The 16 Best Stock Market Books of 2022
The stock market sits at the beating heart of the American economy. Fortunes are made and lost every day as shares of stock trade on The New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and other markets. Some of the most successful investors ever are known for their love of reading, and for good reason. You can learn a lot about the fundamentals of the stock market from books and use that knowledge to build the right investing strategy for your unique goals and needs.
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To help you get a leg up on the volatile industry, we compiled a list of the best books that will give you insights into your stock market investments and beyond as you learn how stocks work, how to avoid the biggest risks, and how to build a growing portfolio with your own investment dollars. These books belong on every investor’s bookshelf. Whether you are new to investing or a longtime veteran, any of these reads can boost your investing IQ and help you reach your long-term investment goals.
It’s a great idea to begin investing as soon as you start earning a paycheck whether you’re looking to start a retirement savings plan or earn a little extra income passively.
When you’re just starting out, it’s important to understand the basics of investing and the different options available to you, so you can choose the smartest path for your financial future. As your income grows, your investment portfolio can also expand.
It doesn’t matter if you’re fresh out of college or a teenager who’s realized how significant investing can be these picks of the best books for young investors will help you succeed.
Best Over all: The Intelligent Investor
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If you’re only going to read one book about stocks, “The Intelligent Investor” is the book to go with. Originally released in 1949 by Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett’s college professor, this title remains the single best book on investing to ever hit the shelves.
While the book is a bit dense, its concepts help investors follow Graham’s popular “value investing” philosophy. The idea is to find long-term strategies that keep your portfolio safe and solid while others are busy trading and taking big risks. Finding these successful investments requires evaluating the company’s fundamentals, or financial performance, over market swings. Through the rises and falls of the stock market over the last 70 years, this book has held up as the go-to resource for investors looking for long-term investment success.
Best Overall: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
Most experts, including the wefinder24 Financial Review Board, agree that John C. Bogle’s best-selling financial guide is akin to an investing bible. No matter your age, this book is a must-read before you start investing. First published in 2007, this 2017 edition includes two new chapters on asset allocation and retirement investing options.
“The Little Book of Common Sense Investing” provides a framework for building a low-risk portfolio and teaches you how to make the smartest investment decisions. Bogle also explains the importance of index funds and advises readers to ignore investing fads and focus instead on constructing a broad and diversified portfolio.
Best for Beginners: A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market
Young investors who do not have experience with the stock market will learn the ins and outs of the market with this guide. Matthew R. Kratter breaks down the types of stocks and how they work, while explaining how to analyze stocks to find ones that should perform well in the short-term and long-term.
One key area this book addresses is the mistakes beginning investors often make and how to avoid them. “A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market” also dives into investing strategies and the methodologies that are ideal for new, aspiring investors, making this a great first read among investing books.
Best for Financial Basics:Broke Millennial
“Broke Millennial,” as recommended by members of the Wefinder24 Financial Review Board as one of the top picks for young investors, addresses what many other investing guides fail to acknowledge: understanding personal finance and addressing your spending habits are crucial if you want to become an effective investor.
Erin Lowry explains how to take control of your finances, even if you don’t make much money, and how to begin investing. Young investors will learn tips for how to stretch their paychecks and how to get started on building a retirement fund at an early age. Unlike many traditional financial guides, this book is written by a millennial for millennial in simple terms that novice investors will grasp quickly.
Best for Rental PropertyInvesting: The Book on Rental Property Investing
Young investors might immediately think of the stock market when building an investment portfolio, but it is not the only place you can invest your money. Rental property investing can help diversify and grow money, if you know what you’re doing. This book covers the entire process of buying and renting properties, while offering advice on choosing the right property, deciding between selling and renting, and flipping houses.
The author, Brandon Turner, provides a complete framework for growing wealth with real estate investing. “The Book on Rental Property Investing” explores the basics of the financial impact of being a landlord, and it touches on common landlord challenges and how to overcome them.
Best Memoir: Rich Dad Poor Dad
Robert Kiyosaki’s “Rich Dad Poor Dad” is one of the most popular personal finance books of all time and with good reason. It tells the story of the author growing up with his father and his friend’s father and what he learned from both dads, from assets and liability to how you don’t need a large income to make money, and even what your kids aren’t learning in school (but should be). Though the book was first published in 1997, this 20th-anniversary edition includes an updated take from Kiyosaki.
Best for Investing Basics: The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need
Learn how to get started building an investment portfolio with $0 using this guide. Finance writer and co-host of the PBS series “Beyond Wall Street: The Art of Investing,” Andrew Tobias walks young investors through the importance of building a financial foundation for investing and focuses particularly on establishing a healthy savings account.
Readers will find sound investing advice that can be applied to all aspects of their financial lives in this guide. “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need” was originally published in the 1970s and was completely updated in 2016 with more commentary on modern-day investing, including the author’s thoughts on the 2008 financial crisis.
