Everything you need to get your financial situation in order is available at your fingertips. So, why not take advantage of it? There are personal finance books, websites, and magazines that all want to feed you the information to transform your finances.
I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with self-help books in general, but especially with personal finance books. I didn't always feel this way because I assumed personal finance books would be boring, but thankfully I was wrong. The best personal finance books weave a story in between teaching you a thing or two.
The following books only scratch the surface of the books I credit to my knowledge and financial revamp. They are truly vital to anyone wanting to transform their finances.
*This list is specially curated by the xoNecole team and some links are affiliate links. If you purchase an item from an affiliate link, xoNecole might earn a small commission.
The 10 Best Personal Finance Books
1.Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money And Build Real Wealth By Bola Sokunbi
This book is written by a woman of color for women, and it's a beginner's guide to personal finance. You'll learn about saving, budgeting, investing and managing your finances so you can build real wealth. You'll also learn about your financial well-being and achieving financial wellness. The book includes stories of everyday women who have achieved financial independence
2.Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What The Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That The Poor And Middle Class Do Not! By Robert Kiyosaki And Sharon Lechter
This book is a classic circa 1997, but the information still rings true today. The book is based on Kiyosaki's life and the contrasts between his biological poor father and his friend's rich father. You'll learn about building wealth through investing in assets, real estate investing, business ownership and financial intelligence.
3.All Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money Plan By Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi
All Your Worth is written by the senator and 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, as well as her daughter. This book is a guide that outlines six steps to help rid yourself of financial hardship. You'll learn about the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, counting the dollars not the pennies, homeownership benefits, and strategic debt.
4.Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big By Julia Pimsleur
Pimsleur recognizes that women are creating businesses at nearly twice the rate of men, but only 3% of all women business owners reach revenues of over $1 million. Julia has created a guide to help women dream bigger, so they can reach the $1 million revenue mark. You'll learn about overcoming emotional and practical hurdles and turning your ideas into actions. You also get an appendix of exercises.
5.Nice Girls Don't Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make With Money By Lois P Frankel
This best-selling book focuses on the conscious unlearning of habits that society has pushed onto girls. The habits prevent women from becoming financially independent and living their dreams. You'll learn about subconscious fears of money, empowerment and assertiveness, and the importance of investing like men are taught to do.
6.Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen By Thomas J. Stanley
Stanley exposes the reality of wealth in America and its actual distribution. He focuses on revealing the habits of successful self-made businesswomen. You'll learn about choices, working styles, and lives of successful businesswomen.
7.Live It, Love It, Earn It: A Woman's Guide To Financial Freedom by: Marianna Olszewski
Olszewski reached success with a multi-million-dollar business after humble beginnings. She strived for abundance and financial independence and wants to teach women how to become as fabulous as her. You'll learn about the path to financial independence, how to say "yes" to yourself, how to fall in love with your money, and how to embody success.
8.Rich Bitch: A Simple 12-Step Plan For Getting Your Financial Life Together… Finally By Nicole Lapin
Lapin takes her readers through her own personal journey of financial well-being while serving you sass. She shows the readers her mistakes, experiences and how she got her finances in order. You'll learn about investing in yourself, speaking the "language of money," and rehabbing bad habits.
9.Real Money Answers for Every Woman: How to Win the Money Game With or Without a Man By: Patrice C. Washington
Washington is a woman of color who takes her readers through her path to financial security. She educated herself about finance, changed her spending and attitude habits. Patrice offers actionable advice that every woman can use. You'll learn about getting out of debt (as she did by age 25), rebuilding your credit, and fulfilling your financial dreams with or without a man.
10. Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life By Barbara Stanny
Amazon
Women are earning six figures or more at faster rates than for men. Women are gaining wealth through entrepreneurship, corporate executives, and many other careers. Stanny outlines the seven key strategies that have helped these high-achieving women which include profit motive, audacity, resilience, encouragement, self-awareness, non-attachment, and financial know-how.
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RELATED
Anyway, I personally think that the less shallow folks out here may contemplate calling things “quits” or they at least distance themselves a bit from their partner (and what I’m referring to is serious relationships) due to all of the stress and strain that oftentimes comes with the holidays whether it be financial, familial, due to their tight schedules or something else.
Listen, I would hate for you and your man to miss the fun and happiness of experiencing this time of year, all because you are so overwhelmed or irritated that you can’t really enjoy it. That’s why I have a few practical tips for how to avoid allowing the typical holiday season stress from INFECTING your relationship.
Manage Your Expectations
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Unmanaged expectations. If there is a main reason why the holiday season tends to be so stress-filled for so many people, I’d bet good money that this is the cause. And when you’re in a long-term relationship, expectations can manifest themselves in all sorts of cryptic and/or unexpected ways. You might have relatives who assume that you are going to be with them for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have other plans in mind. You might be thinking that you are going to spend one amount for presents while your man is thinking something totally different. When it comes to scheduling, your signals may be crossed.
And you know what? To all of these scenarios, this is where clear and consistent communication come in. Don’t assume anything. Don’t dictate anything either. From now until New Year’s, mutually decide to check in once a week, just to make sure that you are both on the same page as it relates to the holidays and what you both are thinking will come along with it. The less blindsided you both feel, the less stressed out you will be. Trust me on this.
