General Personal Finance Blog

Making money can be draining and overwhelming, especially when you’ve just started. From budgeting and saving to invest and build wealth, the financial world is a twisted one that comes with its own rules and twists. 

Whether you’re saving up for a future financial goal, paying off a debt, or saving up for college, reading finance books can significantly guide you in making smart financial choices.

Why Reading Books is Important?

Reading books is essential, especially if you’re a beginner, figuring out a way to navigate through the challenges and complexities of the financial world. Books offer depth, clarity, relevant insight, and lasting knowledge that social media platforms and posts often lack. 

Whether it’s learning how to budget reasonably, deal with financial crises, paying off debts, managing student loans, or just simply saving up for a big future financial goal that you’ve set, books offer structured guidance, step-by-step advice, and real-world examples that make the plans and strategies highly practical and applicable. 

By taking out time to read, you not only gain valuable insights and information but also develop the focus and confidence you need to make firm financial decisions in the future. 

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Written in 1997 by Robert Kiyosaki, the author talks about his rich dad, the father of his best friend, and his poor dad, his biological father, and how both the men in his life shaped his thoughts and thinking pattern about money and investment. 

Kiyosaki introduced concepts like assets versus liabilities, financial literacy, and financial independence, urging people to think like an entrepreneur rather than relying solely on the traditional employment norm. 

It’s an eye-opening read that challenges the traditional ways around money, jobs, and success, making it a must-read for people stepping into the financial world. 

2. The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel 

Morgan Housel in his book The Psychology of Money, talks about how emotions, thoughts, feelings, and behavior shape financial success. The author in his book explains that financial success is more about behavior than knowledge and insight.  

This highly readable book makes you think and pour thought into the “whys” of the financial world, helping you understand the emotional aspect of money-making, which often goes unnoticed. 

Housel in his book shares his insights regarding the role of luck, patience, risk, and greed in the financial world, making it one of the top books for newbies who want to explore the financial world more rigorously. 

3. I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi

Written by Ramit Sethi in 2009, this book delivers a humorous yet highly-practical six-week program for money-making, particularly for millennials and Gen-Z to get their financial status in line. 

Sethi, in his book, helps readers develop a highly applicable financial plan that includes budgeting, saving, and spending money on things that truly matter. 

The step-by-step guidelines and a tone that feel like advice coming from a financially stable bestfriend, makes this book perfect for people who don’t know where to start from when stepping into this complex world of finance. 

4. The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

Written by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, The Millionaire Next Door is an insightful book based on extensive research on the behaviors of American millionaires. 

This book discards the myth that millionaires drive flashy cars and live in gigantic mansions. In reality, most millionaires live a decent life, save consistently and invest their money wisely. The authors reveal that healthy habits like budgeting, investing, and avoiding debt can help you understand that wealth comes from restraint and disciplined living rather than a high income.

5. The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Firstly published in 2003 by Dave Ramsay, The Total Money Makeover is a simple and straightforward guide for getting out of debt, saving for a big future financial goal, or building long-term wealth through understandable steps. 

This New York Times bestseller has helped thousands of people get out of a financial crisis with the help of America’s favorite finance coach, Dave Ramsey. Even though the situation may feel like a dead end, through smart thinking and problem-solving skills, you can pay off a debt, begin to invest smartly, and make more of your resources. The principles offered in this book are not just fictional based, they’re based on actual results, making this book one of the best finance books to read for beginners, helping them start somewhere. 

6. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Written by Napoleon Hill and Rosa Lee Beeland in 1937, this book is a classic one that guides its readers on how to control your destiny by controlling your mind and thinking. While it may sound superficial, the authors believe that controlling your thoughts and thinking can somehow help you control your destiny and luck. 

Each chapter brings a new and unique perspective that can significantly change how you see people, money, psychology, and develop a new perspective. Regardless of your profession and business, this book offers a beautiful and unique perspective to see things, making it perfect for beginners to read. 

While not a traditional finance book, this book is known for shaping the mindsets of financially successful people, making it a relevant read for people, even today. 

7. Money: A Love Story by Kate Northrup

Put together by Kate Northrup, this book beautifully combines self-help with personal finance. Northrup describes the emotional aspects, healing, and self-worth as essential components when it comes to improving your financial situation. 

The book encourages women to explore their money mindset, approach it with confidence, let go of any fear or guilt, and chase the money-making goals with compassion and empowerment. This book offers a more holistic and soulful approach to improving financial status, making it a must-read for people exploring this complex world, urging them to look beyond numbers and spreadsheets. 

8. Broke Millennial by Erin Lowry

Erin Lowry in her book Broke Millennial, talks about how 20 to 30 year olds can navigate through the financial challenges with effectiveness. From managing student loans to budgeting smartly, this book offers a simple and straightforward advice to its readers, leaving no room for ambiguity.

