Book suggestions for a 16 year old

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MiloMoney
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Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by MiloMoney »

I am 16 years old and live in the midwest. I joined Bogleheads to get portfolio advice and lower the age of the median member. When I first registered, I thought it would be a one-time post-deal. I mean, I just wanted information on how to allocate my Roth best, but I was taken aback by the wisdom and sincerity of this forum.

I am using these days off school to do some reading. I currently have these suggestions:

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. "
"Date… or Soul Mate"
"The Richest Man In Babylon"
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill,
"How to Win Friends and Influence People"
"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming"

I am up to my ears already but would love to have a running list. I can save time on searching and hop straight to the next item. The books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
MoneyMarathon
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by MoneyMarathon »

At the end of the day, income is more important than savings rates and more important than investing. And here's a relevant book:

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now
HowlerNine
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by HowlerNine »

The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street and Get on with Your Life

Great book. One of the first I read regarding investing. The author is practical, witty, and informative.
Mr. Rumples
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Mr. Rumples »

This is not an investing book, but perhaps the most important book from my university years; it has application in many fields: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. Its a philosophy book written by a physicist with applications in many fields including economics and medicine. The main thesis I came away with is that changes in thought / world views are due to a paradigm shift. Its not always rational, it can be generational, it can be abrupt or gradual, but it is almost always revolutionary. As a 16 year old, you will see a lot of paradigm shifts in the next 80 years; what passes for truth today, many not tomorrow.

It can be argued that Jack Bogle caused a paradigm shift, or at a minimum the start of one, when it comes to investing.
Last edited by Mr. Rumples on Sat Mar 28, 2020 5:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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JBEB
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by JBEB »

Scott Trench Set for Life is a wonderful road map. Wish I read it earlier
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Lehninger
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Lehninger »

The first book I read was "The Millionaire Next Door."

The book is incredible and introduced me to the concept of personal finance, saving, and investing. It will also teach you who many of the millionaires in America are and how you can get there. Hint: It's not just the CEOs and tech entrepreneurs. Most of them are people who worked a job, saved consistently, and lived within their means.

Interest in these topics from a young age demonstrates a strong positive predictive value for success. At your age try to focus on how you'd like to earn income. Income is the most powerful tool if used wisely. Remove all preconceived notions and limitations about potential careers - you can accomplish them if you desire.

Nearly all of these books can be read for free on the National Emergency Library https://archive.org/details/nationalemergencylibrary.

Check it out.
FRANK2009
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by FRANK2009 »

'If you can" by William Bernstein. Easy read with practical advice on 3 fund portfolio.



https://www.amazon.com/If-You-Can-Mille ... B00JCC5JKI
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by achillesheel »

I recommend "How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler. It will broaden your horizon on life. You'll be a more well-educated human being at the end of it - and you'll see that all self-help books are only the beginning, and not the end, of true liberal education. Pursuing knowledge for its own sake is infinitely better even than figuring out how to gain wealth.

For finance, though, I love "the intelligent investor" and Malkiel's "Random Walk."
The unexamined life is not worth living.
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birdog
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by birdog »

Your Money or Your Life - Vicki Robin
The Simple Path to Wealth - JL Collins
averagedude
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by averagedude »

OP, you have a good list of books. Some of these books on your list have been life changing for many people.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by birdog »

MoneyMarathon wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:14 am At the end of the day, income is more important than savings rates and more important than investing.
MoneyMarathon is correct in the sense that without any income there can be no saving or investing. But while investing and savings rate are dependent upon income, in the end they are ultimately more important than level of income. Perhaps just a reframe, but an important one. If you have a high income but don’t save or invest anything you won’t ever grow an investment portfolio. But if your savings rate is high it means that your expenses are sufficiently below your level of income. The following blog post is something I wish I’d read at 16. And while early retirement certainly doesn’t have to be your goal, financial independence is a worthy goal on many levels. And it all comes down to one thing, savings rate. You don’t have to be as extreme as the blog post author. The math is the important concept to grasp. And please understand that while many of these early retirement people do technically leave their jobs early, the point is that once they are financially independent they gain the freedom to choose to continue working (if they love their job), quit their job (if they hate it) to find another job that they love but maybe doesn’t pay as well, or actually retire in the more traditional sense. The freedom to choose is the key.

https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01 ... etirement/
jaqenhghar
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by jaqenhghar »

Millionaire in the Mirror: How to Find Your Passion and Make a Fortune Doing It by Gene Bledell

I read it a few years ago when someone first recommended it here. And I re-read it earlier this year.

