The 15 best books for financial advisors in 2024

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For most financial advisors and wealth management professionals, learning never stops — it's a lifelong pursuit. With a new calendar year just over the horizon, we asked advisors to share the book that helped them the most in their practices this year. 

The resulting list includes timeless business classics and new releases, as well as nonfiction best-sellers, motivational self-help books and even a thought-provoking novel.   

Whether you're looking for insights on leveling up your practice and sharpening your leadership skills or just need a good page-turner to occupy your mind during holiday travel, we've got you covered. Scroll down the cardshow below for a list of the 15 books that inspired, motivated and otherwise helped your peers improve their businesses and themselves. 

See recent FP coverage of books by and for financial advisors:

And previous book roundups here:

‘Co-Intelligence: Living and Working With AI’ by Ethan Mollick

Nick Rygiel, president and owner at Ironclad Financial in Radnor, Pennsylvania:
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"This book provided me with valuable insights into applying AI both personally and professionally, particularly through concepts like the 'Four Rules for Co-intelligence,' which emphasize human-AI collaboration, and the 'Jagged Frontier,' highlighting AI's boundaries. I also regularly explore Ethan's websites, One Useful Thing and More Useful Things, which offer ongoing learning opportunities and deeper insights into the rapidly evolving AI landscape. His work has also inspired me to take a more focused approach to my coding projects, reinforcing the importance of continuous growth and practical engagement with emerging technologies."

‘Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout’ by Cal Newport

Marguerita Cheng, CEO at Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland:
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"I have been a member of the Next Big Idea Club. As part of my membership, I receive two nonfiction books per quarter. There's an app for book bites, podcasts, e-courses, e-books, etc. When I'm training for my fall and spring marathons, I can also tune into audiobooks. I read the physical hard copy of this book. I found it very helpful and practical.

"In 'Slow Productivity' Cal Newport addresses the challenges of balancing achieving our goals without experiencing burnout. I found the advice of organizing work in an intentional and sustainable manner highly effective. His core principles are the following: Do fewer things. Work at a natural pace. Obsess over quality.

"As a CFP professional, sometimes I feel the pressure to do more and more just because that's what others do and what others say I should do. While we can't be all things to all people, this book provides timeless advice to all of us. It's a wonderful read for a financial advisor to share with their friends, family and even clients."

‘10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less’ by Dan Sullivan

Luis Rosa, founder at Build a Better Financial Future in Las Vegas and Los Angeles:
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"It really helped me see the importance of spending as much time as you can on what you're good at, and learning how to delegate the rest by finding the right 'whos' and put them in that role.

"The key takeaway was to stop wearing all the hats and get laser-focused on your unique ability. This will be very helpful for business and personal growth. It motivated me to make my service offering more clear, allowing me to take on more ideal clients this coming year, while at the same time transitioning other clients that are not the best fit out of my practice in order to make room to grow and work with those I want to work with."

Rebecca Conner, founder at SeedSafe Financial in Austin:

"So often we focus on the little tweaks in our business that need to happen or the daily priority list of work that needs to be done. We fail to step back and dare for what a larger change in the business could do. This book helped me overcome fear of large changes that I want to do. Amazing book!"

‘Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead’ by Brené Brown

Carolyn McClanahan, founder at Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida:
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"I'm a big fan of Brené Brown and reread her book 'Rising Strong' this year. I had a couple of setbacks personally and professionally the prior couple of years, and it helped me restore my commitment to wholehearted living. She has really good nuggets on how to live in integrity and uphold your values, work well with others, and how to get comfortable with situations that are not usually comfortable. It gave me the boost and tools to build out a stronger team and succession plan for the future."

‘Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action’ by Simon Sinek

Filip Telibasa, owner of Benzina Wealth in Sarasota, Florida:
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"I launched my business about a month ago. As a result, my book recommendation applies to the initial process of building a firm. 'Start With Why' was useful in laying the groundwork for any successful business — especially one where we connect with other people directly every single day. I learned it is imperative to investigate your WHY on a deep level and correlate it to your ideal client — it should match up. From there, you can transition to HOW you will do it, which is typically easier since we are all experts in what we do."

‘The Greatest Salesman in the World’ by Og Mandino

Anthony Williams, co-founder at Galene Financial in Houston:
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"For motivation, my go-to is 'The Greatest Salesman in the World' by Og Mandino. It's not a new read, but it's one of those timeless books that feels like a pep talk in print. Whenever I'm in a slump, just a few pages are enough to wake me up, refocus my energy and get me ready to tackle the day. It's nothing but pure, top-notch inspiration!"

‘Headshot: A Novel’ by Rita Bullwinkel

Sarah Maitre, founder at Camriel Advisors in Mount Shasta, California:
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"'Headshot' by Rita Bullwinkel was an enlightening read that shaped how I approach my work. The story centers on young girls at a boxing tournament but focuses more on their pasts, futures and personal struggles than the act of boxing itself. It explores themes of grief, identity and resilience — reminding me how financial planning often involves guiding families through these same challenges. A key takeaway was the idea of finding tenacity in unexpected places, which reflects how I help families build financial resilience during pivotal transitions like loss, planning for their children's futures or balancing emotional and financial priorities."

