Personal finance books can be fantastic resources to help you learn about everything from smart shopping habits to how to save for retirement, and there are thousands of books out there to guide you on your personal finance journey. In fact, plenty of insightful personal finance books have been published in 2024, alone.
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If you’re not sure of where to start, GOBankingRates did the hard work for you, rounding up the best personal finance books published in 2024 that you’ll want to add to your bookshelves next year.
And while you’re learning better financial habits from these insightful books, consider these money moves wealthy people make before the new year.
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Originally published in 1949, this book has just been released in a 75th anniversary edition that’s been updated with commentaries by financial journalist Jason Zweig.
The book outlines Benjamin Graham’s “value investing” philosophy, providing a guide to investing for individuals looking to develop sensible strategies and protect their investments. Zweig’s commentary provides additional details and helps readers understand how to apply Graham’s timeless practices to today’s investment market.
Warren Buffett said that this book is “by far the best book about investing ever written.” Reviewers praise the book’s quality and value, noting that the commentary is helpful and further breaks down Graham’s ideas so that they’re easily understood.
Since the content from the original edition is bolded, individuals who already have the original can quickly identify and read the commentary for additional depth.
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Written for businesses and individuals looking to minimize their tax obligations, this third-edition book by Tom Wheelwright, certified public accountant (CPA), focuses on how to use the tax code as a road map to building wealth. This new version covers topics such as tax deductions, credits and incentives, as well as the latest tax reforms. It explores ways to legally minimize tax burdens to build and preserve wealth.
Reviewers found the book to be highly detailed yet also clear and easy to understand. Several reviewers praise Wheelwright for incorporating stories and using them to illustrate tax principles, which makes the book more entertaining and engaging. They also applauded the book as a good investment, particularly for business owners.
Authors Ken and Mary Okoroafor started as working-class immigrants and built their financial freedom with good money habits and savvy investing.
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They share their expertise in this book so readers can take control of their finances, develop good money habits, multiply their income, save for retirement, and more. The book is suitable for those who may be financially struggling, worried about retirement or who just want to improve their personal finance habits.
This book has amassed many positive reviews from finance professionals. Reviewers praised it for being entertaining yet providing detailed and practical information and advice. Several reviewers noted that the book not only focuses on financial wellness, but also on how finances impact our personal wellbeing.
According to reviews, the book is very easy to understand, includes practical guides on how to reach your financial goals, and is overall positive and inspiring.
Dave Ramsey shares his advice to help potential homeowners avoid financial pitfalls and mistakes when buying a home. He does so in a concise 70 pages, making this book a detailed yet easy read. This book is ideal for the first-time homeowner and explores real estate buying, selling, and investing strategies to help you build wealth.
This book is also packed full of valuable information. Reviewers praised the amount of detail the book contains, saying they returned to it again and again.
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Jade Warshaw, financial coach and co-host of “The Ramsey Show,” gets to the root of the issues behind money problems.
She shares her personal story of how she and her husband paid off $460,000 in debt and provides tips and advice to change your attitude about budgeting. This book is just 70 pages, making it a user-friendly and accessible read for anyone struggling with budgeting and finance concerns.
This book takes a straight, to the point approach. Reviewers found it helpful and eye-opening, and enjoyed the fact that it was a quick and easy read.
This book is a comprehensive investing guide for anyone who is just getting started or working toward retirement.
Burton G. Malkiel shares strategies for achieving above-average investment results. In this 50th anniversary edition, he also explores current investment trends and analyzes meme stocks, NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The book includes step-by-step guidance to protect and grow your investments.
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This book has received praise from top publications, including Money, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times. Reviewers lauded the work as a must-read investment book.
It’s engaging and entertaining, includes detailed advice on what investors should and shouldn’t do, and is informative without being overwhelmingly technical.
Ideal for anyone who wants to prepare for and enjoy a comfortable retirement, this book can help you maximize your retirement savings.
Author Christine Benz, a Morningstar columnist and podcaster, interviewed 20 retirement thought leaders. She shares the lessons they believe can contribute to retirement success while also covering ideas like how to optimize happiness and live life with no regrets.
This book is thought-provoking and full of actionable advice. Readers enjoyed the differing opinions from the many contributors, and they appreciated that the book focuses on finance details, as well as other, broader retirement concepts. While the book doesn’t contain templates or formulas, it does feature entertaining interviews and concise summaries of key points.
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This book is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to reevaluate their approach to money and make big life improvements.
Financial expert Jill Schlesinger explores how to change your life in post-pandemic. She presents 10 steps to help you change your work, wealth and life, and guides you through the process of rethinking some finance concepts that may have changed since the pandemic.
Reviewers called the book thought-provoking and praised the practical framework it presented. The book is straightforward and easy to follow, while also incorporating a dose of humor to keep it entertaining.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Must-Read Personal Finance Books of 2024 for a Fresh Start in 2025
Cornell University administrator Warren Petrofsky will serve as the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ new dean of administration and finance, charged with spearheading efforts to shore up the school’s finances as it faces a hefty budget deficit.
Petrofsky’s appointment, announced in a Friday email from FAS Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra to FAS affiliates, will begin April 20 — nearly a year after former FAS dean of administration and finance Scott A. Jordan stepped down. Petrofsky will replace interim dean Mary Ann Bradley, who helped shape the early stages of FAS cost-cutting initiatives.
