Personal finance books recommendations?

[qwerty-2023]

Has anyone read a personal finance book, ideally tailored to the Irish context, that they would recommend?

I saw a couple in the bookshop yesterday (Money Doctor and Money Made Easy) and was curious if they or any other books have been helpful to anyone here.

Flipping through them a lot of it seemed to be "basics" (e.g. explaining tax rate bands or the importance of setting a budget) - I've been interested in personal finance for a few years now so I'm looking for something a little more advanced/involved as I already have these basics down I think.

I've seen recommendations for boks like Psychology of Money that I am intrigued by. I've read The Little Book of Common Sense Investing and this convinced me to invest in broad equity funds (ideally passive/index funds) and this helped me feel much more confident in setting up my AVCs and post-tax investments, but a lot of the advice was too American focused e.g. taxes, 401ks etc. Likewise I enjoy reading personal finance blogs but they are very US focused and I worry that I have big knowledge gaps about the Irish context, especially since I am originally not from Ireland.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

 

[Harvard]

I bought the money doctor years ago. Sets things out simply and a handy guide to have. Even though it comes out every year I wouldn't be bothered buying it more than once as most of the info doesn't change apart from tax bands etc. There's also a lot of free stuff online but worth fact checking and maybe the best tip when it comes to money is remember if something is too good to be true....

 

[MrEarl]

For a simple reference guide, I think a copy of the Money Doctor (by John Lowe) is well worth having.

No need to buy a fresh copy every year, though.

Thereafter, you could buy lots of books on specialist topics (and I've got a few dozen, myself), or just keep reading posts on Askaboutmoney.com

 

[messyleo]

Would also suggest having a browse in your local library (they do ebooks too now) to save even more money ;-)
Then even if it is something you think you will get continued value out of as a reference, you can always buy your own copy
Or borrow a few from a friend

 

[Harvard]

Would also suggest having a browse in your local library (they do ebooks too now) to save even more money ;-)
Then even if it is something you think you will get continued value out of as a reference, you can always buy your own copy
Or borrow a few from a friend

I forgot about the library guide shout.

 

[Deauville]

Two reads I really enjoyed and found worthwhile.
Fooled by Randomness
and
Winning the Losers Game.
Not Ireland specific though.

 

[Sue Ellen]

Would also suggest having a browse in your local library (they do ebooks too now) to save even more money ;-)

BorrowBox is very handy.

 

[thumbelina]

I highly recommend 'Smarter Investing: Simpler Decisions for Better Results' by Tim Hale.

Excellent book with a lean towards index investing if that is your thing.

 

[qwerty-2023]

Thank you so much everyone, I'll be heading to the library to figure out what books they have in your recommendations

 

[Sue Ellen]

Thank you so much everyone, I'll be heading to the library to figure out what books they have in your recommendations

I find its better to have an account, check the availability of particular books from all branches, place a request and then make my trip to local library when it arrives in stock.