5 minute read
In the ever-evolving world of finance, continuous growth and reading is essential for financial advisors to excel.
Charlie Munger – the vice chair of Berkshire Hathaway – once said, “In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time… None, zero.”
And Barton Biggs – the late money manager who had a very successful career – also said, “The successful macro investor must be some magical mixture of an acute analyst, an investment scholar, a listener, a historian, a river boat gambler, and be a voracious reader. Reading is crucial.”
Both these seasoned wealth managers seemed to grasp the importance of the edge that books provide.
And we at Dunham believe the same. That reading is critical for building knowledge, improving market depth, and developing a ‘mental toolbox’ to pull from in any situation to improve your clients’ lives.
This underlines the importance of professional development, which can significantly enhance vital skills like critical thinking, communication, and confidence whether you're a seasoned advisor or aspiring to enter the financial industry, these resources can empower your journey toward becoming an outstanding financial advisor.
That’s why we put together a list of highly recommended books and hope financial professionals will enjoy it.
From finance and history to psychology and complex systems.
It’s all here.
Financial Planning Related
1. The Excellent Investment Advisor by Nick Murray
2. Advice That Sticks: How to Give Financial Advice That People Will Follow by Dr. Moira Somers
3. Delivering Massive Value by Mathew Jarvis
4. Life-Centered Financial Planning: How to Deliver Value That Will Never Be Undervalued by Paul Armson and Mitch Anthony
5. The Process of Financial Planning: Developing a Financial Plan; 2nd Edition by Ruth H. Lytton and John Grable
Financial Advisor Sales and Marketing
1. The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M.R. Covey
2. To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others by Daniel H. Pink
3. Storytelling for Financial Advisors: How Top Producers Sell by Scott West and Mitch Anthony
4. Knockout Networking for Financial Advisors and Other Sales Producers: More Prospects, More Referrals, More Business by Michael Goldberg
5. The Financial Advisor's Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide by Dr. Jack Singer
6. Getting ‘Yes’ Decisions: What Insurance Agents and Financial Advisors Can Say to Clients by Bernie De Souza and Tom Schreiter
7. The Sustainable Edge by Ron Carson & Scott Ford
Estate Planning for Financial Advisors
1. The Complete Book of Wills, Estates, and Trust by Alexander A. Bove, Jr.
2. The Wealthy Barber: The Common Sense Guide to Successful Financial Planning by David Chilton
3. Living Trusts for Everyone by Ronald Farrington Sharp
4. Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To by Melanie Cullen and Shae Irving, J.D.
Practice Management
1. Practice Made (More) Perfect by Mark C. Tibergien
2. G2: The Next Generation by Philip Palaveev
3. Guerrilla Marketing for Financial Advisors (Transforming Financial Professionals through Practice Management) by Jay Conrad Levinson and Grant W. Hicks
4. Success and Succession: Unlocking Value, Power, and Potential in the Professional Services Advisory Space by Eric Hehman, Jay Hummel, Tim Kochis
5. Deena Katz's Complete Guide to Practice Management: Tips, Tools, and Templates for the Financial Adviser by Deena B. Katz
Investment and Analysis
1. Where are the Customers’ Yachts? by Fred Schwed Jr.
2. Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why it Matters for Global Capitalism – by George A. Akerlof
3. A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
4. Common Sense on Mutual Funds by John C. Bogle
5. The Most Important Thing Illuminated by Howard Marks
6. Big Money Thinks Small: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing by Joel Tillinghast
Enticing Financial History
1. When Genius Failed: Ther Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein
2. Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System by Andrew Ross Sorkin
3. The Smartest Guys in The Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
4. Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Bradley Hope and Tom Wright
5. The Money Formula: Dodgy Finance, Pseudo Science, and How Mathematicians Took Over the Markets by Paul Wilmott
6. The Rise of the Carry: The Dangerous Consequences of Volatility Suppression by Tim Lee and Jamie Lee
7. Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed
8. Anatomy of the Bear: Lessons from Wall Street’s Four Great Bottoms by Russel Napier
The Study of Complex Systems, Biology, and Various Other Books
1. Simply Complexity: A Clear Guide to Complexity Theory by N.J. Sleuth and Neil F. Johnson
2. SCALE: The Universal Laws of Life, Growth, and Death in Organisms, Cities, and Companies by Geoffrey West
3. Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction, and Economics by Paul Ormerod
4. The Rules of Contagion: How Things Spread, and Why They Stop by Adam Kucharski
5. From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds by Daniel C. Dennett
6. Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everything Else and What it Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi & Jennifer Frangos
7. The Allure of Battle: A History of How Wars have been Won and Lost by Cathal J. Nolan
8. Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen by Mark Buchanan
9. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky
10. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb
Disclosure:
This communication is general in nature and provided for educational and informational purposes only. It should not be considered or relied upon as legal, tax, or investment advice or an investment recommendation, or as a substitute for legal counsel. Any investment products or services named herein are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered an offer to buy or sell, or an investment recommendation for, any specific security, strategy, or investment product or service. Always consult a qualified professional or your own independent financial professional for personalized advice or investment recommendations tailored to your specific goals, individual situation, and risk tolerance.