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Let's talk about the best self-help books for women and more! I’m an avid book reader and proud to say that reading has changed my life overall including my finances. As a result of reading, I've gotten new ideas and fresh perspectives which have ultimately led to my growth and success as an individual.
Benefits of reading self-help books
So when people ask me about my opinion on the best self-help books for women, I always have a ton to share. Hence this ultimate list of best books for women that I've put together. There are just so many good ones! Plus there are numerous health benefits to reading books! Including:
- Reducing stress and anxiety
- Helping you fall asleep faster
- Increasing overall life satisfaction and happiness
Whether you want to read about personal finance, career development, business, or personal development, this ultimate list of the best self-help books for women, will help you be successful. These are books I've read over the years and books that have been recommended to me that have excellent reviews. The books in this article have been broken down into the following categories (Just click to go to your category of interest):
- Personal finance books
- Investing books
- Career books
- Books for female entrepreneurship
- Personal development books
The best personal finance books for women
Personal finance books fall in the top category when it comes to self-help books for women. In the lists below, you'll find some of my favorite books for women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. They will help you build a foundation to grow your money and live your best life.
These books are great for beginners and will change your life for the better. They will help you stay motivated to do what you need to do with your finances and money.
Why should I read books about money?
Reading finance books motivates and inspires me to stay on top of my financial planning and keeps me focused on my long-term financial goals. Educating myself on personal finance by reading also contributed to my being able to achieve a major financial milestone—saving over $100,000 in just 3 years.
Learning about finances and money is crucial if you ever want to have financial freedom. It’s important to learn different viewpoints and perspectives and figure out what is best for you and your family.
A recent study found that the most common hobby of wealthy people was reading. We also know that some of the most successful people with money and business read a lot!
But aren’t all personal finance books the same?
This is a comment I hear a lot. But here’s my take; Financial concepts are financial concepts. And while they don’t change much, there is tremendous value in learning the various ways in which people implement these cornerstone financial concepts into their lives and the strategies they’ve used to create their own financial success.
Personal finance books provide you with a variety of opinions and strategies. And importantly, if you read them often enough, they keep you immersed in what you should be doing to achieve your own financial success. In addition, reading about personal finance from other people’s perspectives isn’t boring, especially when it’s by an incredible author.
As women earning money, we owe it to ourselves to define our financial success. Reading to educate yourself is a great way to get started. Here goes:
Favorite finance books for women
Let's get started with our favorite finance books for women!
1. Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money, and Build Real Wealth by Bola Sokunbi
Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth is a book for women from a woman's perspective and to provide an actionable personal finance guide for beginners. Why? Well, at the beginning of my journey to building wealth, there were so few books by women or even by women of color.
Most of the books Bola read were by men and while they are great books, she wishes she had something directly relatable to her. So she wrote the book she wishes she had. Definitely one of our favorite books on money and budgeting!
2. Millionaire Women Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
The Millionaire Women Next Door book is the women’s version of Millionaire Next Door. He tells the stories of women millionaires and how they built their wealth.
3. Nice Girls Don't Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make With Money by Lois P. Frankel.
In Nice Girls Don't Get Rich: 75 Avoidable Mistakes Women Make With Money, you'll learn the common mistakes that are holding women back from financial success and in turn, how to overcome them.
4. Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
In David Bach’s book, Smart Women Finish Rich, he lays out his 9 step plan for establishing financial security and building long-term wealth.
5. Spend Well, Live Rich: How To Get What You Want With The Money You Have by Michelle Singletary
Michelle lays out the 7 practical money lessons she learned from her grandmother in her book, Spend Well, Live Rich: How To Get What You Want With The Money You Have. She then shares how she's implemented them to build a wealthy life and how you can too.
6. Rich Bitch: A Simple 12 Step Plan For Getting For Financial Life Together Finally by Nicole Lapin
In her book, Rich Bitch: A Simple 12 Step Plan For Getting For Financial Life Together Finally, Nicole lays out her simple 12-step plan to win with your finances. Including laying out the mistakes she made and how she overcame them.