Picked up a certain set of lessons for my career the first time I read it. Picked up a second set of lessons for my career now.
klrjaa
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by klrjaa »

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. You've begun with the end in mind which is terrific awareness. I would encourage you to stay open to alternate views on how to invest from what is generally espoused here.
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Groundhog
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Groundhog »

A 16 year old Boglehead... Awesome!
RobertPaulson
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by RobertPaulson »

Investing made simple by Mike Piper. Very simple and concise, sums up the Boglehead strategy very well. It is a bit basic, but lays a solid foundation. Good for beginners.

I’ll second the 7 habits book.
JLJL
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by JLJL »

Lehninger wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:00 am The first book I read was "The Millionaire Next Door."

The book is incredible and introduced me to the concept of personal finance, saving, and investing. It will also teach you who many of the millionaires in America are and how you can get there. Hint: It's not just the CEOs and tech entrepreneurs. Most of them are people who worked a job, saved consistently, and lived within their means.

Interest in these topics from a young age demonstrates a strong positive predictive value for success. At your age try to focus on how you'd like to earn income. Income is the most powerful tool if used wisely. Remove all preconceived notions and limitations about potential careers - you can accomplish them if you desire.

Nearly all of these books can be read for free on the National Emergency Library https://archive.org/details/nationalemergencylibrary.

Check it out.
Sadly the author was killed when his sports car was T boned by a drunk driver a few years back. He was working on a book with his daughter that she later finished according to Wikipedia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Stanley

Wonderful link to this archive, thank you!
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birdog
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by birdog »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am I am 16 years old and live in the midwest. I joined Bogleheads to get portfolio advice and lower the age of the median member. When I first registered, I thought it would be a one-time post-deal. I mean, I just wanted information on how to allocate my Roth best, but I was taken aback by the wisdom and sincerity of this forum.

I am using these days off school to do some reading. I currently have these suggestions:

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. "
"Date… or Soul Mate"
"The Richest Man In Babylon"
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill,
"How to Win Friends and Influence People"
"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming"

I am up to my ears already but would love to have a running list. I can save time on searching and hop straight to the next item. The books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
Congratulations on finding this site so early in your life! May it serve you extremely well.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by dratkinson »

I suggest these books if you have a mechanical mind and enjoy understanding how things work. These are the only books I've every read twice, before returning---most interesting.
--A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bryson.
--The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World, by Winchester. (Grammarly will choke on this book.)
d.r.a., not dr.a. | I'm a novice investor; you are forewarned.
BB76
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by BB76 »

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stuper1
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by stuper1 »

Why the Best-Laid Investment Plans Usually Go Wrong, by Harry Browne.
A 10-20% allocation to gold has helped with the sequence of returns problem. Some gold held physically is also good insurance against the all-digital-assets problem.
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1789
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by 1789 »

“A Random Walk Down Wall Street”
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by friar1610 »

1789 wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 8:51 pm “A Random Walk Down Wall Street”
For a 16 year old? Pretty heavy stuff, IMO.

How about "The Wealthy Barber"?
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MoneyMarathon
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by MoneyMarathon »

birdog wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:46 am
MoneyMarathon wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:14 am At the end of the day, income is more important than savings rates and more important than investing.
MoneyMarathon is correct in the sense that without any income there can be no saving or investing. But while investing and savings rate are dependent upon income, in the end they are ultimately more important than level of income.
I meant something much stronger: income is by far the single most important part of personal finances. It's normally not polite to make a big point out of this. But at age 16, someone should realize that the sky is the limit on income, and it is by far more important than investing or savings rate.

