Book Recommendations
There are so many books out there on mindset, money, and investing that can help you and your kids level up your money skills and build a thriving legacy. We’ve rounded up our favorites by age group below!
Check them out and grow your library. And remember, we’re giving away copies of many of these books throughout the weekend!
The links in this library are affiliate links, meaning Mamas Talk Money gets a small commission at no cost to you or the authors. For more information, please see our disclosure.
Books for Grown-Ups
Art of Money
Bari Tessler
“The Art of Money is the book your money-savvy best friend, therapist, and accountant would write if they could. Bari Tessler’s integrative approach creates the real possibility of ‘money healing,’ using our relationship with money as a gateway to self-awareness and a training ground for compassion, confidence, and self-worth.”
Your Money or Your Life
Vicki Robin
“For more than 25 years, Your Money or Your Life has been considered the go-to book for taking back your life by changing your relationship with money. Hundreds of thousands of people have followed this nine-step program, learning to live more deliberately and meaningfully with Vicki Robin’s guidance.”
Wallet Activism
Tanja Hester
“Wallet Activism empowers us to vote with our wallets by making sense of all the information coming at us and teaching us to cultivate a more holistic mindset that considers the complex, interrelated ecosystems of people and the planet together, not as opposing forces.”
What Matters Most
Chanel Reynolds
“Authoritative yet personal, grounded but irreverent, Reynolds’ voice carries listeners through a tough subject with candor and compassion. Weaving personal story with hard-won wisdom, What Matters Most is the approachable, no-nonsense handbook we all need to living a life free of worry and ‘what ifs’.”
Mom and Dad We Need to Talk
Cameron Huddleston
“In Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk: How to Have Essential Conversations with Your Parents About Their Finances, you’ll learn the best ways to approach this issue, along with a wealth of financial and legal information that will help you help your parents into and through their golden years.”
Women With Money
Jean Chatzky
“Women With Money shows readers how to wrap their hands around tactical solutions to get paid what they deserve, become inspired to start businesses, invest for tomorrow, make their money last, and then use that money to foster secure relationships, raise independent and confident children, send those kids to college, care for their aging parents, leave a legacy, and–best of all–bring them joy!”
Brag Better
Meredith Fineman
“This effortless and unapologetic approach to self-promotion will manage your anxiety and allow you to champion yourself. If you’re ready to begin bragging better – to start telling the truth about your accomplishments with grace and confidence – this book is for you. “
Power Moves
Lauren McGoodwin
“Power Moves is filled with the information, guidance, advice, and essential tools, (including helpful graphics) that can help women take decisive, bold steps without self-doubt and fear. Power Moves shows women how to build a successful career on their own terms. “
Work Optional
Tanja Hester
“Work Optional is more than just a financial plan: it’s a plan for your whole life-designed by you, not by an employer or clients. Tanja walks you through envisioning your dream life accounting for variables ahead of time so you’re prepared to live life your way.”
Broke Millennial Takes on Investing
Erin Lowry
“Tackling topics ranging from common terminology to how to handle your anxiety to retirement savings and even how to actually buy and sell a stock, this hands-on guide will help any investment newbie become a confident player in the market on their way to building wealth.”
The Boglehead's Guide to Investing
Mel Lindauer
“Financial markets are essentially closed systems in which one’s gain garners another’s loss. Investors looking for a roadmap to successfully navigating these choppy waters long-term will find expert guidance, sound advice, and a little irreverent humor in The Boglehead’s Guide to Investing.”
The Opposite of Spoiled
Ron Lieber
“The Opposite of Spoiled is both a practical guidebook and a values-based philosophy. The foundation of the book is a detailed blueprint for the best ways to handle the basics: the tooth fairy, allowance, chores, charity, saving, birthdays, holidays, cell phones, checking accounts, clothing, cars, part-time jobs, and college tuition.”
The Wisest Investment
Robin Taub
“Written in short, punchy chapters, it’s a go-to resource for time-starved parents like you. Filled with practical guidance and examples, suggested activities, worksheets and self-assessment tools, it’s a book you will turn to again and again. Teaching your kids to be money-smart will pay off in numerous ways and just may be one of the wisest investments you make.”
Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management
Joe Saul-Sehy and Emily Guy Birken
“Learn about everything from side hustles, to hiring a legit financial adviser, to planning for emergencies, to what’s new and exciting—and actually worth your time—in financial apps and software.”
Books for Teens
Financial Adulting
Ashley Feinstein-Gerstley
“Perfect for anyone seeking to get a firm handle on their personal finances, Financial Adulting is a must-have resource that demystifies and simplifies complex topics and makes understanding personal finance fun. From budgeting and consumer activism to retirement investing and paying down debt, you’ll learn everything you need to know and do to be a financially savvy adult.”
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Ramit Sethi
“Personal finance expert Ramit Sethi has been called a ‘wealth wizard’ by Forbes and the ‘new guru on the block’ by Fortune. Now he’s updated and expanded his modern money classic for a new age, delivering a simple, powerful, no-BS 6-week program that just works.”