‘The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Healthy, Happy Self’ by Michael Easter

Laura Dix, CEO at Legacy Financial in Woodburn, Oregon:
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"Reading 'The Comfort Crisis' was serendipitous for my business and family. Easter shows how human beings crave known comfort, both personally and professionally. This can limit our growth and ability to evolve because we fear losing comfort. Discomfort may be physical, but it can also be emotional or psychological, and it can be tough to push past the limits we set for ourselves. We were at a precipice in our business, with the potential for incredible growth but with some needed changes that could have been easier to avoid than face head-on. Now, on the other side of these challenging and important conversations, our team is a better unit and business going into 2025."

‘The Algebra of Wealth: A Simple Formula for Financial Security’ by Scott Galloway

Rebecca Conner, founder at SeedSafe Financial in Austin:
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"I tend to focus on more technical financial planning books, but this one was a good reminder of what I really need to help clients feel certain of for financial security. Scott is a great speaker and these timeless truths make this book great to share with clients, with kids going to college, and with friends. Going back to basics for the most impact on clients is a great way to start the year!"

‘The Couple’s Guide to Thriving With ADHD' by Melissa Orlov and Nancie Kohlenberger

Nicole Burdick, at Money Maven Financial in Bellingham, Washington:
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"I bought 'The Couple's Guide to Thriving With ADHD' for myself, but I'm finding it helpful in business, as I've noticed ADHD is a thread woven into a lot of client interactions. This book has some great tools to help your clients who either have, or live with someone who has, ADHD."

‘Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones’ by James Clear

Anthony Williams, co-founder at Galene Financial in Houston:
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"This year, 'Atomic Habits' by James Clear transformed how I approach my practice. The idea of improving just 1% each day hit home for me — such a simple yet powerful concept. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by big goals, I've learned to embrace the power of small, consistent actions that add up to huge results. It's practical, actionable and completely eye-opening!"

‘Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business’ by Gino Wickman and Mark Winters

G. Ward Keever IV, president and CEO at Covenant Wealth Strategies in Wilmington, Delaware:
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"In 2024 the most impactful book that I read is 'Rocket Fuel' by Gino Wickman and Mark Winters. Wickman is the author of the book 'Traction,' upon which the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is based.  

"'Rocket Fuel' is based on the concept of taking otherwise stable elements and combining them together in such a way as to produce explosive/powerful results. In this case, the two elements combined are two individuals — which we come to define as Visionaries and Integrators. Visionaries often have big dreams, lots of ideas, lots of energy but…not enough focus. Integrators are amazing people who like working with Visionaries and are masters at distilling, prioritizing and executing the Visionary's dreams and ideas. Visionaries without Integrators are often misunderstood, frustrated and frustrating people. Visionaries with amazing Integrators include people like Steve Jobs (Integrator = Steve Wozniak) and Ray Kroc (Integrator = Fred Turner). These were once small businesses with Visionaries who found their Integrators and the combination of these two 'elements' created such a powerful reaction that these small businesses grew into multinational Fortune 100 companies.

"Rocket Fuel is one of the most powerful books I have read in the past 10 years. It was an 'aha' experience for me (and my Integrator) and has helped to define and bring structure, purpose and understanding to our relationship, all the while growing our firm more than 10x our peer group over the past 12 months."

‘Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect’ by Will Guidara

Andy Chatham, partner at Eight Oaks Financial in Irvine, California:
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"Early this year I read 'Unreasonable Hospitality.' Written by Will Guidara, the tome chronicles the transformation of Eleven Madison Park from a struggling restaurant to the best in the world through exceptional hospitality. Guidara emphasizes the power of going above and beyond to create memorable experiences for guests and employees alike. By sharing personal anecdotes and practical insights, he demonstrates how businesses in any industry can achieve excellence by focusing on guest experience, team communication and attention to detail. His storytelling is very entertaining. As he shares his journey to No. 1, he shares the lessons he learned along the way."

‘American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America’ by Colin Woodard

Jessica H. McNamee, founder of Sirius Wealth Strategies in Columbus, Ohio:
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"The most powerful book I read this year was 'American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America' by Colin Woodard. I have a national practice, so I speak to a vast array of people with different perspectives. Being able to relate to each client on an individual level is an important step in earning trust and building our relationship so that they hear my advice during the moments when exuberance or pessimism reign supreme. Although this isn't a traditional 'business book,' it offers a fascinating and valuable analysis of how regional cultures emerged across our great nation and how they continue to influence our society today. After reading this book, I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for differing opinions and am better equipped to relate to clients from all walks of life."

‘Stop Acting Rich … and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire’ by Thomas J. Stanley

Crystal McKeon, chief compliance officer and financial advisor at TSA Wealth Management in Houston:
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"One of my favorite books that demonstrates how you can be wealthy but not actually feel wealthy is 'Stop Acting Rich … and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire' by Thomas J. Stanley. The premise of the book is that people tend to judge themselves based on those around them. Most people buy a home toward the high end of their budget, which puts them in a neighborhood and area with people who are mostly on the same level as them financially. Once they enter this domain, they tend to compare themselves to other people in the same or similar financial situation. So even though they may be better off than most people in the country they compare themselves to the millionaire next door that may be doing a bit better. He continually insists that if you buy a house you can easily afford and not stretch, you will be financially on much better footing for everything."
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