Someone making $50k per year can have a 40% savings rate and save $20k per year. But someone making $200k per year can have a 25% savings rate and save $50k per year. And someone making $500k per year can have a 20% savings rate and save $100k per year. Would you rather live on $30k and save $20k, on $200k and save $50k, or on $400k and save $100k? More income is just about always better, apart from the case of a person who does something that makes them completely miserable (which happens at every income level). And it's not a tradeoff, really. A savings rate is a deferral of current consumption for later consumption. It's a tradeoff. More income is simply better.

Someone investing diligently can earn (hypothetically) 7% a year on their portfolio and expect it to double, on average, every 10 years or so, give or take. After waiting 30 years, someone can have 8x the original amount, give or take. But someone making 10x, after tax, can have that much money right now. They can also invest it, which is extremely easy relative to making 10x as much income, and by following the same simple index investing philosophy, they will still have about 10x as much money in 30 years from now. It's pretty difficult to get ahead very much by investing in efficient public markets, and most of investing wisdom is about avoiding bone-headed mistakes.

I make a point of it because someone young has the most to gain or lose based on their future income. And because it's downplayed to the point of absurdity, when it obviously has a completely outsized impact. Income doesn't have a hard cap on how much it can be a multiplier, and there's a wide dispersion even among people who just get a job based on a college education. A savings rate can never do more than take some part of income and put it aside to grow and spend later. Investment returns are based on what the market gives. The biggest lever in potential lifetime consumption is simply income.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by smectym »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am I am 16 years old and live in the midwest. I joined Bogleheads to get portfolio advice and lower the age of the median member. When I first registered, I thought it would be a one-time post-deal. I mean, I just wanted information on how to allocate my Roth best, but I was taken aback by the wisdom and sincerity of this forum.

I am using these days off school to do some reading. I currently have these suggestions:

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. "
"Date… or Soul Mate"
"The Richest Man In Babylon"
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill,
"How to Win Friends and Influence People"
"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming"


I am up to my ears already but would love to have a running list. I can save time on searching and hop straight to the next item. The books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
William L. Shirer, “Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” which I read when I was your age. Quite accessible and well-written: the volume looks formidable but you’ll zip through it. Read it and you’ll have insight into the 20th century, from the sane perspective of an American reporter who witnessed key events of the era first hand.

https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Third-Reich ... 360&sr=1-3
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market timer
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by market timer »

Probably the best thing you can do to ensure future financial success at age 16 is to get a high SAT score, so I'd recommend studying for that.
smectym
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by smectym »

market timer wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:59 am Probably the best thing you can do to ensure future financial success at age 16 is to get a high SAT score, so I'd recommend studying for that.
Market, That’s always been my view as well but, of late the SAT is under attack and is being devalued by many perceived “top colleges.” At any rate, OP is apparently wants “more and different” than SAT prep can provide
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by 1789 »

friar1610 wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 9:04 pm
1789 wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 8:51 pm “A Random Walk Down Wall Street”
For a 16 year old? Pretty heavy stuff, IMO.

How about "The Wealthy Barber"?
Yes. I thought OP wants to move in fast lane.

I dont know "The Wealthy Barber". I will look at it. Thank you
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Thesaints »

- Fooled by randomness
- Against the gods
- The intelligent investor (modern edition, annotated by Jason Zweig).
- A random walk down Wall Street
angeleyes
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by angeleyes »

The little book of common sense investing by our hero John C. Bogle
CrossOverGuy
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by CrossOverGuy »

"The LIttle Book of Main Street Money" - Jonathan Clements

"Enough" by John Bogle
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by birdog »

MoneyMarathon wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:37 am
birdog wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 6:46 am
MoneyMarathon wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:14 am At the end of the day, income is more important than savings rates and more important than investing.
MoneyMarathon is correct in the sense that without any income there can be no saving or investing. But while investing and savings rate are dependent upon income, in the end they are ultimately more important than level of income.
I meant something much stronger: income is by far the single most important part of personal finances. It's normally not polite to make a big point out of this. But at age 16, someone should realize that the sky is the limit on income, and it is by far more important than investing or savings rate.