The author uses a humorous tone accompanied by fun personal anecdotes, making this book fun and engaging to read. Moreover, Lowry makes financial concepts easy to digest, ending each chapter with a call to action. 

The practical and easy step-by-step guidance makes this book a considerable option for people beginning their financial journey. Whether it’s dealing with debts, investing, or budgeting money smartly, this book has got it all, making it a must-read for financial world newbies!

9. The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins

For an invaluable and step-by-step guide to controlling your finances and budget, The Simple Path to Wealth written by JL Collins is the answer! This book is a clear and fluff-free guide to help you gain control of your finances, helping you attain financial independence and security. 

The humorous tone of the book paired with highly applicable plans make it perfect for beginners, helping them implement it in easier ways. The book talks about how saving a higher percentage of your income, budgeting your paycheck smartly, and avoiding taking debt can lead you to greater financial security in the long-run. 

10. Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

For a classic read on how to build wealth effectively, go with Your Money or Your Life written by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. For a more meaningful connection with money, this book offers a deeper perspective, asking readers to examine how they trade their time, effort, and energy for their income. 

This book offers a 9-step plan to help you track spending, increase savings, reduce expenses, and eventually achieve financial independence and security. The authors also share the experiences, stories, and examples of many successful people, offering a motivational aspect to readers as well. 

Conclusion

Reading finance books as a beginner is one of the smartest decisions you can make while initiating your journey towards financial independence and long-term success. The books shared in this article offer a simple and straightforward approach to money-making, helping you digest complex financial concepts and offering practical tools so you can start right away! Whether it’s an author comparing his two dads in terms of money-making or deeply understanding the role of emotional aspects in financial decision-making, each book offers a unique perspective for people beginning their financial journey. The best part? You don’t need a finance degree to grasp the concepts, just willingness to learn. So pick one, start reading and take control of your financial life!

Saving money can be difficult, especially when you’re dealing with bills, daily expenses, and unexpected costs. But what if there was a way for you to save up without feeling the pinch? Biweekly money saving is a practical and stress-free method that can potentially grow your savings over time without having to overhaul your entire budget. This article will share some easy tips with you, guiding you on how to save money biweekly, helping you reach your financial goals without having it feel like a drag.

What is saving money biweekly?

Biweekly money saving is setting aside a portion of your income every two weeks, typically in line with your paycheck schedule. Instead of saving monthly, setting aside a small amount every two weeks can help you save smaller amounts more often, that is 26 times a year. 

This method encourages consistent and manageable saving habits that can help you save for an emergency situation, future financial goals, or planning for large expenses without having to utilize your entire budget.

Set a savings goal

Before you get to saving, it is important to have a clear purpose and strategy in mind. Ask yourself questions like

• What am I saving for?
• When do I want to reach this goal?
• How much do I need?

Whether it’s $1,000 for an emergency fund, $2,000 to help your kid get into college or $5,000 for a nice and fun family vacation, it’s better to have a plan in mind to give your savings a meaning and help you stay motivated and consistent in the process!

Tip: Break the goal into smaller, biweekly chunks. For example, if you want to save around $5000 at the end of the year, you need to save almost $193 every two weeks. 

Use the 50/30/20 rule

A simple budgeting framework can be your go-to when thinking of effective plans or strategies to save money biweekly. The 50/30/20 rule is a similar and simple budgeting technique to help you allocate your take-home pay in a helpful manner. 

According to this rule, 50% of your pay goes to your needs. For example paying rent, utilities, groceries, and insurance would take up 50% of your income. 30% of your pay goes to your wants. This includes dining out with family and friends, subscriptions, entertainment, and other fun activities. Lastly, 20% of your pay would be used up for saving for an emergency fund, debt repayment, or any other future financial goals. 

Let’s say your biweekly paycheck is $2,000, the allocation of the income according to the 50/30/20 rule would include $1000 spent on needs, $600 on wants, and $400 on savings.

The 52-week saving challenge 

For a simple yet powerful strategy to save money biweekly more effectively, 52-week saving challenge is your answer! This method involves building up the savings gradually over the course of a year. 

It works by having you save a small amount each week, starting with $1 in week one, $2 in week 2, $3 in week 3 and so on until you reach $52 in week 52. By the end of 52 weeks, you’ll have saved a total of $1,378, without having to put a lot of effort and making any drastic changes to your lifestyle. 

Whether you’re saving for an emergency fund, a getaway holiday, or any future financial goal, the 52-week challenge turns savings into a much more fun and manageable habit. Especially when paired with a physical or digital tracker to stay in touch with the progress, this challenge can help you stay motivated and accountable when it comes to saving effectively. 

Pay yourself first

One of the most powerful tools when it comes to saving money is paying yourself first, which simply put, means saving money and setting some aside before you get to spend it.
A helpful way to carry out this practical method is to set up an automatic transfer to your savings account on the pay day. This way, saving becomes effortless and more manageable. This useful method also makes you less tempted to spend what you meant to save, making it one of the top strategies to save money biweekly. 

