Here are books that we highly recommend to start or continue your financial education:

Rich Dad Poor Dad

If you are serious about financial independence, this book, the first in a series, is a must read. The author shares with you what he was taught about money and life choices by his two fathers: his real dad who was highly educated but poor; his best friend’s dad who was a high school drop out but rich. His educated dad advised him to work for a corporation; his rich dad advised him to own a corporation. His educated dad encouraged him to be a smart person while his rich dad encouraged him to know how to hire smart people. Both life paths required education: one focuses on scholastic and professional skills, the other on financial skills. However, each has a dramatically different outcome that affects the rest of your life: formal education taught in schools gives you the skills to work for money, while financial education give you the skills to make money work for you and set you free from the rat race. By showing what you need to achieve financial independence, this book can change your financial future. This is a brilliant book and is highly recommended.

Rich Dad Poor Dad 2 – The Cashflow Quadrant

This book is a second in the series and introduces the Cashflow Quadrant: on the left hand side there are E (employee) and S (self-employed) quadrants, and the hand right side B (business owner) and I (Investor). His educated poor dad encouraged the author to become either a highly paid employee, or a highly paid self-employed professional, while his rich dad encouraged him to build businesses and become a successful investor. The fundamental difference between the two sides is that on left hand side, your income relies on your labour, time and skills, on right side hand, the income derives from other people’s time, labour and skills. To become financially free, we must then businesses (e.g. internet business, traditional retail) and/ or investments (e.g. shares, properties, land) which give us passive income and free us to pursue other interests in life.

The author also gives us 7 steps to finding your financial fast-track: the key ones include
Step 1: It’s time to Mind your Own Business
Step 2: Take Control of your Cashflow
Step 3: Know the Difference between Risk and Risky
Step 5: Seek Mentors

Again, this book is one you can read again and again and is an essential guide to financial
freedom.

Napoleon Hill – Think and Grow Rich

This book argues that in order to achieve wealth, we must first change our mindset as he rightly stated, ‘all achievement, all earned riches, have their beginning in an idea!’ Our thought must be instilled with the Desire to succeed, we must have Faith, we must make Decisions and we must have Persistence. This is a very inspirational book which can be read again and again for stimulation of the mind.

Napoleon Hill’s Keys to Success

This book, written by bestselling motivational writer, offers a practical and revealing examination of the 17 principles of success. These principles were recognised by Napoleon as being central to the actions and attitudes of the great figures of the early United States who achieved lasting achievements and success, including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Woodrow Wilson.

The 17 principles of success include: develop definite purpose; create personal initiative; build a positive mental attitude; enforce self – discipline; think accurately; control your attention; inspire teamwork; learn from adversity and defeat; cultivate creative vision; budget your time and money and maintain sound health.

A classic book which you can read again and again to energise and fill you with inspiration, and show you how you can achieve success in anything you do.

Brian Tracy – Getting Rich Your Own way

In this book, the author shows you 5 ways to become rich: become an entrepreneur, work your way up, become a professional, get into sales, and all the others. It concentrates on teaching you how to become a money magnet and how to achieve financial independence by starting our own business, investing intelligently, getting onto the fast track in your current job, moving to the top of your field, and a combination of two or more of these. It offers practical ideas and strategies to move you onwards and upwards.A readable book which shows you how to maximise your talents and abilities, how to get the money you need and how to succeed financially in whatever field you choose.

Brian Tracy – Million Dollar Habits

This book is readable and discusses one of the key areas you need to master: general habits of success. These include become a lifelong optimist, seven step formula for goal setting, set your goals each day, commit to lifelong learning, and take action on your goals and plans.

It then goes on to examine the habits for different areas: habits of millionaires; habits that get you paid more and promoted faster; habits of top business people; habits for marketing and sales success; habits of personal effectiveness; habits for getting along well with others; habits for health and well-being; and habits of character and leadership.

Jim Rohn – 7 Strategies for Wealth and

Happiness

A very readable book which offers you seven essential strategies you need for success:
1. Unleash the power of goals
2. Seek knowledge
3. Learn the miracle of personal development
4. Control your finances
5. Master time
6. Surround yourselves with winners
7. Learn the art of living well

This is another helpful book to set you on your path.

Robert Allen – Multiple Streams of Income

This is a useful book, with lots of ideas of how you can build a multiple stream of income to give you financial security. You can have a look inside the book first before ordering. It discusses ways of making money from stock money, property, network marketing, the internet and also ‘infopreneuring’ (how to make money from classified ad).

Timothy Ferriss The 4 hour Week

This book offers an interesting and practical step-by-step guide on how you can achieve your new desired lifestyle, giving you time, income and mobility by following a 4 step process, D-E-A-L (stands for Definition, Elimination, Automation and Liberation).

After defining the overall lifestyle design objective, the author goes on to show how you can eliminate the things you need to do to give you TIME, how you put cashflow on autopilot using geographic arbitrage, outsourcing to give you INCOME, and how you can achieve MOBILITY and work anywhere in the world.

This is an inspiring book on how you can live the life of your dreams and how to outsource your life and do whatever you want. Whether your dream is to escape the rat race, experience first class travel, earn more and work, this book is written for you.

Mr Brian Wood & Claire Brinn, Beat the Pensions Crisis: What you need to do to improve your Financial Future

This is an informative and useful book, helping you to understand about pensions and what you need to do to improve your financial future. It looks at the pensions crisis, myths and delusions of pensions, before moving on to examine the reasons why you should plan for your retirement. It is written for 4 groups: those already retired; those at the point of retirement, those close to retirement and those who are in their 30s and 40s planning for retirement. You can have a look inside the book first before ordering. It is a must read for those who want to make the most of their lives in retirement.

Mr John Greenwood, Financial Times Guide to Pensions and Wealth in Retirement

Whether you are an avid reader of the financial pages, or you don’t know the first thing about money matters, this guide is designed to help you take control of your pension and retirement planning. It offers a range of achievable strategies that will enhance your saving, and helps you to navigate the complex maze of state, private, workplace and individual pensions. The author also advises on alternatives to pensions and shows you the best ways to manage your retirement wealth and how to pass on your estate efficiently.

The Financial Times Guide to Pensions will also show you how to:

- Better manage the money in your pension funds

- Shop around for cheaper pension providers

- Understand the options open to you at retirement

- Maintain exposure to the stock market in retirement with the potential for increased returns

- Maximise your wealth through property, emigrating and non-pensionable savings

- Resolve disputes over pensions and trace lost polices

- Reduce your inheritance tax liabilities

A highly recommended book.