5 Books that Helped me Build Financial Literacy

Budgeting, Investing and Estate Planning for Artists & Millennials

I’m excited to share my favorite books on financial literacy, focusing on budgeting, investing, and estate planning.

As I mentioned in my previous essay, my financial wellness journey began through a series of workshops offered through an Artist grant I was part of. Those workshops planted a seed which inspired me to further my holistic financial literacy, which I have found through books.

Books have been the absolute best and most comprehensive form of education I’ve received on financial management. While online resources such as Investopedia, Youtube, and Google have supplemented my research—I can confidently say that the books I’ve listed here have changed my life.

Collectively, they have equipped me with foundational knowledge to make smart and educated decisions about my finances for the rest of my life.

The best part is—I received this education for free, courtesy of my local public library! I never paid a dime for any of these books, but they’re so valuable that I will probably buy them anyway.

I do want to note that I intentionally read material that speaks to my financial reality as a self-employed Artist/Writer Millennial without a family. Most of the books here, as you will see, speak to people in a variety of life circumstances. I just want to add a disclaimer that these books are especially valuable for those in the same boat as me!

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Broke Millennial Takes on Investing: A Beginners Guide to Leveling Up Your Money

This was the very first book I ever read on growing wealth. I specifically sought out a book that was beginner-friendly, geared towards people who don’t have a lot of money, and preferably written by a woman.

This book hit all 3 points, and it was so fun to read! I walked away feeling very knowledgeable and equipped with new financial vocabulary.

To be clear, this book goes deep into the ins-and-outs of investing. It covers questions such as: Are you ready to start investing? Should you invest if you have debt? What are some modern options to make the investing process simple and easy? It really walks you through everything, step by step.

After a lot of research, I opened my first investment account with Wealthfront, as it was one of the “Roboadvisor” companies she featured in the book, and I am very excited for this new journey. OK, let me fangirl out for a sec…

I love that Wealthfront automates all of the analytical work of investing for you to maximize your financial gains, making the process very beginner-friendly.

While you need to have at least $500 to start an investment account, the minimum balance to have cash savings is just $1. They pay some of the highest interest rates in the country, and their fees to manage your investments are low and very reasonable.

I now use Wealthfront to house all of my major savings, from rainy day, to travel fund, to big creative projects, to retirement—whereas I still use my local Credit Union to manage my immediate expenses.

Sometimes I still think about the passive income I could have earned from interest by now, if I had this knowledge just a little sooner—but here’s to new beginnings!

If you want to sign up with Wealthfront, you’re welcome to use my referral code to get a boost on your interest rate for your first 6 months.

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The Money Book for Freelancers, Part Timers, and the Self Employed

The Only Personal Finance System for People With Not-So-Regular Jobs

Okay, THIS book has to be my favorite of the whole bunch. This was the 2nd financial literacy book I ever read, and it has been a game-changer. Like WOW! As a self-employed individual, it is extremely rare to come across real financial education that speaks to my specific lifestyle, goals, and challenges.

Topics covered include: how to budget and create financial security when you have an inconsistent, fluctuating monthly income (it’s possible!), how to ensure you always have money set aside for savings, investments, and taxes. How to get clear on your dreams and actually save for them. They have a very simple, adjustable system to follow that can work for anyone, regardless of income.

One thing I love about this book is that it’s absolutely hilarious!!! The authors understand the unique money pains of freelancers all too well, including the judgments we face for being irresponsible peter pans and starving artists.

There are lots of on-point references to these cultural attitudes throughout the book, plenty of records set straight, and a lot of well-deserved shade thrown back to typical nine-to-fivers. I’ve never felt so seen in regards to my financial reality!

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Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

This is the third book I read in regards to how to approach my finances. In a way, I was working backwards, since this is Erin Lowry’s first book, filled with foundational advice to strengthen your holistic financial life before you start investing.

I skipped around to various chapters (she says it makes a great toilet read) and eventually finished the whole thing. Much like Erin’s first book, this one had valuable information that can apply to people in various life situations, but most of it didn’t really speak to the financial reality of being a freelancer.

Thankfully, by time I read this book, I felt full with all the foundational education I needed from the first two books.

The most valuable chapters for me were the ones on buying a home, and how to handle finances in relationships with partners and friends.

I continue to listen to podcasts that speak about these two topics, and it’s really deepened my awareness of the psychological and relational aspects of finance.

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Guiding Those Left Behind: Settling the Affairs of Your Loved One

So actually this was the first finance-related book I read this year, before all the others. I wanted learn about estate planning because I am now my Mom’s only next of kin, and she has been stubborn about not getting her end of life affairs in order.

I was left wondering what would happen to my financial and emotional life if my Mom were to die suddenly, leaving me to pick up the pieces of her estate with zero guidance. Also, I am deeply concerned about what would happen to her kitties and pup, if something ever happened to her.

I imagined that settling an estate without a will and other important documents would be grueling and possibly expensive. After learning about probate, my intuition was beyond correct! Also, I learned that there is SEW much more to end-of-life planning than just writing a will.

This book was foundational in terms of learning, step-by-step, how to handle the affairs of a deceased loved one. It outlines how one should go about handling their own affairs to make the process easier, cheaper, and less painful for those whom they leave behind.

This book was a way to educate and prepare myself for the inevitable. I also intend to write a last-ditch letter to my Mom sharing what I’ve learned, and outlining some steps she can take. Who knows? She might want to ruin my life through probate and leave all of her animals to perish without care, but at least I can say that I tried!

One note I will mention is that this book has several versions, based on the laws in various U.S. States. So I suggest you research the title of the book as Guiding Those Left Behind: Settling the Affairs of Your Loved One in [Insert your state here].

Excellent and very comprehensive book. It was definitely late-night reading for me!

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The Writers Legal Guide: An Author’s Guild Desk Reference

Now, you might be asking what a Creative legal guide has to do with finances. I say-everything! As a Writer and Artist, it’s very important for me to educate myself on best practices for my published work to avoid expensive legal issues down the line, and to protect myself from other legally binding arrangements that drain my pockets.

This book contains information on copyright law, Fair Use, collaborations, negotiating agreements with literary agents, royalties, etc. I would say this is a great read not just for writers, but anyone who publishes.

My favorite chapter was the one on Estate Planning for Writers. This was the real gold for me, because I rarely see anyone speak about an Artists’ copyrights and licenses as an asset of an estate that can potentially be mishandled after death.

Extremely important stuff, and super relevant to me as someone who literally tried to write a living will in the introduction of her memoir, urging readers to never allow crazy white boys to take my life story out of context and make a corny movie about it.

This is the only book on this list that I did not read in its entirety, but each chapter stands alone as great reference guide for whatever you might need.

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Honorable Mention:

Women Talk Money: Breaking The Taboo

Women Talk Money is an anthology of real, personal stories by a diverse selection of women writers.

I read this book two years ago, and it still stands out to me as one of the most nourishing books I’ve ever read about money. I recognized some of the authors in this book, and it was fascinating to read about their personal journeys as well as those of their families.

This is not a financial advice book, nor is it a “how I became successful” type thing. It’s just real, raw, honest life stories that are intricately connected to the topic of money. I highly recommend this book, and this reminds me to read it for a 2nd time!

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I hope you enjoyed reading this list! If any of you read these books or have an interest in doing so, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Financial literacy is so important, and can be very empowering, especially for women. I’m very happy to share what has been helping me find my own way.

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