Thanks to popular e-readers like the Kindle and Nook, financial ebooks are more available than they were a few years ago. I’ve searched for engaging and informational titles, then compiled a list that includes a number of free financial ebooks.
Over the years, I’ve managed to collect financial ebooks from big name authors like Suze Orman and David Bach, finding them in all sorts of places. Bear in mind that even if you don’t have a reader of your own, it’s still possible to read ebooks on your PC or Mac with a variety of software programs like Kindle Cloud Reader or Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Another way to read ebooks on your computer is to use a program such as Calibre, which is an open source and free library management tool to help organize and manage ebooks. It’s been helpful in managing my ebook collection for several years, too. I also enjoy reading my financial ebooks with smartphone apps for the Kindle and Nook.
Free Personal Finance eBooks from Popular Bloggers
eBooks from personal finance bloggers can be enlightening and entertaining. Here are some great selections!
- Get Rich Slowly Guide To Roth IRAs. One of my favorite personal finance bloggers is J.D. Roth. He’s authored a Roth IRA guide, available for free as a PDF.
- Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know about Personal Finance. TheSimpleDollar.com is another regular stop when I read personal finance blogs. Trent Hamm offers a free 49-page ebook that’s thoughtful and worth a read. Find it here.
- Key Takeaways of Personal Finance. Philip Taylor of PTMoney.com has a free ebook that goes over organizing your money, optimizing finances and using credit wisely. Find it here.
- Thriving on Less: Simplifying in a Tough Economy. If you need new strategies for streamlining your life, Leo Babauta offers an ebook that discusses making small financial changes and looking closely at large expenses for the long term. This free ebook is a companion to his book The Power of Less. Find the ebook here.
- No Credit Needed Debt Reduction Guide. This guide is a quick read at just eight pages, but you’ll find the advice useful. You’ll hear about building a substantial emergency fund, making multiple extra payments towards your debt and celebrating victories.
- Christian Financial eBooks. If you’re looking for Christian-oriented ebooks, you can head over to Sound Mind Investing. The free newsletters here include:
- Seven Key Principles for Christian Investing
- IRAs, 401(k)s and Social Security: A Retirement Planning Primer
- Gold as an Investment: Will Precious Metals Continue to Shine?
- Inflation History: The Rise and Fall of the U.S Dollar
You’ll need to provide your email address to receive your free newsletters.
- $21 Challenge book. For savings from an Australian perspective, head over to Simple Savings. Check out their Downloads section, which includes samples from their $21 Challenge book. Premium members get additional content.
- 101 Ways to Make More Money. You can pick up this title by Derek Sall when you subscribe to his site. The tips go over topics like making money with your property and by using your expertise.
- Tax Tips for Traders and Investors. Praveen Puri, who writes for the blog Stock Market Zen, has written a free ebook on tax tips for investors, which you’ll find here. There’s a lot of basic information in the eBook for stock investors and traders, but it also functions as a great segue to the stock trading system that Praveen espouses in his Stock Trading Riches book. Anyone interested in stock investing strategies may find this information useful (whether or not you decide to go ahead with this kind of approach to your investments).
Free Financial eBooks from the Government
- Consumer Action Handbook and other materials. This handbook is released by the federal government annually. You can read it for free as a PDF or you can download it in .ePub or .mobi formats for your ebook reader. It covers topics such as consumer purchases, complaints and problems. In addition, Publications.USA.gov offers 10 Things You Can Do to Avoid Fraud and Online Banking, Bill Paying and Shopping: 10 Ways to Protect Your Money. Other free publications cover categories like employment, money, and housing.
- A Consumer’s Guide to Mortgage Refinancings. The Federal Reserve has a free ebook on refinancing that’s available for download. It can tell you more about the benefits of refinancing and the questions to ask your mortgage broker or lender. Find it here.
- Building Wealth: A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Your Financial Future. Mint.com tipped me off to the resources offered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Some of their titles are on building wealth, while others go over opening a bank account and money issues. Explore the site for free resources!
Additional eBook Sources
Here are a few more miscellaneous sources for ebooks:
- DailyLit.com. When I don’t have a lot of time to devote to reading, I drop by DailyLit.com. This site delivers free ebooks to your inbox in manageable chunks. Besides novels and classics, there are categories like Business and Economics. Authors include Seth Godin and Tom Peters.
- Manybooks.net has a business section with free titles, too. One popular title is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. You can download it in multiple formats for your Kindle or Nook.
- Online Retailers & Sites. Offers for free financial ebooks come up in different locations:
- I like to check the Kindle Store on Amazon on a regular basis since publishers and authors occasionally offer freebies.
- Free sample chapters are another benefit of browsing at the Kindle Store.
- I also skim for free ebook listings on deals sites like Dealnews.com and FatWallet.com.
- Check your favorite financial author’s website for sample chapters, excerpts and other freebies.
Special Offer: On the subject of free ebooks, do check out the holiday giveaway being offered by Kosmo from TheSoapBoxers.com. Kosmo writes for us on occasion and enjoys writing fiction (among other things). Here is his author link at Amazon, where you can download his books for free on December 24 and December 25, 2011. Beyond those dates, you’ll have to purchase them.For ebooks that cost varying amounts, you can shop at the ebook store associated with your favorite e-reader.
- Google Books. This Google service has a lot of content. The Business and Investing category has new and noteworthy titles as well as ebooks on taxation, entrepreneurship and many other subjects. You can even find free titles if you’re diligent about looking, and there should be samples to view.
Besides blogs, you can get a free education and learn more about subjects like budgeting, investing and retirement with financial ebooks. Go over our list or track down some new favorites. Some of the most intriguing financial ebooks are free, so you can begin building your financial knowledge!
If you would like to let us know about a free finance ebook you have available, do feel free to leave us a comment!
Created January 18, 2010. Updated December 20, 2011. Copyright © 2011 The Digerati Life. All Rights Reserved.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the links to the ebooks. Will download them and read them and give you my thoughts on these.
I think by checking these out, many financial mistakes can be avoided fully. I’ll take a look.
Thanks for the ebook leads. Have a lot of stock trades from last year, so some of these books should help.
Thank you for this listing. I’m sure that it will come in handy on my search to become financially independent. Writing an ebook isn’t easy sometimes — you’re faced with too much information and a whole lot of demons which scream that it can’t be done — I admire these folks for getting it done.
Thanks for the mention. I’m also part of the Kindle borrowing program for Amazon Prime members, so if people miss the boat on the 24th or 25th, that’s another way to get my books for free. I wouldn’t say that my work is on par with Hemingway or Poe, but the price is right 🙂 Some of the stories are pleasantly disturbing.
Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org) is a good place to go for free books. It contains public domain works and leans heavily toward fiction, but also does have some econ/finances books such as Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations and the works of J.M. Keynes.
Yes, I also admire those folks who can find the time to run a site (or more) and still come up with products and books!
@Kosmo,
I will be first to grab your books 🙂 . Very cool, thanks for the offer here and for the additional tips on free books. Any bibliophile would be thrilled about following these leads.
Nice, wide-ranging survey! Thanks.
I gather from your response to Kosmo that you haven’t yet published an e-book of your own? From what I’m told, it’s pretty easy…am thinking of doing one or two this spring. Would love to know what you or your readers have learned about the experience of putting one together and, more interestingly, of marketing them.
@FAM,
Yes, I haven’t done an ebook yet — although a few close relatives of mine have penned books. I guess some folks have worked to figure out how to reformat material they’ve done already. Are you thinking of selling an ebook or giving it away for free? I believe the Financial Blogger has extensive experience with going through creating both a free and a priced ebook.