Best Skill-Building: How to Make Money in Stocks
In “How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad,” William J. O’Neil showcases his CANSLIM Investing System a seven-step guide for minimizing risk and maximizing gains. You can trust O’Neil’s advice, as this book is based on a 100-year study on stock market winners, helping over two million investors build wealth. With this expanded version, you’ll find proven techniques for identifying winning stocks, as well as tips on spotting the best stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs. You’ll also learn ways on avoiding the 21 most common investor mistakes. Overall, this book provides great strategies for wisely investing in stocks. BUY ON AMAZON
Best for Expert Investing Tips: One Up on Wall Street
In this tell-all financial guide, Peter Lynch reveals some of the best-kept secrets straight from experienced investors on Wall Street. “One Up on Wall Street” revolves around the rise of internet stocks and breaks down the ways in which modern investing has changed in the years since. Lynch explores the opportunities that exist for amateur investors, particularly young and new investors.
Peter Lynch is the former manager of Fidelity and their multi-billion dollar fund. He details how to research and find stocks that may be likely to perform, focusing on helping new investors find “tenbaggers,” or stocks that are likely to appreciate tenfold into a top performer.
Best for the Psychology Behind Investing: Thinking, Fast and Slow
Why do we make decisions based on a gut feeling rather than on facts and statistics? Daniel Kahneman, psychologist, economist, and winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences1, dives into the methodology we often use to make major decisions, from choosing who to marry to investing our money. This New York Times bestseller2 hones in on how many of us make choices based on instinct and intuition and how this can impact your life, including your financial future.
“Thinking, Fast and Slow” will also reveal how to make smart investing decisions by removing emotion from the equation. Young investors will learn more about the psychology behind how leading investors choose stocks that are likely to outperform others. All in all, Kahneman demonstrates how to make “better” decisions based entirely on logic, even if these decisions feel uncomfortable.
Best for Investing inStocks: The Modern Guide to Stock Market Investing for Teens
“The Modern Guide to Stock Market Investing for Teens” covers key tips and strategies for those interested in investing in the stock market. Published in 2020, this quick read was written by a teenager in California, Alan John, who wanted to help young people see the importance in beginning their investing journeys early.
The author urges teens and college students to start investing with any amount of money they can spare, explaining how this invested dollar can grow over time, thanks to compound interest and market growth. Young investors hesitant about investing will find simple strategies for starting a portfolio, while also gaining personal finance and retirement investment knowledge. Overall, this book tackles often complex and out-of-reach topics in an approachable way.
Best for Passive Real Estate Investing: Investing in REITs
Passive real estate investing is often overlooked by young investors who might equate investing in real estate with becoming a landlord or property manager. The fourth edition of “Investing in REITs” breaks down how young and new investors can begin diversifying their portfolios and earn some of the best returns on the market through REITs.
Written by the late Ralph L. Block, an expert advisor on REITs for 40 years, this book offers a comprehensive exploration on REITs, the history of this investment type, and how to begin incorporating them in your portfolio. Block received the 2004 Industry Achievement Award from the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).
Best Classic: Think and Grow Rich
Napoleon Hill’s bestselling “Think and Grow Rich” is part motivational guide, part financial guide. Hill compiles stories from the business greats—think Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, and Thomas Edison—to support his trademark “Law of Success” philosophy or the principles that’ll help one achieve success. First published in 1937, it’s since sold more than 15 million copies. This updated version includes commentary from Arthur R. Pell, Ph.D., an author, lecturer, and consultant.
Bestfor Debt Management: The Total Money Make over
Debt management plays a major role in the state of your personal finances. Need a little help in that area? Take a look at Dave Ramsey’s “The Total Money Makeover.” This New York Times bestseller explains, without mincing words, how to get out of debt and improve your financial picture by avoiding common pitfalls like rent-to-own, cash advances, or using credit. It also offers solid advice on starting an emergency fund, saving for college and retirement, and how to succeed at Ramsey’s famed “Snowball Method” for debt payoff.
Best for Spenders: I Will Teach You to Be Rich
Being rich isn’t about not spending money at all. In “I Will Teach You to Be Rich,” a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, financial expert Ramit Sethi explains that you can spend your money, guilt-free, as long as you have it invested and allocated properly. This title talks about how to deal with all the common money pitfalls, from paying off student loans to how to save every month, and even how to talk your way out of late fees. This 10th-anniversary edition includes updated views on technology, money, and psychology, as well as some success stories of readers who have actually gotten rich from reading—you guessed it—Sethi’s book. BUY ON AMAZON
Best Psychology: The Psychology of Money
This read is an interesting delve into the psychology of money and how your ego, preconceived notions, and even your pride can affect your decisions around money. As expected, this isn’t exactly the best way to manage your investment portfolio, and Morgan Housel’s “The Psychology of Money” gives readers tips and tools for combating these biases in the form of 19 short stories that focus on the same topic. Housel is a partner at The Collaborative Fund and has worked as a columnist at The Wall Street Journal. BUY ON AMAZON