Petrofsky currently serves as associate dean of administration at Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
As dean, he oversaw a budget cut of nearly $11 million to the institution’s College of Arts and Sciences after the federal government slashed at least $250 million in stop-work orders and frozen grants, according to the Cornell Daily Sun.
He also serves on a work group established in November 2025 to streamline the school’s administrative systems.
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Earlier, at the University of Pennsylvania, Petrofsky managed capital initiatives and organizational redesigns in a number of administrative roles.
Petrofsky is poised to lead similar efforts at the FAS, which relaunched its Resources Committee in spring 2025 and created a committee to consolidate staff positions amid massive federal funding cuts.
As part of its planning process, the committee has quietly brought on external help. Over several months, consultants from McKinsey & Company have been interviewing dozens of administrators and staff across the FAS.
Petrofsky will also likely have a hand in other cost-cutting measures across the FAS, which is facing a $365 million budget deficit. The school has already announced it will keep spending flat for the 2026 fiscal year, and it has dramatically reduced Ph.D. admissions.
In her email, Hoekstra praised Petrofsky’s performance across his career.
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“Warren has emphasized transparency, clarity in communication, and investment in staff development,” she wrote. “He approaches change with steadiness and purpose, and with deep respect for the mission that unites our faculty, researchers, staff, and students. I am confident that he will be a strong partner to me and to our community.”
—Staff writer Amann S. Mahajan can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at amannsm.38. Follow her on X @amannmahajan.
My spreadsheet reviewed a WalletHub ranking of financial distress for the residents of 100 U.S. cities, including 17 in California. The analysis compared local credit scores, late bill payments, bankruptcy filings and online searches for debt or loans to quantify where individuals had the largest money challenges.
When California cities were divided into three geographic regions – Southern California, the Bay Area, and anything inland – the most challenges were often found far from the coast.
The average national ranking of the six inland cities was 39th worst for distress, the most troubled grade among the state’s slices.
Bakersfield received the inland region’s worst score, ranking No. 24 highest nationally for financial distress. That was followed by Sacramento (30th), San Bernardino (39th), Stockton (43rd), Fresno (45th), and Riverside (52nd).
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Southern California’s seven cities overall fared better, with an average national ranking of 56th largest financial problems.
However, Los Angeles had the state’s ugliest grade, ranking fifth-worst nationally for monetary distress. Then came San Diego at 22nd-worst, then Long Beach (48th), Irvine (70th), Anaheim (71st), Santa Ana (85th), and Chula Vista (89th).
Monetary challenges were limited in the Bay Area. Its four cities average rank was 69th worst nationally.
San Jose had the region’s most distressed finances, with a No. 50 worst ranking. That was followed by Oakland (69th), San Francisco (72nd), and Fremont (83rd).
The results remind us that inland California’s affordability – it’s home to the state’s cheapest housing, for example – doesn’t fully compensate for wages that typically decline the farther one works from the Pacific Ocean.
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A peek inside the scorecard’s grades shows where trouble exists within California.
Credit scores were the lowest inland, with little difference elsewhere. Late payments were also more common inland. Tardy bills were most difficult to find in Northern California.
Bankruptcy problems also were bubbling inland, but grew the slowest in Southern California. And worrisome online searches were more frequent inland, while varying only slightly closer to the Pacific.
Note: Across the state’s 17 cities in the study, the No. 53 average rank is a middle-of-the-pack grade on the 100-city national scale for monetary woes.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
The up-and-coming fintech scored a pair of fourth-quarter beats.
Diversified fintech Chime Financial(CHYM +12.88%) was playing a satisfying tune to investors on Thursday. The company’s stock flew almost 14% higher that trading session, thanks mostly to a fourth quarter that featured notably higher-than-expected revenue guidance.
Sweet music
Chime published its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results just after market close on Wednesday. For the former period, the company’s revenue was $596 million, bettering the same quarter of 2024 by 25%. The company’s strongest revenue stream, payments, rose 17% to $396 million. Its take from platform-related activity rose more precipitously, advancing 47% to $200 million.
Image source: Getty Images.
Meanwhile, Chime’s net loss under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) more than doubled. It was $45 million, or $0.12 per share, compared with a fourth-quarter 2024 deficit of $19.6 million.
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On average, analysts tracking the stock were modeling revenue below $578 million and a deeper bottom-line loss of $0.20 per share.
In its earnings release, Chime pointed to the take-up of its Chime Card as a particular catalyst for growth. Regarding the product, the company said, “Among new member cohorts, over half are adopting Chime Card, and those members are putting over 70% of their Chime spend on the product, which earns materially higher take rates compared to debit.”
Today’s Change
(12.88%) $2.72
Current Price
$23.83
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Key Data Points
Market Cap
$7.9B
Day’s Range
$22.30 – $24.63
52wk Range
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$16.17 – $44.94
Volume
562K
Avg Vol
3.3M
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Gross Margin
86.34%
Double-digit growth expected
Chime management proffered revenue and non-GAAP (adjusted) earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) guidance for full-year 2026. The company expects to post a top line of $627 million to $637 million, which would represent at least 21% growth over the 2024 result. Adjusted EBITDA should be $380 million to $400 million. No net income forecasts were provided in the earnings release.
It isn’t easy to find a niche in the financial industry, which is crowded with companies offering every imaginable type of service to clients. Yet Chime seems to be achieving that, as the Chime Card is clearly a hit among the company’s target demographic of clientele underserved by mainstream banks. This growth stock is definitely worth considering as a buy.
