Over 100,000 books are found on Amazon when you search for “financial books.” The modern world is complex, and finance plays a role in practically everything from Wall Street drama to small businesses in your neighborhood to large international corporations. For someone who wants to go into finance but doesn’t know where to begin, the level of saturation in the finance industry may be intimidating. Romero Mentoring has done the legwork for you by compiling a list of seven essential books you should read first.
The Intelligent Investor: Benjamin Graham
The Intelligent Investor, written by Benjamin Graham, who is regarded as the father of value investing, presented the attitude and fundamental ideas for purchasing shares at a discount.
The first edition of The Intelligent Investor was released in 1949, and fresh editions have been released continuously as the financial industry changes. Nearly 71 years later, in a very different economy and market, Graham’s insights are still relevant.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street: Burton Malkiel
A Random Walk Down Wall Street, published in 1973, describes Burton Malkiel’s “time-tested technique” for stock market investment. Malkiel thinks that investment in index funds, a globally diversified index of securities, can produce returns greater than those of expertly curated portfolios. Malkiel goes into great length about both his philosophy for investing in index funds and the approach that is currently being adopted by the financial sector.
Mastering Financial Modeling in Microsoft Excel: Alastair Day
Alastair Day, a finance professional with over 20 years of experience, offers the fundamental techniques, instruments, and formulas for creating financial models and spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel. Day describes intricate models and corporate finance solutions you would come across in the field as you read through the book. For financial professionals looking to improve their Microsoft Excel proficiency, this book serves as a lifelong reference.
Security Analysis: Benjamin Graham and David Dodd
In Security Analysis, Benjamin Graham and David Dodd discuss the concept of “value investing” and what it means to them. This book, which was first published in 1934, has become a standard for any financial practitioner and is frequently cited by industry titans like Warren Buffet, who studied under Graham at Columbia University and later collaborated with him for 25 years. Value investing strategies are covered in depth by Graham and Dodd, and they are still widely used today.
Understanding Corporate Finance: John Cousins
Corporate finance is defined by author John Cousins, along with its components. This book will give you a framework to better understand corporate finance and train you to think like a finance professional on topics including how businesses decide what initiatives to undertake and when, how, and where to invest money. Corporate finance serves as the backbone of organizations and is crucial to their ability to function. Using his technical analysis methods, which you will learn about throughout the book, Cousins gives information that can be useful in both private and professional circumstances when making important decisions like mortgages and borrowing money.