7. Live It, Love It, Earn It: A Woman's Guide To Financial Freedom by Marianne Olszewski
Live It, Love It, Earn It: A Woman's Guide To Financial Freedom is a mix of personal finance and motivational advice. Marianne inspires you to surround yourself with people and situations that will push you toward success instead of away from it.
8. Financially Fearless by Alexa Von Tobel
Financially Fearless is all about building your financial plan around your own priorities and goals without giving up what you love.
9. Real Money Answers for Every Woman: How to Win the Money Game With or Without a Man by Patrice Washington
Real Money Answers for Every Woman will help you get out of debt, rebuild your credit, and reach your financial goals on your own!
10. Money, A Love Story: Untangle Your Financial Woes And Create The Life You Really Want by Kate Northrup
Money, A Love Story is all about identifying your relationship with money and building a healthy relationship with money. She helps identify your perceptions around money by identifying emotional aspects that are holding you back.
11. Women & Money: Owning The Power To Control Your Destiny by Suze Orman
Women & Money: Owning The Power To Control Your Destiny lays out Suze’s 5-month plan for women. She helps you identify the emotional and practical knowledge surrounding money that is holding you back. Then helps you build your plan toward long-term wealth.
12. Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By And Get Your Financial Life Together by Erin Lowry
Broke Millennial is for 20-30-year-old millennials looking for a financial plan that is not the typical personal finance book. This book will help those in their 20s and 30s navigate life with student loan debt and building friendships and romantic relationships while being open about your finances.
13. You Are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth by Jen Sincero
You Are a Badass at Making Money is a hilarious book filled with aha moments that will help you overcome the mindset that is holding you back from financial success.
14. The $1,000 Project: An Easy Guide To Mindful Saving And Financial Well Being by Canna Campbell
The $1,000 Project is an easy guide to saving money and seeing immediate results. Canna encourages saving in $1,000 buckets to stay motivated and to see faster results.
15. Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life by Barbara Stanny
In Secrets of Six-Figure Women, Barbara interviews women making six figures and up to identify the key characteristics that helped them succeed so you can too.
16. The Automatic Millionaire, A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach
The Automatic Millionaire is a one-step plan to becoming a millionaire regardless of where you are right now.
17. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
The Richest Man in Babylon is full of interesting stories about financial success and the happiness that follows. It's based on ancient parables and stories that very much tie into today's world. You can also check out our favorite Richest Man in Babylon quotes!
18. 5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me For Women by Richard Paul Evans
5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me For Women is not just about money. It’s about building a life around God and your relationships in order to gain life’s real riches.
Best investment books for women
Learning about investing doesn't have to be scary and overwhelming. These beginner investing books are perfect for those that are just learning about how to invest. Plus some of the best personal finance books are about this very topic.
It is so important for women to learn about investing in order to have financial freedom. Studies have shown that women are less likely to invest and when they do, they start when they are older. Investing at a young age is crucial in order to take advantage of long-term gains and compound interest. The younger you start investing, the better off you will be when you decide to retire.
19. Clever Girl Finance: Learning How Investing Works, Grow Your Money by Bola Sokunbi
Clever Girl Finance: Learning How Investing Works, Grow Your Money focuses on teaching women how to make the best investment decisions for themselves; No fancy finance degree required! You'll be able to leverage investment to build long-term wealth even on a modest salary. You'll also learn the key pitfalls to avoid in order to become a successful investor and so much more!
20. The Women's Guide to Successful Investing: Achieving Financial Security and Realizing Your Goals by Nancy Tengler
The Women's Guide to Successful Investing is an easy-to-understand guide that you can implement for long-term investing success.
21. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns by John C. Bogel
In The Little Book of Common Sense Investing, John shares how to be successful with investing in low-cost index funds.
22. The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham
Learn how to build a long-term successful investing strategy and avoid costly mistakes with The Intelligent Investor. It focuses specifically on investing for value over time.
