For some of us, the holiday season brings the added stress of finding gift ideas for family and friends. The situation certainly becomes that more challenging when the recipient has it all. We believe a wonderful way to show your appreciation is to give someone a book that they will enjoy. A book is a personalized gift because you will select it based on a subject matter you know the recipient will care to spend time reading about. Besides being entertaining and educational, books can also be shared with other people making them a unique gift idea.
To relieve the holiday gift giving stress we have highlighted three book ideas that we believe would be both entertaining and rewarding. Though our book recommendations are not all centered on personal finance, they all uncover topics that we believe provide readers with opportunities to better their understanding of key investing themes and ways to better themselves.
The Intelligent Investor: A timeless classic
The last year has been a difficult year for investors. Stocks, bonds and even cryptocurrencies experienced significant drawdowns. While it has not been easy for anyone, it may be demoralizing for the young investor who is experiencing his or her first bear market. Fortunately, this presents an excellent opportunity to introduce them to a book that provides good perspective on investing. The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham is a timeless classic. Graham’s book delves into basic topics such as the difference between investing and speculating that is a lesson that every generation of investors needs to learn, and the framework and concepts that support value investing.
Although The Intelligent Investor was published over 70 years ago, the nuggets of wisdom that Graham delivers are clear and still relevant for investors today. The revised edition includes commentary from Wall Street journalist Jason Zweig, who provides insights to tie current market events to Graham’s lessons. A wonderful book that would certainly provide a young person the confidence in their investment decision-making in the current volatile market.
Purchase The Intelligent Investor @ Amazon.ca
Building habits for a successful 2023
The concept of compound interest is a fundamental idea that is at the center of any conversation about wealth creation. For this reason, we were intrigued by James Clear’s book Atomic Habits that raises awareness on how small, but consistent improvements in your habits and behaviour will drive you to meeting your goals. Atomic Habits combines simple and practical strategies to not only form good habits, but also avoid the traps that keep you from reaching you goals. Clear does an excellent job in explaining complex topics, and he provides real-life examples of artists, athletes and entrepreneurs that mastered habits to allow them to achieve success. Atomic Habits would be a terrific book for someone you think needs a nudge to get them to make positive changes in their life in the new year.
Purchase Atomic Habits @ Amazon.ca
A book for the tech enthusiast
The final book idea is for the technology enthusiast in your life. At a fraction of the cost of the iPhone 14 Chris Miller’s Chip War: The Fight for The World’s Most Critical Technology is a fascinating book with rich storylines about how the computer chip has evolved to become such major influence in our everyday lives. Miller’s grasp of history and storytelling provides readers with interesting insights into an industry that has and will continue to have an impact on the global economy and geopolitical landscape. The book also provides deep insights into the innovators and business executives that helped shape the computer chip industry from Morris Chang who founded Taiwan Semiconductor to Nobel Prize winner and co-inventor of the integrated circuit Jack Kilby. Readers will be pleasantly surprised by the intriguing stories and geopolitical relationships embedded in an industry that is certain to be at the forefront of new developments in years to come.
Avoid the headaches and all the trouble of finding gifts that fizzle. Instead consider our book recommendations that will not only entertain but also make your loved ones a little wealthier as well.
