on the things that truly move the needle in your life and letting go of the 80% that doesn’t, your 4 freedoms (time, money, relationships, and purpose) expand providing the tools for the life you truly want to live NOT what you are settling for.
It’s about quality over quantity.
It’s about saying “No” to that 80% that doesn’t satisfy what you want to achieve in life and saying “yes” to the 20% that truly matters to you.
If you want to learn more about how this book can help you.
Atomic Habits
I loved this book!
Are you struggling to achieve your goals?
Does it feel like the harder you try, the worse the outcome?
Then this book is for you!
In Atomic Habits, James Clear provides a framework for improving every day by forming and practicing good habits, how to break the bad habits, and master tiny behavior changes that, over time, lead to HUGE results!
Odds on, if you are struggling to improve yourself, the problem is likely the system(s) you are using to create your self-improvement.
James Clear will teach you on to make small, daily, habit-forming changes that over time will lead to the transformational results you are looking for.
13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do
Want to teach your kids to happy, self-assured children so they can live a life of happiness and meaning?
They you have GOT to read this book!
This book is a must read for any parent that wants to bring out the best in their kids.
The book is full of real-life case studies and very relevant examples.
The author, Amy Morin, identifies the characteristics that mentally strong people share.
This gives adults (i.e. parents, teachers, and other mentors) the tools they need to become mental strength trainers.
While other books tell parents what to do, Amy teaches parents what “not to do,” which she says is equally important in raising mentally strong youngsters.
Check it out!
The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free
This is our GO-TO baking cookbook for making delicious, gluten-free (and even dairy-free) cakes!
By enhancing gluten-free cake mixes (and most taste a little gritty except King Arthur GF Cake Mixes) with ingredients like almond extract, cocoa powder, Jello-brand pudding mix, and much more, gluten-free bakers can make cakes so good, you cannot tell it’s gluten and dairy-free!
The recipes are easy, not time-consuming and you use ingredients already on your baking shelf to crank out dozens of different kinds of cakes from a pumpkin spice cake (my son’s favorite to a blueberry bundt cake (my wife’s favorite) and much more.
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too! 😊
If you want to learn more about how this book can help you.
InstaPot Miracle
Tired of dry overcooked pot roasts?
Want a tool that can not only make you anything from tamales to soups to stews to GF General TSO’s chicken (YES GF! … and taste really close to what you buy in a restaurant)
The most moist, tender roasts you have ever had ALL IN THE SAME TOOL?!?
If the answer is yes then the Instapot is for you! I bought this a few years ago and the new bought this cookbook to go with it.
I’ll be honest, a lot of times the recipes can LOOK really tasty and then when I make them, I am either disappointed in the results, it takes too long to make, or just tastes terrible!
Not with the Instapot Miracle Cookbook.
So far, I have tried over 30 recipes (and counting!) and have only dislike about 2 of them.
Now, I did modify a couple recipes to my personal taste (I’ll share those updated recipes on the Food section of my blog 😊), but in general, I have made the recipes as is and they have turned out great!
Full of flavor and easy to modify for allergy-free diets. 😊
Plus, you can also google how to adjust the cook time of your favorite crockpot recipes and make them in the instapot too!
This kitchen tool has been a true game-changer!
The New Cooking School Cookbook: Fundamentals
We bought this cookbook to teach my autistic son the basics of cooking including basic cooking skills / techniques.
It does a great job not only explaining the “how” of cooking but also the “why” behind it as well.
We loved it so much we decided to buy it for ourselves! 😊
This books not only teaches basic cooking techniques, but it also teaches more complex cooking (i.e. how to make your own pasta) complete with step-by-step instructions and illustrations that are easy to follow.
This book also has over 400 recipes to try!
We are currently on recipe #10 and have enjoyed every one of them.
If you are looking for that one cookbook that caters to various skill levels and teaches literally everything you need to know about creating great meals in your own kitchen, then this book is a must-have!
I highly recommend checking it out……
The Best Homemade Kids' Lunches on the Planet
I don’t know about you, but my kids cannot eat many school lunches dues to their food allergies so they have to make their own lunches.
Add to that, the boredom they are feeling from eating literally the same sandwich every day, it’s no wonder that it’s a struggle to find them new food adventures that are both tasty and allergy safe.
Enter this book!…. The Best Homemade Kids’ Lunches
This book shows you how simple and easy it is to prepare food that’ll make your kids’ lunches the envy of the lunch table!
With over 200 inspiring recipes in this book, these lunches are fun for your kids to eat and a joy to make!
There are even entire lunchbox meals that are gluten-, soy-, and/or nut-free. Make your own super-delicious, super-nutritious homemade lunches today!