“The subset of people that make the sh*ttiest, worst decisions with their money? It’s not a certain gender. It’s not a certain race. It’s not a certain age group. It’s people who don’t have options. It’s people who are desperate.” — Vivian Tu, author of Rich AF

Social media has undoubtedly changed how we consume media.

From making you an expert in 8 seconds to marketing products and services with subliminal messages, it’s easy to believe you can post TikToks and a million dollars comes rolling down the hill.

If not for TikTok (or its cousin repurposed content), however, I would not have found these incredible reads to upgrade my finances. What better way to spend time with myself?

When looking for a good personal finance book, consider the following:

• It resonates with you. The book should speak to your pain points and make you feel a part of the audience.
• Plenty of absorbing stories. Whether they make you laugh, cry, or shout “That me!”, stories not only fill the pages, they put the shoe on the other foot for a change.
• A fresh writing style. Even if you don’t 100% agree with the author’s viewpoints, listen to them anyway without bias.
• Actionable tips. The exercises teach you invaluable lessons to move your life forward.

I see a lot of book recommendations for male authors who’ve lived literally generations longer than me, so it’s nice to see these women are close to my age and changing the world with their dollars (and enjoying it, too).

Join me in changing my financial life with these 3 books:

Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy’s Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love by Tori Dunlap

Tori is me in reverse — she is boisterous, outspoken, and financially independent. She is famous for saving 100 thousand dollars in her bank account before “giving her job the middle finger” to take her blog, Her First $100K, full time. I believe I first heard of her from a CNBC article, and my first thoughts were, “We’re the same age and she’s making good money working for herself. First, you go girl. Second, how do I get there too?”

The Tiktoks came second, and I began consuming her bite-sized nuggets about investing, career moves, and savings with anticipation of her book, which came out last year. I read this book cover to cover three times already, and each time it fuels me as my progress toward debt relief continues. (Comment below if you’d like an article about my full review!)

Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us by Berna Anat

Berna is a sweet and brave young woman who challenges the social norms promoting ignorance of finances in our youth. The book found me via social media ads, of course, as its Cosmo-and-Wanda-colored cover reached me more and more. My wallet was taking a beating due to my bad overspending, so I found the book for free-99 at a mobile version of my local library. Having read many personal finance books that stressed reading bit by bit, I instead finished the book in one sitting. Berna is also around my age, however, I thought some of the speech was bulky with Gen-Z slang and the advice was somewhat basic with solutions. As someone in my late twenties, this book would have been a gold mine for my 18-year-old self if it had been published then.

Rich AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life by Vivian Tu

“Your favorite Wallstreet girly” has one of the most highly anticipated books releasing next week, and you’d be behind if you didn’t join in. Vivian made a name for herself in the TikTok space about two years ago, and I knew she looked familiar when I looked back at my screenshots of Snapchats from Buzzfeed. When I scroll ‘personal finance’ on YouTube, Vivian is all in my space with tips I am still learning myself. She is an inspiration and I have had her book on pre-order for over a few months now.

“By having a good amount in savings, you don’t have to make decisions from a place of desperation. You know that you have enough money to cover your basic expenses, handle any surprise bills, and gradually build up the cash to buy the stuff you want. You feel secure, stable and generally chill.

“Because when you’re saving, and your needs are met, and you aren’t stressing constantly about your bills, then you get to graduate and do other cool financial sh*t, like invest, fund your retirement, buy property, and all the other things that get your money making you money — aka living like a rich person.” — excerpt from Rich AF by Vivian Tu

Well said, and I can’t wait to read the rest!

As an Amazon Associate, I get commissions from purchases made through links in this post.

Please note that this publication is for informational purposes only and I am not a financial professional. Though I am a Certified Financial Education Instructor™, this shouldn’t be considered as certified financial or legal advice. Please seek professional guidance for those decisions.

I hope you enjoy and support my journey. If you’d like, you can buy me a matcha to keep me going!

Excerpt credit: From RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life, by Vivian Tu, in agreement with Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © Vivian Tu, 2023.