Use a biweekly budget plan

Budgeting biweekly requires a different approach than budgeting monthly. This approach requires a bit of adjustment as big expenses such car payments or rents are due once a month, not every two weeks. To make this method work, you need to set aside half of those monthly bills from each paycheck. 

At the same time, plan your everyday spending like gas, groceries, and fun in such a way that they match your pay schedule. 

Category	Biweekly Amount
Rent and other utilities	$700
Groceries	$200
Gas and Transport	$100
Savings	$300
Fun and Dining	$150
Emergency Situations	$50

This method helps you spend your money like each dollar has a purpose and a job to complete. 

Cut non-essential spendings

To speed up the saving process, another helpful way is to cut non-essential spendings. Look for areas where you can cut off money both permanently and temporarily. This method can help you save up money more effectively and quickly, making the process a bit easier. 

Some non-essential spendings may include cancelling unused and unnecessary subscriptions, cooking more meals at home and avoiding takeouts and dining out, shopping with a list to avoid impulse purchasing, and switching to generic brands.

Even small changes, like cutting off coffee purchase for $5 daily can help you save around $130 biweekly or over $3,300 a year!

Try the envelope or jar method

For a hands-on budgeting technique, try the envelope or jar method which includes dividing your expenses into categories and using practical tools like envelopes or jars for holding the defined amount. Once the money runs out in the envelope or jar for a specific category, you stop spending on it. This practical method creates natural spending limits and helps create discipline for future financial saving goals.
If you’re more into digital tools, apps like Goodbudget can make saving money easier. These apps help you track expenses, monitor your budget, and help you stay organized and consistent with your biweekly savings plan. 

Save extra paychecks

Since you get 26 paychecks per year, two months will give you an extra paycheck, as compared to someone saving money monthly. 

To save money more efficiently, you can use these bonus pay periods to increase saving contributions, pay off high interest debts, build an emergency cushion, or treat yourself responsibly. 

For example, if your usual biweekly pay is $1,500 and March gives your three paychecks, you could save $1,500 extra that month!

The key is to plan ahead for these extra paychecks as they can become powerful tools for you to accelerate the saving process, reduce stress, and achieve greater financial security in the future. 

Track your progress

One of the most effective ways to stay consistent with your biweekly savings plan is to monitor the progress regularly. Tracking the progress not only keeps you in touch but also helps you stay motivated by showing you how far you’ve come, even if the process seems small at first. 

Some practical ways to track your savings can include using a simple spreadsheet, whether Excel or Google sheets, using budgeting apps like YNAB or Rocket Money, and creating a visual saving tracker such as a printable chart with progress bars and goal meters. 

By tracking your progress regularly, you can potentially be more aware of your habits, and can adjust them accordingly to help make the savings plan work better. 

Split the paycheck

When your paycheck arrives, it’s tempting to keep the whole amount in one account and spend it the way you like. But doing so can potentially blur the line between money for necessities and money for entertainment. One effective way to avoid this is to automatically split the paycheck into multiple accounts. 

You can set three separate bank accounts or sub-accounts. One can be the bills account that is for fixed monthly expenses like rents, utilities, insurance, or phone bills. One can be a fun spending account that covers flexible expenses like groceries, gas, takeouts, or shopping. The last one can be the savings account that can help you save up for future expenses or goals that you desire to fulfill. 

Conclusion

Saving money biweekly can be a game-changer for greater financial security and stability in the future, especially when your budgeting aligns with your pay schedule. By using effective strategies like the 50/30/20 rule, the 52-week saving challenge, the paying yourself first strategy, and tracking the progress regularly, you can create an effective habit that fits naturally into your lifestyle. With a clear path and purpose, saving every two weeks becomes less of a chore and more a confident step towards a future with financial security!

There’s a lot people don’t see when they think about careers in finance. From the outside, it can look like a fast-paced, high-powered world with big salaries and fancy job titles. But if you talk to people on the inside—especially those who’ve been in it for a while—you’ll hear a different story. Behind those spreadsheets and earnings calls, there’s another side of the job that doesn’t make it into the recruitment ads. The long hours, the constant pressure, the intense competition—it wears people down. And in that kind of pressure cooker, certain habits can start to take root. Some of them aren’t just unhealthy—they’re addictive.

[Read more…] about Stress, Deadlines, and Vices: Inside the Finance Grind

Running a business means making decisions every day that affect your success. Some choices help you grow, while others come with a level of risk. You can’t plan for everything, but getting ready for what you can makes things easier. That is where risk management comes in. It’s a process that helps you look at the problems that might happen and plan ahead. When it’s set up right, it helps you stay on track and spend less. It also shows your team, investors, and customers that you are serious about running a stable operation. Good risk management gives you peace of mind while helping your business stay strong through change.

[Read more…] about How Can Risk Management Strengthen Your Business?