It’s that time of year again when everyone is heading to the pool, beach, lake or just hanging out in the backyard enjoying the weather. Whether you are on vacation or just have some free time on the weekends, summertime is the perfect time to read a good book or two. My husband and I love to read, so I pulled together a quick list of our favorite reads so far this year. There is a little bit of something for everyone to consider: personal finance, leadership, work and more.
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Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
First on the list this year is the book “Principles.” The book is written by Ray Dalio, the founder and former CEO of Bridgewater, one of the largest hedge funds in the world. In “Principles,” Dalio shares what he’s learned over the course of his career. Throughout the book, Dalio argues that life, management, economics and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. The book has a number of lessons, which are built around Dalio’s cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency.” While the book is filled with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, “Principles” also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that Dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they’re seeking to achieve. Furthermore, the book is an easy read and a number of the examples provided by Dalio are easy to use and implement in your everyday life if you believe in his message and ideas. While this is not a personal finance book, the book has a number of principles for life and work that anyone can use to set themselves up for success in the future.
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Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
Next on the summer reading list is “Your Money or Your Life” by Vicki Robin. This is a personal finance book written by one of the first movers in FIRE movement, actually way before FIRE was even a thing, or at least a popular thing. While this is an older book, the nine steps discussed in the book are timeless. The book talks in basic terms and is very easy to understand the concepts and financial guidance she lays out in the 9 steps. Additionally, my husband and I have actually tried the nine steps that Vicki lays out and they simply work. The book provides clear examples of how people can cut debt, increase savings and build wealth that will last a lifetime. At 368 pages, this a great book to read on the beach or on vacation!
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Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
This book is different than the two above, but very interesting. The book is written by two authors who have spend years researching what many people believe are basic truths about work, but are actual lies and not what is happening in reality. I can tell you first hand, if you work in a corporation or company, you will relate to a number of the points in the book. Without giving it away, the first chapter of the book, and first lie the authors have researched is “People Care Which Company They Work For.” Before reading the book, I thought that people really did care about the company they work for; if they didn’t, why would they stay? Well, the authors provide ample research to prove this simply isn’t true. If you work in a company or you are part of the gig economy, the book really makes you think and gives you a new perspective on the workplace and how companies, people and leaders are changing to adapt to the future of work.
Above are three books that are easy to read, each unique and different from on another. There is book on principles that can be used in everyday life, a book on personal finance with nine steps that people can take to put their finances on the track to financial freedom and finally a book that is just plain interesting, especially if you work for a company. If you’re not a big reader, don’t worry; there are also audio versions of each book at the link I included for each respective book. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