Someone making $50k per year can have a 40% savings rate and save $20k per year. But someone making $200k per year can have a 25% savings rate and save $50k per year. And someone making $500k per year can have a 20% savings rate and save $100k per year. Would you rather live on $30k and save $20k, on $200k and save $50k, or on $400k and save $100k? More income is just about always better, apart from the case of a person who does something that makes them completely miserable (which happens at every income level). And it's not a tradeoff, really. A savings rate is a deferral of current consumption for later consumption. It's a tradeoff. More income is simply better.

Someone investing diligently can earn (hypothetically) 7% a year on their portfolio and expect it to double, on average, every 10 years or so, give or take. After waiting 30 years, someone can have 8x the original amount, give or take. But someone making 10x, after tax, can have that much money right now. They can also invest it, which is extremely easy relative to making 10x as much income, and by following the same simple index investing philosophy, they will still have about 10x as much money in 30 years from now. It's pretty difficult to get ahead very much by investing in efficient public markets, and most of investing wisdom is about avoiding bone-headed mistakes.

I make a point of it because someone young has the most to gain or lose based on their future income. And because it's downplayed to the point of absurdity, when it obviously has a completely outsized impact. Income doesn't have a hard cap on how much it can be a multiplier, and there's a wide dispersion even among people who just get a job based on a college education. A savings rate can never do more than take some part of income and put it aside to grow and spend later. Investment returns are based on what the market gives. The biggest lever in potential lifetime consumption is simply income.
I know someone making over 2M a year and he has a negative savings rate. I also know someone making 400K a year with a sixty-five percent savings rate. Which would you rather be? The article I linked to makes my case pretty clear. Maybe we call a truce and say both are vital?
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by bertilak »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am "The Richest Man In Babylon"
Good choice for an excellent foundation in investing.
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by alex_686 »

Thesaints wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 2:18 am - Against the gods
- The intelligent investor (modern edition, annotated by Jason Zweig).
I would second "Against the Gods", and in general would encourage books that were broader and less dogmatic than some of the other suggestions here. I would be curious if a 16 year old would be interested in reading The Intelligent Investor.

I would also suggest anything by Michael Lewis.

Money: The Unauthorized Biography--From Coinage to Cryptocurrencies by Felix Martin is a excellent popular book on what money is from a economic perspective. Don't let the Cryptocurrencies fool you.
Former brokerage operations & mutual fund accountant. I hate risk, which is why I study and embrace it.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by SashaWalpole »

Well, most of the books i'd recommend have already been mentioned by one poster or another. However, i'll just give you my list anyway. I've read a lot of personal finance books and books on investing, and in my opinion there are three that people should read.

THE RICHEST MAN IN BABYLON- The best abstract personal finance book. I've learned from experience that i shouldn't recommend it to everyone. It was written a long time ago and some people (particularly people who don't read much) find the style it's written in to be very difficult to read. To me, however, it's one of the most extremely easy to read and entertaining books i've ever picked up. This was the book that first shifted my perspective on money and wealth.

THE INDEX CARD- There are a lot of personal finance books that all contain roughly the same information. I think everyone needs to read one of these books to find out what the standard personal finance advice is, and this book is the most readable and succinct of these books that i've come across.

SET FOR LIFE- Richest Man in Babylon teaches you the abstract and The Index Card teaches you the standard advice. Set for Life is the last of the three books that i recommend and what it does is it teaches you the optimal advice.

Two other recommendations...

THE DEFINING DECADE- This isn't about money, but it's a book i feel ought to be required reading for every young adult.

THE BOOK ON RENTAL PROPERTY INVESTING- After you read the first three books i've recommended, you can start reading books that address specific types of investing, whether index funds, stock picking, or real estate investing. I think you ought to at least get an introduction to real estate investing rather than automatically picking the stock market as your investing vehicle, so this is the book i'd recommend to do that.
Last edited by SashaWalpole on Sun Mar 29, 2020 8:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Utahdogowner »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am I am 16 years old and live in the midwest. I joined Bogleheads to get portfolio advice and lower the age of the median member. When I first registered, I thought it would be a one-time post-deal. I mean, I just wanted information on how to allocate my Roth best, but I was taken aback by the wisdom and sincerity of this forum.

