10 Best Personal Finance Books For Women

Financial education for women—whether through traditional methods or a bookshelf full of finance books—can be synonymous with liberation. On top of the historical gender pay gap, women often find it harder to save and invest money, which makes sense considering many of us were never really taught how to manage our finances. (You might have heard that these tasks were a job for the “male breadwinners.”)

Adding to this, data from 2022 World Economic Forum showed that women were disproportionately affected by inflation, with women-aimed products subject to higher price increases than those for men. To change the game, it's critical that we develop financial literacy and independence—and reading some finance books can be an easy yet effective starting point.

We've made a list of the 10 best personal finance books for women according to experts and the Fairygodboss's community.

Best personal finance books for women: 10 must-reads

Here's how we put together this list: We focused on highlighting the best books on personal finance with an introductory or intermediate approach—ideal for beginners or those with some knowledge. These titles cover everything from the basics of personal finance to guidance on how to save and invest. Here are our recommendations:

1. “Clever Girl Finance: Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth,” by Bola Sokunbi

For women who are just starting to take control over their finances, Clever Girl Finance, Ditch Debt, Save Money and Build Real Wealth is a great introductory personal finance book. The author empowers women to reach financial wellness with lighthearted and accessible language, teaching important lessons on budgeting, salary management, saving, and investing.

2. “The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness,” by Morgan Housel

Recommended by Nataki Williams, SVP of Finance and Operations for The Guardian US, The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel “addresses all the social-emotional things that influence our financial decisions,” she says. 

In this book, Housel doesn't get into numbers or math, but explores 19 short case stories that illustrate the strange ways people think about money. “There are so many subconscious beliefs that impact our daily habits that we can be unaware of,” Williams says. Through these examples, he guides you in making conscious, smart choices with your money. 

3. “Smart Women Finish Rich,” by David Bach

If you want to achieve financial freedom, Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach is a book that can help get there. With practical examples, the acclaimed author teaches important financial lessons, like setting clear financial goals, conscious spending, and the power of investments.

4. “Financial Feminist,” by Tori Dunlap

Considered one of the best books about personal finance for women, the New York Times bestseller Financial Feminist, by Tori Dunlap offers much more than just finance lessons. Dunlap shares her own experience with money and shame, explores the hidden aspects of the financial system, and provides judgment-free advice on how to get out of debt and practicing mindful spending.

Within its 318 pages, you'll also find journaling prompts, interviews with money experts, and exercises to help you assess your current financial situation, define your financial goals, and how you can get there.

5. “The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence and a Rich, Free,” Life by JL Collins

The Simple Path to Wealth emerged from letters JL Collins wrote to his daughter—most concerning money and investments. Using simple methods, Collins delves into several aspects of personal money management and wealth-building. He covers topics such as investing in stocks and retirement accounts, how to avoid and deal with debt, and the importance of having f-you money.

6. “Your Money or Your Life,” by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, delivers exactly what the title promises. The authors encourage you to reevaluate your relationship with money and provide a step-by-step guide to cutting spending and achieve financial independence.

“The concepts in Your Money or Your Life are applicable to everyone, but for women, it can be particularly illuminating considering the gender pay gap and potential career interruptions for childcare, eldercare, and various life expenditures required of certain careers,” says Bree Shellito, Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor, Senior Manager of Community and Workforce Well-Being at Ent Credit Union.

You'll also find specific exercises for women and empowering financial tools. “It goes beyond general budgeting by including tools and exercises that ask women to track expenses directly related to maintaining their careers and to think about how you spend, borrow, save and plan with money,” Shellito says. “This is often a significant step towards achieving financial independence and freedom.” 

7. “Total Money Makeover,” by Dave Ramsey 

Total Money Makeover “whips your butt into shape to take a cold hard look at your spending habits,” says Jackie Rockwell, budgeting coach for women and runner of the bookkeeping academy Brass Jacks.

With a practical and straightforward approach, author Dave Ramsey provides a long-term finance management plan, including a method to get rid of debt and advice to break bad habits with money. 

You can tailor his strategies according to your reality and preferences, as Rockwell did. “I don’t love Dave Ramsey or agree with all of his methods, but this book is what launched my passion for helping women budget,” she says. “I took the methods he taught in the book and gave them a softer approach that felt better to me.” 

8. “Get Good with Money: Ten Simple Steps to Becoming Financially Whole,” by Tiffany Aliche

Get Good with Money is a practical and realistic 10-step guide to building wealth through financial wholeness. With lessons learned from her own experience of getting out of a financial hole, the author Tiffany Alice provides the reader with helpful worksheets, checklists, and valuable advice across all areas of their finance life, including:

• How to systemize your expenses

• Best practices to build an emergency fund for rainy days

• How to save for short- and long-term goals, such as traveling or buying a house

• Saving and investing

• How to assure your beneficiaries and finances wishes are protected in the future

“So much about personal finance is based on habits and our relationship with money,” Williams says. “Tiffany uses a straightforward approach, and her story of being a schoolteacher makes her ideas feel achievable.” 

9.  “The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke,” by Suze Orman

Are you an underpaid woman in your mid-twenties or early thirties with student loan debt? The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke might be the best book on personal finance for you. Author Suze Orman speaks directly with so-called “Generation Debt” or “Generation Broke,” and provides realistic and pragmatic solutions to change your financial reality. 

“My mom bought me this book at Costco when it first came out in 2005, I was 23 at the time and had just started investing in my retirement a few years before that,” Rockwell says. “This book not only taught me that the current retirement plan I was using was charging me way too much, but also how to roll over money out of a traditional IRA and so much more. I refer to it again and again.”

Even though it's two decades old, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke remains relevant today, resonating with Millennials and Gen Zs who can't see themselves being able to achieve the same financial milestones as older generations.

10. “I Will Teach You to be Rich,” by Ramit Sethi

I Will Teach You to be Rich isn't like those get-rich-quick finance books that say the secret to become wealthy is to stop buying lattes at Starbucks. Instead, author Ramit Sethi delivers a simple and straightforward six-week program that teaches all the finance hacks that helped him achieve his financial goals.

You'll learn tactics for paying off debt faster, setting up no-fee high interest bank accounts, and even how to talk your way out of late fees with detailed scripts. Sethi also provides advice on salary negotiations, investment strategies, and handling big purchases or life milestones, such as buying a car or starting a family.

If you've made it this far, you might also find this interesting: 9 Financial Tips Every Woman Should Know to Protect Themselves