Personal finance book for HS grad gift?

5,810 Views | 40 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by one MEEN Ag
chris1515
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I have a relative that is graduating from high school in a few weeks, and I'd like to give her a book about personal finance geared to someone in that position.

Her parents are pretty tight with their spending, so I don't think she's going to be a big spender. But I would like something that will expose them to the value of investing money and not just saving money.

Any suggestions?
BenTheGoodAg
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For long term investing: Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth.

Haters gonna hate, but Total Money Makeover is not a bad read for someone at that stage in life for thinking about money in a way to practice avoiding debt and living below their means. Like anything self-help book, some great takeaways, but not gospel.

ETA - Millionaire Next Door
bmks270
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Richest man in Babylon.

A lot of these finance books I don't think would be enjoyable by people not seeking it themselves, but richest man in Babylon teaches through parables that I think are more approachable to people who may not be chasing the information. That's why I suggest it as a gift.
BTHOB
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The Wealthy Barber is also a good one
Diggity
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Yeah, that would be a good pick.

Most HS kids are going to shove any of these books in a drawer honestly, but maybe she'll take it out after college.
cadetjay02
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I'd find some well done YouTube videos on the topics you think are most useful and send them her way. They are more likely to be utilized.
I teach high school history and they begin to lose interest in videos after about 8-10 minutes.
permabull
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My two favorites are Chris Hogan's "Everyday Millionaire" which is similar to "The Millionaire Next door" but more up to date. I also like Jack Bogle's "Little Red Book of Common Sense Investing" but it can be summed up in about two sentences.
Ulrich
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I know this is a little off target, but I think protecting yourself from scams, hacks, and identity theft is a big part of building wealth going forward. It's scary out there right now.
chris1515
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My other thought is a handwritten letter with my top 10 finance/career tips, or something like that.
Red Pear Realty
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Sponsor
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Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Cash Flow Quadrant
Sponsor Message: We Split Commissions. Full Service Agents in Austin, Bryan-College Station, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Red Pear Realty
bmks270
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Maybe for a to be college student, learning how to cook would go a long way.
bmks270
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If I were giving a book to a high school or college kid, it would be something by MJ DeMarco. I highly recommend "Unscripted." It will lay out the formula for wealth and business and the reality of wealth building.
OldArmyCT
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The Millionaire Next Door by Dr. Thomas Stanley. Easy read, funny book too. Author made a career studying rich people and comparing them to people who should be rich.
The Grinder (99)
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"Retire before mom and dad" by Rob Berger

It's easy to read and is targeted toward young people
terradactylexpress
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Red Pear Realty said:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad



No, just no
AgsMyDude
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OldArmyCT said:

The Millionaire Next Door by Dr. Thomas Stanley. Easy read, funny book too. Author made a career studying rich people and comparing them to people who should be rich.


This one is great
nattychamps22
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I would recommend "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. Great read!
slimjimsims
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AgsMyDude said:

OldArmyCT said:

The Millionaire Next Door by Dr. Thomas Stanley. Easy read, funny book too. Author made a career studying rich people and comparing them to people who should be rich.


This one is great
I also think the title is catchy enough to at least garner their attention when they do realize that money does not grow on trees.
jh0400
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nattychamps22 said:

I would recommend "The Psychology of Money" by Morgan Housel. Great read!


This is the best recommendation on the thread.

"What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars" is also good.
one MEEN Ag
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Diggity said:

Yeah, that would be a good pick.

Most HS kids are going to shove any of these books in a drawer honestly, but maybe she'll take it out after college.
Thats because mom and dad take care of everything. You start getting the kid leading all the financial decisions of their life and they'll start asking these questions.
Red Pear Felipe
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Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam is a good read. I used to buy copies of it for my high school seniors on the soccer team.
bigcat22
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The Bitcoin Standard
billikenag
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Graham and Dodd's Security Analysis (j/k)

Lots of options depending on the individual in question.

I think that The Richest Man in Babylon (mentioned above) is a good one if the individual is more literary and open to oblique parables that get the points of personal finance across. I also think Stanley's The Millionaire Next Door and Hounsel's The Psychology of Money (both also metioned above) are great ones if the individual primarily needs to learn how to budget, how to consciously spend, and how to ensure monthly/yearly surpluses.

When I want to get the point across as efficiently as possible and the individual is a little more advanced, my go to gift is Bernstein's If You Can.

https://www.amazon.com/If-You-Can-Millennials-Slowly/dp/098878033X

Short (48 pages), appropriately prescriptive/proscriptive for the beginning investor, and (best of all) free if you're willing to read it as a PDF.

And finally, as much as it pains me to say this (because he annoys me) Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich stresses the necessary points and seems to really get through to the Millenial/Gen Z crowd.
A noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.
Duncan Idaho
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He went insane but Scott Adams "One Page Book on Personal Finance" is a must read.
JSKolache
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Tangent here, sorry. I had a friend from high school get the ultimate learn it by doing it lesson. Her folks wrote her a $10k check each year at A&M and she had to make and meet that budget. Here's your money, now go pay your own tuition, rent, books, food, fun, etc.
Ulrich
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JSKolache said:

Tangent here, sorry. I had a friend from high school get the ultimate learn it by doing it lesson. Her folks wrote her a $10k check each year at A&M and she had to make and meet that budget. Here's your money, now go pay your own tuition, rent, books, food, fun, etc.

The ultimate learn it by doing it is "the college is about 120 miles that way. Good luck."
COSciAG
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Just curious, why not Rich Dad, Poor Dad?
galesnoats
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Read everyone of these: https://esimoney.com/category/millionaires/

Also a big fan of A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
Ulrich
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galesnoats said:

Read everyone of these: https://esimoney.com/category/millionaires/

Also a big fan of A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel

I keep buying this book because I think I don't have it when I'm at the bookstore. I sit here knowing I have multiple copies and have read it twice and still feel like I haven't read it. So if you want it and have my email address or phone number… reach out.
terradactylexpress
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The guy is a major grifter, most of what he claims in the book is either untrue or borderline fraudulent
COSciAG
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That's pretty vague. What did he said that you think is fraudulent?
AggieFrog
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The Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H97OQY2/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Q0YRQNKG3SFFBGZ5RGQ7
12thMan9
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FZP4YFY?asc_campaign=commerce-pra&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2Fpersonal-finance%2Fbest-personal-finance-books&asc_source=browser&tag=biauto-39696-20

Might relate to a millennial.....
LMCane
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MONEY by Tony Robbins

takes the best advice from 30 of the best investors of all time
DartosFC
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COSciAG said:

That's pretty vague. What did he said that you think is fraudulent?

https://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-investment-blog/61651011-john-t-reeds-analysis-of-robert-t-kiyosakis-book-rich-dad-poor-dad-part-1

This is a blog of a guy who doesn't like kiyosaki and has a lot of background information on him. Also worth noting that reed sells stuff himself.

Kiyosaki is likely a bit of a fraud, but there are a lot of people out there who follow his theory of "infinite returns" which can work really well in real estate if you know what you are doing. I don't think RDPD gives you an actionable blueprint though, it just gets you really excited about making a lot of money.
Class of '10
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