You Need a Budget
Jesse Mecham
“Experience a life free of financial stress and transform your relationship to money with this indispensable guide—the first book based on You Need A Budget’s proven method that has helped hundreds of thousands of people break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, get out of debt, and live the life they want to live.”
Your Turn: How to Be An Adult
Julie Lythcott-Haims
“In Your Turn, Julie offers compassion, personal experience, and practical strategies for living a more authentic adulthood, as well as inspiration through interviews with dozens of voices from the rich diversity of the human population who have successfully launched their adult lives.”
The Simple Path to Wealth
JL Collins
“This book grew out of a series of letters to my daughter concerning various things—mostly about money and investing—she was not yet quite ready to hear. Since money is the single most powerful tool we have for navigating this complex world we’ve created, understanding it is critical.”
Financial Freedom
Grant Sabatier
“It challenges the accepted narrative of spending decades working a traditional 9 to 5 job, pinching pennies, and finally earning the right to retirement at age 65, and instead offers readers an alternative: forget everything you’ve ever learned about money so that you can actually live the life you want.”
Books for Tweens
Growing Money
Gail Karlitz
“Never before has there been a time when the economy has been so much a part of our daily lives. Today’s young investors want to know the basics of finance, especially how to make money grow. This complete guide explains in kid-friendly terms all about savings accounts, bonds, stocks, and even mutual funds!”
Kidpreneurs
Adam & Matthew Toren
“Through easy-to-understand basic principles and a creative approach, we outline some key techniques that will have a powerful and positive impact on your child’s ability to understand entrepreneurship. Using kid-friendly design and illustration, we break down some of the major points of entrepreneurship, so your child can have fun as he or she learns.”
Bee Fearless
Mikaila Ulmer
“In Bee Fearless, part memoir, part business guide, Mikaila–now fifteen–shares her personal journey and special brand of mindful entrepreneurship and offers helpful tips and guidance for young readers interested in pursuing their own ventures, instilling in them the bee-lief that they can bee fearless and achieve their dreams too.”
Mo's Bows
Moziah Bridges
“Aimed at young middle grade readers, Mo’s Bows: A Young Person’s Guide to Startup Success follows Mo’s journey to success and reveals all the ups and downs and important lessons he’s learned along the way-as well as provides information and tips on how to start your own business and succeed.”
Millionaires For a Month
Stacy McAnulty
“How would you spend five million dollars in 30 days? A billionaire’s wallet, a bizarre challenge, and an unlikely friendship send two kids on a wild adventure. As smart as it is entertaining, Millionaires for the Month is a thought-provoking story about friendship, privilege, and the value of a penny.“
Books for Littles
Happy Birthday, Mali More
Tiffany Aliche
“It’s Mali’s sixth birthday and she’s excited. As more and more guests arrive, so do more and more gifts. But when her presents start to push her guests out of the house, Mali has to learn an important lesson about the things that matter most. Will she choose more presents or more family and friends? Read this delightful, beautiful book and find out!”
Money: An Awesomely Fun Guide
Heidi Fiedler
“This easy-to-read guide is packed with simple definitions, memorable examples, and funny illustrations to make the way we use currency throughout the world something anyone can understand. You will also discover the tools needed to develop good money-management habits. “
Moneybunny Series
Cinders McLeod
“A charming introduction to simple money concepts in which a little bunny learns about the power and satisfaction that come with saving money. This book is part of the internationally acclaimed Moneybunny series, which also includes Give It!, Spend It!, and Earn It!“
Lemonade in Winter
Emily Jenkins
“With a catchy refrain (Lemon lemon LIME, Lemon LIMEADE! Lemon lemon LIME, Lemon LEMONADE!), plus simple math concepts throughout, here is a read-aloud that’s great for storytime and classroom use, and is sure to be a hit among the legions of Jenkins and Karas fans.”
Follow the Money
Loreen Leedy
“George, a newly minted quarter on his way to the bank, is in for quite a day. He’s about to be traded, spent, lost, found, donated, dropped into a vending machine, washed in a washing machine, and generally passed all around town. By the time George finally ends up back at the bank, he’s given readers a real run for their money.”
Bunny Money
Rosemary Wells
“It’s Grandma’s birthday, and Ruby knows exactly what Grandma would love-a beautiful ballerina box. Max also knows what she’d love-a scary pair of ooey-gooey vampire teeth. Ruby has saved up a walletful of bills, but as unexpected mishap after mishap occurs, money starts running through the bunnies’ fingers….”
How the Second Grade Got $8,205.50 to Visit the Statue of Liberty
Nathan Zimelman
“Susan Olson, second-grade treasurer and reporter, here dutifully records the comical details that surround this adventurous tale under the headings, “Expenses” and “Profit.” Spurred on by a desire to visit the Statue of Liberty, the class tries to earn money for the trip by collecting paper, running a lemonade stand, sitting babies, walking dogs, and selling candy.”
Lulu Walks the Dogs
Judith Viorst
“The stubbornly hilarious Lulu has decided it’s time to buckle down and earn some cash. How else can she save up enough money to buy the very special thing that she is ALWAYS and FOREVER going to want? After some failed attempts at lucrative gigs (baking cookies, spying, reading to old people), dog walking seems like a sensible choice.”