With the cost of living reaching record levels, lots of people are looking for ways to exert better control over their money. Although challenging, you can save more, spend less, and feel more confident in your finances.
The best way to get started is to educate yourself. Fortunately, there’s a veritable goldmine of information out there in all sorts of formats, from videos to podcasts and even this blog. For those who love to read, there are also lots of personal finance books to check out.
A lot of the big-name titles tend to be written by American authors and focus on U.S. finances. But there are also some financial books aimed at the U.K. market. In this guide, we’ll run through seven of the top personal finance books for British readers.
Best Finance Books In The UK
1 – Money: A User’s Guide by Laura Whateley
If you’re looking for the perfect introduction to personal finance, written in a clear, engaging, and easy-to-follow way, look no further than “Money: A User’s Guide” by award-winning journalist and consumer affairs expert Laura Whateley. – It’s a must-read.
Laura arrived in London at age of 23 to start her first full-time job. Then, the economy crashed. Like so many others, she found herself in a tricky situation, and had to learn how to get her finances in order fast.
As she attests in the book, it wasn’t always easy, but she found ways to develop smarter financial habits. And that’s really what “Money: A User’s Guide” is all about. It provides readers with the knowledge they need to get their finances under control and make their money do more for them.
It covers all of the big topics, from renting to saving for your first home. It even delves into how money can affect mental health and relationships, always delivering practical, valuable advice that readers can integrate into their own lives.
In short, there are very few finance books in existence that are as uniquely readable and easy to understand as this one.
2 – The Money Diet by Martin Lewis
Martin Lewis needs no introduction. He’s the face of personal finance advice in the U.K. today, appearing on TV, in print, and on the famous site he founded: Money Saving Expert. Countless people of all ages trust him when it comes to their money.
If you enjoy Martin’s unrivalled expertise, too, it’s worth checking out his first book: “The Money Diet.” It was released back in 2005, but has been revised and updated accordingly over the years to remain up-to-date and relevant for today’s readers.
As the title implies, “The Money Diet” is a guide to help readers shed pounds from their bills. It provides tons of truly life-changing advice about how you can manage credit cards, get better deals on your energy bills, slash your mortgage rates, and more.
In essence, you can sum up the vibe of this book with the old adage, “take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.” It helps readers make little savings here and there, which add up over time to create a happier, healthier financial state.
Best of all, the whole book is written in Martin’s distinctive, no-nonsense style. He simplifies complex concepts with ease, breaking everything down in a way that even the most casual reader can understand.
3 – The Meaningful Money Handbook by Pete Matthew
Pete Matthew is right up there alongside Martin Lewis as one of the top sources for financial advice in the U.K. right now. He’s the Managing Director at Jacksons Wealth Management, as well as the host of “The Meaningful Money Personal Finance Podcast.”
In “The Meaningful Money Handbook,” Pete shares everything that readers need to know about managing their money. He then provides practical, step-by-step advice you can follow to build your wealth and secure your financial future.
Free of complex jargon and confusing terminology, this book is a joy to read. Pete has a real knack for understanding how and why people make mistakes with their money, and finding the right words to explain those mistakes so you don’t make them again in future.
The book itself is split into three main sections. The first goes over the basics, introducing readers to budgeting, saving, and managing debt. The second section looks at investments and how to put your money in the right places. The final part covers retirement planning and pensions.
In other words, it’s a comprehensive guide for managing money over the course of your entire life and will appeal to readers of any age.
4 – Money Lessons by Lisa Conway-Hughes
It’s no secret that many women don’t have the same wealth-building opportunities as men. There are extensive gender pay gaps in many industries. Plus, it can be harder for females to work their way up company ladders and progress in their careers.
Well, for all the women out there seeking straightforward financial advice, “Money Lessons” by Lisa Conway-Hughes is certainly worth including on your reading list. Although it’s worth noting that this book can be just as eye-opening and insightful for male readers, too.
Designed to help readers get the life they want, the book addresses many money-related challenges you might encounter. Topics covered include how to ask for a pay rise, how to budget a wedding, ways to get out of debt, and how to save for your first home.
In each section, Lisa Conway-Hughes draws on her extensive financial expertise to deliver clear, actionable advice for her readers. She provides useful, unique tips that you won’t have seen elsewhere, and the book has a hopeful, optimistic tone, inspiring readers to make a change.
5 – The Financial Wellbeing Book by Chris Budd
Money is the No. 1 source of stress for so many people. It causes headache, heartache, and frustration galore. In “The Financial Wellbeing Book,” Chris Budd aims to help readers achieve a much healthier relationship with money, in what he calls “financial peace of mind.”
Serving as a simple, practical guide to financial planning in both the short- and long-term, this book is concise, to-the-point, and well-written. In fact, it’s the kind of book you can get through in a single sitting – though it’s probably better to take your time and give Chris’s advice time to soak in.
In addition, “The Financial Wellbeing Book” puts a lot of focus on money mindsets. It explores how and why certain people have negative or even destructive attitudes towards money, and may help you establish a much healthier approach to your personal finances.
6 – A Life Less Throwaway by Tara Button
This book is a little more niche than some of the others on the list. It doesn’t go into retirement planning, mortgage rates, or how to get the best credit card deals. However, it’s still worthy of a spot on this list, as it offers an insightful and possibly life-changing look at the way we buy and spend.
The author, Tara Button, was given a Le Creuset casserole pot for her 30th birthday. She instantly realised that the pot could very well last her the rest of her life. That made her reflect on how so many people wasted money on items that had to be thrown out, renewed, and replaced every couple of years.
In “A Life Less Throwaway,” Button looks at ways to change the way you shop, putting more focus on long-lasting items you won’t need to keep on replacing. It’s a great read for those who want to build better spending habits, along with those who find themselves regularly wasting cash on products that simply don’t last.
7 – Live on Less, Invest the Rest by Andrew Craig
Like many of the other best personal finance books, “Live on Less, Invest the Rest” inspires readers to develop more positive attitudes towards money. As the title implies, this book aims to help you save more in your day to day life and stretch your finances further through sensible investments.
It offers sound, practical advice for people in all sorts of financial situations and of all ages, in easy-to-follow plain English. The topics covered include how to find money to invest, the right ways to invest, paying off debts, and building up “rainy day” funds for those unexpected emergencies in life.
In short, it’s a fantastic financial guide for those who feel a little lost or regularly stressed because of money. The author, Andrew Craig, delivers and backs up his points clearly and effectively, resulting in a thoroughly engaging and motivating read.
Wrapping Up
As this guide has shown, there’s a veritable library of fantastic finance books to take a look at. Some provide cautionary tales about what not to do with your money, while others offer sound advice on saving, investing, and so on.
They’re all useful and interesting in their own ways, and it’s worth reading more than one, if you can. In fact, the more you read about personal finance, the more confident you can feel when it comes to managing your own money.
If you feel lost in today’s financial climate or just want a good book to pass the time while also providing valuable insight, give one of these titles a try.
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