Set (and Keep) a Budget
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Okay, so I read that last year, 36 percent of Americans incurred some type of holiday-related debt. Hmph. Last year, there was still some sense of normalcy in this country, chile, so I can only imagine what finances are gonna look like over the next several weeks. That said, since I don’t know a lot of people who don’t find being broke stressful, make sure that you and your bae set a budget and then stick to it this year — no ifs, ands or buts.
Because really, y’all — it doesn’t make sense to deplete savings and/or max out credit cards for a few days of giggles only to be damn near losing your mind because you don’t know how to make ends meet come Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
And by the way, this tip doesn’t just speak to things like food and gifts; I also mean travel. If it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or cents) to be all over the place this year — DON’T BE.
Keep Matthew 5:37 at the Forefront
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If off the top of your head, you don’t know what Matthew 5:37 says, no worries, here ya go: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That verse right there? Oh, it’s a boundaries lifesaver! I say that because do you see “maybe” or “I’ll think about it” in there? Nope. LOL. It says that you should tell people “yes” or “no” and leave it at that — and that complements Anne Lamott’s quote, “’No’ is a complete sentence” impeccably well. Yeah, you’ve got to remember that anything beyond a yes or no to a request is privileged information; you don’t owe anyone details or an explanation.
Besides, if you are really honest with yourself, when someone asks you something and you give a “Umm, let me think about it” kind of reply, more times than not, you already know what your answer is going to be — so why not let you both off of the hook? Give your response. Commit to that. And let everyone (including yourself) get on with their lives and schedules.
I promise you that when it comes to those holiday parties, you are pissing more folks off by not RSVP’ing or doing so and not showing up than just saying, “Thank you but not this year” off the rip.
Remember That Your Personal Space Is Privilege Not a Right
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A friend of mine recently bought a new house and invited me over to come see it. He’s a single man with no children, so as I was taking in all of the space that he had, especially as I walked through his finished basement, I joked about relatives coming to live with him. “Hell no” and “absolutely not” were pretty much his immediate responses as he went on to say that some folks even had the nerve to be offended when he told them that he had no intentions on taking DNA in.
Ain’t it wild how people think that your stuff is their right? And yes, that brings me to my next point. Your home is your sanctuary space. If you want to host folks this year — cool. If not, ALSO COOL. Please don’t let folks (family included) guilt you into how they want you to act or even into what they would do if the shoe was on the other foot. You are not them — and as one of my favorite quotes states, “If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.” (A man by the name Larry Dixon said that.)
Hell, my friends? They know that I am good for sending them random things that they need or even want all throughout the year. Coming over to hang out at my pace, though. Uh-uh. Chalk it up to being a card-carrying member of the ambivert club yet I like keeping my living space personal — and I sleep like a baby, each and every night, for feeling that way.
Always remember that your space, your time, your resources, your energy and shoot, yourself period (including your relationship), are all things that are your own. You get to choose how, when and why you want to share them. The holiday season is certainly no exception.
Cultivate Some “You Two Only” Traditions
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It’s not uncommon for some couples to hit me up after the holiday season to “detox.” Sometimes it’s due to the financial drama (and sometimes trauma) that they experienced. Sometimes it’s because they allowed their relatives (especially in-laws) to get more into their personal business than they should’ve. More than anything, though, it tends to be because they didn’t get enough quality time together and so ended up feeling “disconnected.”
Please don’t let that happen. Listen, I’m not even a holidays kind of woman and yet, I will absolutely sit myself down with some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy a Hallmark holiday film or two. Aside from the fact that most of them are lighthearted and sweet, I also like that they usually focus on couples loving on each other amidst all of the holiday beauty and ambiance — which is something that all couples should set aside some time to do.
Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s a staycation. Or maybe it’s my personal favorite, A SEXCATION. Whether it’s for a few days, the weekend or even overnight — don’t you let the holidays go by without setting aside time for you and your man to celebrate one another. Don’t you dare (check out “Are You Ready To Have Some Very Merry 'Christmas Sex'?”).
GET. SOME. REST.
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I once read that 8 out of 10 people get stressed out over the holidays and 3 out of 10 lose sleep during to it — and when you’re stress-filled and sleep-deprived, that can absolutely lead to hypersensitivity, making mountains out of molehills and even not being in the mood for sex.
Your relationship can’t afford to go through any of this, so definitely make sure to prioritize rest. I don’t care how unrealistic it might seem during this time, sleep should never be seen as a luxury; it will always and forever be a great necessity.
That said, try to get no less than six hours of shut-eye in (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”) and even ask your bae to take a nap with you sometimes (check out “Wanna Have Some Next-Level Sex? Take A Nap, Sis.”). Not only will sleep help to restore your mind, body and spirit but, when it’s with your partner, it’s an act of intimacy that can make you both feel super connected, even in the midst of what might feel like chaos.
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Holiday season stress is real. Still, never give it the permission or power to throw your relationship off. Put you and your man first and let the holidays be what they are gonna be, chile.
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