Getting Started
George Samuel Clason published The Richest Man in Babylon in 1926. Through a series of parables set in ancient Babylon, he highlights the fundamental values of hard work, living below your means, saving, and investing wisely. A free PDF of the book can be downloaded below.
FINANCIAL FOUNDATIONS
Fundamentals of Personal Finance
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, an early mentor of Warren Buffett, is considered to be one of the greatest investment books of all time. It can be read online or borrowed from The Open Library at the link below.
John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, pioneered the use of stock index funds as a low-cost and low-risk investment strategy. His website offers a plethora of articles, podcasts, and videos that provide sound investment advice at no charge.
Investing
Warren Buffett, considered by many to be the most successful investor of the 20th Century, has expounded his philosophy and investment ideas in the annual letters to shareholders of his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. They can be downloaded using the following link.
FINANCIAL PLANNING TOOLS
EconomicsE
Henry Hazlitt's classic book, Economics In One Lesson, provides a clear explanation of the economic forces that influence how we earn, save, and spend money. It also debunks many of the myths that are commonly found in the financial news. Use the link below to download a free PDF of the book.
ONLINE EDUCATION
"I will study and get ready and someday my chance will come."
—Abraham Lincoln
The websites below offer free college-level courses from some of the world's top universities. There are no admissions requirements. The University of California Irvine offers a comprehensive course on personal financial planning that can be started immediately. Edx and Coursera offer a variety of classes that begin on specified dates so that a worldwide cohort of students can learn the material together and collaborate.
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