23. Smart Investors Keep It Simple: Creating Passive Income With Dividend Stocks by Giovanni Rigters
Smart Investors Keep It Simple teaches you the basics of the stock market and the ins and outs of building long-term success.
24. Warren Buffett Invests Like A Girl by The Motley Fool and LouAnn Lofton
In Warren Buffett Invests Like A Girl, learn how to invest like Warren Buffet does. He invests smartly and intentionally and by doing the same you can lower your risk while increasing your gains. There's a reason why women are better investors.
25. The Complete TurtleTrader: How 23 Novice Investors Became Overnight Millionaires by Michael W. Covel
The Complete TurtleTrader is based on the true story of how a millionaire investor taught others to do the same.
26. The Book on Rental Property Investing: How to Create Wealth and Passive Income Through Smart Buy & Hold Real Estate Investing by Brandon Turner
In The Book on Rental Property Investing, you have the perfect guide on investing in real estate the right way. Learn how to become a millionaire with rental properties.
Best career books for women
Building a business or career is not easy, especially when trying to balance family life and career. Most business books are written by men to men. These are the best self-help books for women in business written by other women.
27. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers by Lois P. Frankel
In Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Lois examines the tendencies that women have that keep them from success. She also shares key tips for women to achieve the success they desire in their careers.
28. Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong by Jessica Bacal
In Mistakes I Made at Work, Jessica interviews 25 very successful women about the mistakes they made during their careers and how they learned from them.
29. Own It: The Power of Women at Work by Sallie Krawcheck
In Own It, Sallie draws on her own experience in man’s world and how to navigate that world to achieve your own success.
30. Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--and Positive Strategies for Change by Linda Babcock.
In Women Don't Ask, overcome your fears of negotiating. Start making as much if not more than the men in your field.
31. Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot and Relaunch Their Careers by Wendy Sachs
Fearless and Free teaches you how to overcome your fears and launch your career without holding yourself back.
32. Boss Bitch: A Simple 12-Step Plan to Take Charge of Your Career by Nicole Lapin
In Boss Bitch, Nicole walks you through how to take control of your future by being more confident and ambitious.
33. Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose by Lauren McGoodwin
Learn how to get unstuck and become fulfilled with your career based on the actionable advice and tools in Power Moves.
34. Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job. Kill It in Your Career. Rock Social Media by Aliza Licht
Aliza shares her real-life experience of building a brand and how you too can make your mark on your business in her book, Leave Your Mark.
35. The Myth of the Nice Girl: Achieving a Career You Love Without Becoming a Person You Hate by Fran Hauser
Take your career to the next level while still being true to yourself and not selling out with The Myth of the Nice Girl.
Best books for female entrepreneurs
Building a business is not easy and it is a constant balance of learning, reading, and building our customer base. However, the more we can learn from others that have already been there and done that, the better off our businesses will be.
We can grow faster and make money doing what we love. These self-help books for women will help you grow your business and make it profitable from the get-go. Especially considering that over 50% of new businesses close in the first 5 years.
36. The Side Hustle Guide: Build a Successful Side Hustle And Increase Your Income by Bola Sokunbi
The Side Hustle Guide is the 3rd book in the Clever Finance series. It's all about empowering women to expand their income. From mindset to branding to business finances, we've got you covered!
37. She Means Business: Turn Your Ideas into Reality and Become a Wildly Successful Entrepreneur by Carrie Green
In She Means Business, Carries teaches you how to turn your passion and dreams into a money-making business. She also focused heavily on mindset and believing in yourself, something that is necessary on the entrepreneurial journey.
38. Business Boutique: A Woman's Guide for Making Money Doing What She Loves by Christy Wright
Business Boutique will help you build a business around what you are passionate about. Christy’s advice and tips are precisely what you need to start your business today. Great for beginners!
39. #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso
#GIRLBOSS will help you follow your instincts and build a business by throwing out the old way of doing things and doing what works instead.
40. Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur by Cara Awill Leyba
With Girl Code, learn how to build your confidence and help other women. You'll also learn about building a community of support not one of jealousy and competition.
41. Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz
Profit First will help your business be profitable from the start and helps you break down exactly how you should structure your business finances.
42. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
Learn from years of experience about building a small business and do what works with The E-Myth Revisited! Learn what essential processes to put in place, what to outsourcing, time management, and more.
43. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferris.
Learn how to be more efficient and optimize your time with the simple tips in The 4-Hour Workweek. Make more money while working less!
44. Million Dollar Women: The Essential Guide for Female Entrepreneurs Who Want to Go Big by Julia Pimsleur
Learn the fundamentals of networking and how getting the right support can help you build a million-dollar business with Million Dollar Women. From fundraising to finding the team and mentors, this book walks you through it all.
45. Dear Female Founder: 66 Letters of Advice from Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Made $1 Billion in Revenue by Lu Li
Get the advice that you will wish you had when you started your business in Dear Female Founder. It's laid out as letters from other female entrepreneurs who've taken the journey.
46. Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
In Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition, learn how to be innovative and create success by finding the right marketing space and getting ahead of your competition.
47. Blue Ocean Shift: Beyond Competing - Proven Steps to Inspire Confidence and Seize New Growth by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne
Ignore the competition and inspire new growth by learning what works and what doesn’t in Blue Ocean Shift.
48. Choosing to Prosper: Triumphing Over Adversity, Breaking Out of Comfort Zones, and Achieving Dreams by Bola Sokunbi
In Choosing to Prosper celebrated company founder and finance leader Bola Sokunbi delivers an uplifting and practical message of success and resilience.
The book challenges readers to examine their own financial and personal dreams and find the strength and resilience they need to achieve them. It is the perfect resource for women trying to navigate the challenges posed by modern life, career, and business.
Best books for personal development books for women
These are my favorite books on learning how to improve your mindset and beliefs in order to live your best life. Personal development has a wide variety of sub-topics when it comes to self-help books for women. Below are some favorites that will help you be successful in your personal and professional life.
49. Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
Learn how saying “yes” can transform your life in Year of Yes. Shonda showcases her own successes on her journey both professionally and personally by saying yes.
50. No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy
Success does not come from luck but from self-discipline. Start taking control of your life and leave the excuses at the door. Brian teaches you exactly how to drop the excuses holding you back in No Excuses!.
51. Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose by Marshawn Evan Daniels
In Believe Bigger, Marshawn shares her 5 step plan that will help you hear what God is telling you to do in your life. This is a faith-based book.
52. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
This hilarious book, You Are a Badass, will help you stop the self-sabotage so you can get the life you want.
53. Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life by Lara Casey
In Cultivate, learn how to stop the beliefs that as women we should be able to do it all, all the time. Lara focuses on finding intention and giving yourself grace for a happier life.
54. Successful Women Think Differently: 9 Habits to Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Resilient by Valorie Burton
In Successful Women Think Differently, learn exactly how to build new thought processes so you can be more successful and resilient.
55. Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis
In Girl, Wash Your Face, Rachel walks you through the lies and mindsets that are holding us back from being who God meant us to be.
56. Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance by Steve Harvey
In Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance, learn how to use your faith and your own natural talents to pursue a life of abundance.
57. Abundance Now: Amplify Your Life & Achieve Prosperity Today by Lisa Nichols
In Abundance Now, Lisa shares her own journey and struggles in order to teach you how to live your best life.
Leverage these best self help books for women!
leveraging these self-help books for women will help you grow finances, career, business, and mindset. A good book can inspire and motivate you to move to the next level of success in your personal and professional life.
It is so important to read books that will help you grow personally and professionally. The more you learn, the faster you can grow and become who you were meant to be! I challenge you to read one book a month and see how it can change your life for the better. I hope this list of best self-help books for women inspires you.