I am using these days off school to do some reading. I currently have these suggestions:

"The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need."
"The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing. "
"Date… or Soul Mate"
"The Richest Man In Babylon"
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napolean Hill,
"How to Win Friends and Influence People"
"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python Programming"

I am up to my ears already but would love to have a running list. I can save time on searching and hop straight to the next item. The books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by bertilak »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 amThe books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
Kim by Rudyard Kipling is about a youth (just a couple of years younger than you at the start) in 1890s British India. It is:
  • an adventure story: travel, danger, intrigue, suspense
  • a coming of age story: boy becomes man (by age 17)
  • a buddy story: Kim and the lama
  • a spy story, including spy-craft in theory and practice
It has lots of interesting, perhaps exotic, characters and situations.

Kipling won the Nobel Prize in Literature, in large part based on this book -- among other novels, short stories and poetry. Have you ever seen the movie The Man Who Would be King? That is the movie version of Kipling's story by the same name. Quite exciting with Sean Connery, Michael Caine, and Christoper Plummer. Directed by John Huston. It is a rousing adventure story. (Bring your attention span. It is over 2 hours.)

The Man Who Would be King may be better as a movie but Kim is better as a book.
May neither drought nor rain nor blizzard disturb the joy juice in your gizzard. -- Squire Omar Barker (aka S.O.B.), the Cowboy Poet
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by cashboy »

MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am The books don't have to be limited to finance/investing, but please select what you think someone of my age could benefit from reading. I appreciate this immensely - Milo.
Marcus Aurelius Meditations

several free editions/translations on the internet (browse or download)
Three-Fund Portfolio: FSPSX - FXAIX - FXNAX (with slight tilt of CASH - Canned Beans - Rice - Bottled Water)
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MiloMoney
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by MiloMoney »

bertilak wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 6:44 am
MiloMoney wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 2:11 am "The Richest Man In Babylon"
Good choice for an excellent foundation in investing.

Just finished it the book is great!
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by bloom2708 »

Dave Ramsey - The Total Money Makeover

Preemptive strike against debt. :idea:
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by PhysicsTeacher »

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman is well worth reading.
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Sandtrap »

At age 16 - 30 . . . . .

"Life Code" by Dr. Phil
"Life Strategy" by Dr. Phil

j :happy
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Sandtrap »

market timer wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:59 am Probably the best thing you can do to ensure future financial success at age 16 is to get a high SAT score, so I'd recommend studying for that.
+1
Good one.

Optimizing a Professional Level Education and career path will far exceed other mindsets at an early age.

j :happy
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HenryPorter
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by HenryPorter »

The Andrew Tobias book "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" is very good. I recently read the older edition from circa 2000 or earlier and the info was not too stale in it. The newer edition might incorporate the stock market results from 2000-2002 and 2008 - 2009 maybe.

If you like technical stuff more, the Malkiel book ' Random Walk Down Wall Street' and a few others might prepare you to look critically more at the market and investing. Honestly, the more you read and round your familiarity with investment terms and descriptions and market metrics the better. Forums like this are really good too and catching podcasts never hurt too.
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Googliebear
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Googliebear »

Simple Path To Wealth by JL Collins.
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birdog
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by birdog »

Googliebear wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 6:53 am Simple Path To Wealth by JL Collins.
This is the book I recommend more often than any other. :sharebeer
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abuss368
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by abuss368 »

When my kids graduate school I plan to purchase two books:

Jack Bogle "Enough"

Jack Bogle "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing"
John C. Bogle: “Simplicity is the master key to financial success."
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Ged
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by Ged »

The Voyage of the Beagle
by Charles Darwin
fujiters
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Re: Book suggestions for a 16 year old

Post by fujiters »

smectym wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 1:10 am
market timer wrote: Sun Mar 29, 2020 12:59 am Probably the best thing you can do to ensure future financial success at age 16 is to get a high SAT score, so I'd recommend studying for that.
Market, That’s always been my view as well but, of late the SAT is under attack and is being devalued by many perceived “top colleges.” At any rate, OP is apparently wants “more and different” than SAT prep can provide
Doing well enough on PSAT to get National Merit semifinalist or better brings scholarship offers. I'd recommend doing what you can to score well on that.
“The purpose of the margin of safety is to render the forecast unnecessary.” -Benjamin Graham
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